A COLLECTION of Books and Objects related to the Use and Abuse of Opium and other Drugs [41 Vols].

Bookseller Notes

This collection consists of books and paraphernalia relating to the use of opium, morphine, haschich and cocaine its primary focus being on the first decades of the twentieth-century, and particularly the recreational pursuits of the Jazz Age. It was formed by John Baxter during his research for translations of Claude Farrre's Fume d'opium, Morphine by Dubut de la Forest, and his account of the life of 'Brilliant' Chang, a major figure on the London drug scene in the 1920s texts which are all represented within the collection, in both published and typescript form. Including Baxter's own, for which we also have the typed proposal, the collection includes five editions of Farrre's book amongst which, its first translation into English, by Samuel Putnam, and various illustrated editions. The majority of the material here is French: it includes accounts, both medical and literary, of the use of these various drugs their properties and effects, on the individual and on society and gives a broad picture of both their allure and demonisation, and the tussle between the two.The books are joined by a small collection of paraphernalia relating to the preparation, carriage, and use of opium a Burmese opium pipe, pots in different styles (some with erotic engravings), a lamp, brass scales which provide a feel for the ritual and cultural costume of the contemporary experience.