Shroom: A Cultural History of the Magic Mushroom

You’ll learn a lot!

I loooooved this book! Bought it after my first trip because I wanted to understand more. This book is written in a very enlightening manner without being boring!

Bought this book for a friend. Very well written and researched.

Interesting read, in a historical sense, but a lot drier than I expected.A lot of side notes and scientific factoids, which are intersting in their own way, but I was hoping for something more on the observational level. I had expected, from the reviews I read, a book with more relevance to the counter-culture interest in mushrooms, their discovery and use during the sixties and beyond, and the impact they had during that era.What I got was a much more scientific look at the foundation of mushroom discovery throughout history, and a long, drawn out look at the scientific side of the nomenclature and who did what to whom in the argument about what a mushroom was, and who's theories or taxonomy was more correct.Amongst all of this was a fair amount of historical lore and recent history, but it felt like the writer added this information in more for filling than as an integral part of the book.As I stated above, a quite interesting read if you want to know the science of mushrooms, but not the social and cultural history I was looking for.

Great book. I always recommend it. If you have an interest in anything that relates to it consider checking it out.

I borrowed this book from the Rochester Public Library, and liked it so much that I incurred some library fines. I had to buy it, and Im still not finished reading it. I love books like this. Definitely recommend it for anyone interested in mushrooms.

Highly readable account of the history of hallucinogenic mushrooms. The author strikes an appropriate balance between the multiple realms he is forced to consider: science, psychology, sociology, anthropology, and history.

very pleased. interesting info.

Muy bien escrito, ameno, claro, profundo, completo, objetivo, una lectura deliciosa para repasar la historia de estos hongos que siguen siendo un misterio

I bought this for a couple of friends who have recently become interested in Magic Mushrooms.This is a very informative and entertaining review of Magic Mushrooms through history and gives an even-handed account of all things shroom. It debunks some of the Soma myths and injects some much needed scepticism into the writings of Terence McKenna, John Allegro et al.If you're interested in these fungi, this as good a book as any to be starting with.

Unfortunately, there are two common conflicting ways of thinking about psychedelic drugs; either a snooty biomedical scientific approach which ignores or denies the profound and meaningful experiences 'shrooms can give, or a vague new-agey approach which makes all sorts of mystical and magical claims and doesn't take seriously the need for evidence. This book shows that a third way is possible, where scientific and historical research and critical thinking are central, but the subjective value of the drugs is never undermined. The book shows that we do not need to give up on rationality in order to discuss psychedelic drugs, but that rationality need not be the enemy of enchantment and mystery. It has definitely influenced my own way of thinking about mushrooms.

An incisive, clear minded history of magic mushroom use right up to the present day. I devoured this book though it wasn't what I was expecting from the garish cover and new-age hippie sounding title. Letcher clearly loves his subject and has distilled a huge amount of research into this brilliant tome. If you thought there was no more to learn about magic mushrooms, then this book will throw up some real surprises. No bemushroomed philosophising here, just sound, rational application to the subject. A valuable addition to any mycological book collection. Oh yes, I forgot to say that Letcher writes really well too. An eloquent flowing style which is very funny in places... Made me laugh out loud.

While the author is not quite as clever as perhaps he imagines, and falls to the same traps he so gleefully points out others having fallen victim to, this book is, at its core, pretty good.He is mostly fair in his assessment of the authors he discusses, though he does insist on declaring arguments as having been "demolished", which is pretty unattractive.I would also advise the author that he might re-assess his devotion to "post-modernism" which, a bit like day-glo headbands, is getting a bit too meta-retro-ironic for comfort.But all-in-all, a good read, and a good expose of some stirling mumbo-jumbo that's been long overdue a good purge.