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The Pursuit of Oblivion: A Global History of Narcotics
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The Pursuit of Oblivion: A Global History of Narcotics Paperback - 2004

by Richard Davenport-Hines

In this uniquely comprehensive history of drugs and their role in society, award-winning historian Davenport-Hines examines how illicit medicines developed into a huge illegal business. Drawing on evidence from five centuries, "The Pursuit of Oblivion" is considered the standard work on this subject of global importance.


From the publisher

Spanning five centuries and several continents in a sweeping portrait of addiction, The Pursuit of Oblivion traces the history of the use and abuse of narcotics, revealing their subtle transformation from untested medicines to sources of idle pleasure and, relatively recently, to illegal substances. Richard Davenport-Hines, an eminent, prize-winning historian, uncovers the centrality of drug abuse in our modern industrial society, from the drug habits of Charles Dickens and John F. Kennedy to today's $400 billion annual worldwide trade in illicit drugs (the same volume as the oil industry). A vivid portrayal of the people and events that have shaped the history of narcotics, The Pursuit of Oblivion reveals that, contrary to the assumption underlying current drug policies, our need to escape reality and our body's need for physical pleasure are both ineradicable aspects of our humanity, unchangeable by government initiative.

First line

IN THE 1670s an English merchant seaman called Thomas Bowrey (1649?-1713) was plying his trade along the coast of Bengal together with other English sailors.

Details

  • Title The Pursuit of Oblivion: A Global History of Narcotics
  • Author Richard Davenport-Hines
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition Reprint
  • Pages 586
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher W. W. Norton & Company, Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
  • Date 2004-03-17
  • Illustrated Yes
  • ISBN 9780393325454 / 0393325458
  • Weight 1.25 lbs (0.57 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.22 x 5.52 x 1.08 in (20.88 x 14.02 x 2.74 cm)
  • Themes
    • Chronological Period: 20th Century
  • Library of Congress subjects History, Drug traffic
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2002071908
  • Dewey Decimal Code 363.450
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The Pursuit of Oblivion : A Global History of Narcotics
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