Even though this volume is an expanded and edited version of a series of lectures in UCLA, first published in 1972, the material presented is surprisingly relevant today, as Dr. Furst points out in his Introduction to the 1990 edition. Not all of the chapters read like spoken word, however, so the reader must bring a keen interest to break through some dense language. Nevertheless, the description of ritual intoxication with all manner of drugs will open the eyes of the unenlightened in our culture who assign drug use to the derelict and immoral. From Tobacco and Cannabis to the more potent hallucinogens from the Iboga and Peyote plants, the authors of the various chapters display true expertise across fields ranging from botany to psychology. One thesis is even presented that the origins of religion were catalysed by different hallucinogenic mushrooms by global locality! Overall, though, the volume is helped a great deal by the historical context provided by Dr. Furst's introduction, and I really got a sense of how this area of study developed over time. For a student of human nature, this book grew on me until I didn't realize how much time was passing! You may find, as I did, that some of the ritual behavior (along with the bizarre) is less "savage" than the stereotype of indigenous peoples and more like social groups closer to home. The discussion ranges across wide enough areas of interest to find some spark for most readers.
