Tales of Hashish: A Literary Look at the Hashish Experience
Edited by Andrew C. Kimmens
William Morrow & Company, 1977
First Printing (No Dust Jacket)
Tales of Hashish is a unique literary anthology that brings together classic writings on the hashish experience from some of the world's most celebrated authors. Edited and annotated by Andrew C. Kimmens, the collection spans several centuries and cultures, presenting fiction, memoirs, essays, and firsthand accounts that explore the psychological, artistic, philosophical, and mystical effects historically attributed to hashish.
The anthology features selections by renowned writers including Charles Baudelaire, Théophile Gautier, Alexandre Dumas, Fitz Hugh Ludlow, Louisa May Alcott, and other nineteenth- and early twentieth-century authors who wrote about cannabis preparations in both literary and autobiographical contexts.
Their accounts range from vivid descriptions of altered perception and imaginative visions to cautionary reflections on intoxication, creativity, and human consciousness. Editor Andrew C. Kimmens provides historical notes and commentary that place these works within the broader cultural history of hashish, tracing its role in Eastern traditions, nineteenth-century European literary circles, and early American literature.
Rather than serving as a scientific or medical study, the volume examines hashish as a literary and cultural phenomenon, illustrating how generations of writers interpreted its effects through fiction, poetry, memoir, and philosophical reflection. An unusual and thought-provoking anthology, Tales of Hashish is of interest to collectors of drug literature, literary history, counterculture, psychology, and nineteenth-century writing. First printings are increasingly sought after, particularly by collectors of cannabis history and uncommon literary anthologies. Even without the dust jacket, a first printing remains a desirable collectible.