Erik Davis
Cambridge: The MIT Press, 2024.

“Blotter is the first comprehensive written account of the history, art, and design of LSD blotter paper, the iconic drug delivery device that will perhaps forever be linked to underground psychedelic culture and contemporary street art. Created in collaboration with Mark McCloud’s Institute of Illegal Images, the world’s largest archive of blotter art, Davis’ boldly illustrated exhibition treats his outsider subject with the serious, art-historical respect it deserves, while also staying true to the sense of play, irreverence, and adventure inherent in psychedelic exploration.” (publisher’s blurb)

Albert Hofmann
Berkeley: Transform Press, 2023.

First English translation of Die Mutterkornalkaloide documenting Hofmann’s research on ergot that led to the discovery of LSD. “a detailed account of chemical compounds and pharmacological investigation into the potential of magical plants. Starting with the botany and cultivation of the ergot mushroom, Hofmann takes us through the historical elaboration of the fungus including the poisoning epidemic of ergot and its early medical uses all the way to the use of psilocybin as a “magical drug”. With a detailed timeline, we explore the growth of the pharmaceutical-chemical investigation from 1816 to 1961 with a total synthesis of ergotamine including tables of chemical structures and the role of lysergic acid, d-lysergic acid and diethylamide in experimental psychiatry gaining increasing importance in psychotherapy as a medical aid. Hofmann brings an observational account of these plants and their ceremonial and healing purposes still used by indigenous peoples such as the “Peyotl” cactus, “Teonanactl” the sacred mushroom of the Aztecs and “Ololiuqui” the seeds of bindweed plants.” (publisher’s blurb)

Albert Hofmann
Rochester: Park Street Press, 2013.

“Best known as the first person to synthesize, ingest, and discover the psychedelic effects of LSD, Albert Hofmann was more than just a chemist. A pioneer in the field of visionary plant research, he was one of the first people to suggest the use of entheogens for psychological healing and spiritual growth. His insights into the consciousness-expanding effects of psychedelics as well as human nature, the psyche, and the nature of reality earned him a reputation as a mystical scientist and visionary philosopher. This book–Hofmann’s last work before his death in 2008 at the age of 102–offers the acclaimed scientist’s personal experiences and thoughts on chemistry, the natural sciences, mind-altering drugs, the soul, and the search for happiness and meaning in life. Hofmann explains different methods of pharmaceutical research based on traditional plant medicine and discusses psilocybin, the active compound in psychedelic mushrooms that he discovered. He examines the psychological role of psychoactives, their therapeutic potential, and their use in easing the life-to-death transition. Sharing a different side of the father of LSD, one known only to his friends and close colleagues, this book also includes the poetry of this mystical prophet of psychedelic science.” (publisher’s blurb)

Robert Masters; Jean Houston
Rochester: Park Street Press, 2000.

“The Varieties of Psychedelic Experience was published in 1966, just as the first legal restrictions on the use of psychedelic substances were being enacted. Unfortunately, the authors’ pioneering work on the effects of LSD on the human psyche, which was viewed by its participants as possibly heralding a revolution in the study of the mind, was among the casualties of this interdiction. As a result, the promising results to which their studies attested were never fully explored. Nevertheless, their 15 years of research represents a sober and authoritative appraisal of what remains one of the most controversial developments in the study of the human psyche. Avoiding the wild excesses taken by both sides on this issue, this book is unique for the light it sheds on the possibilities and the limitations of psychedelic drugs, as well as on the techniques for working with them. With drug legalization an increasingly important issue, The Varieties of Psychedelic Experience provides a welcome and much needed contrast to the current hysteria that surrounds this topic.” (publisher’s blurb)

Timothy Leary; Ralph Metzner; Gunther M. Weil
Kensington: Citadel Press, 2007.

Classic selections from The Psychedelic Review, edited by Timothy Leary, Ralph Metzner, and Gunther M. Weil. Foreword by Erik Davis.

Michael Valentine Smith
Berkeley: Ronin, 1981.

“Out-of-print for years, and impossible to find Psychedelic Chemistry includes Marijuana THC and analogs, magic Mushrooms and other indole trips, mescaline and friends, harmaline and other beta-carbolines, muscimole and other isoxazoles, LSD, Cocaine, miscellaneous psychedelics, literature and chemical information, miscellany on underground laboratories, role of the DEA labs in drug busts …and more! Psychedelic Chemistry is the biggest, best and most complete book every written on how to make psychedelic drugs. The most complete book ever written on how to manufacture psychedelic drugs. Requires thorough knowledge of lab techniques in organic chemistry.” (publisher’s blurb)

Adam Gottlieb
Berkeley: Ronin Publishing, 1993.

“The essential connoisseur’s guide to herbs and potions traditionally associated with enhanced sensual pleasure. Throughout history men and women have sought to increase their sexual pleasure through the use of a variety of substances. SEX DRUGS AND APHRODISIACS chronicles the results of this eternal quest. Includes discussions of yohimbe, fugu, absinthe, yage and other exotic specialties and includes a comprehensive history of sources, preparations, uses and effects. Finally this hard to obtain cult classic is available again.” (publisher’s blurb)

Graham St John
Berkeley: Evolver Editions, 2015.

“Since its discovery in the mid-1950s, the psychoactive compound DMT has attracted the attention of experimentalists and prohibitionists, scientists and artists, alchemists and hyperspace emissaries. Until now, the complete story of DMT has remained untold. Mystery School in Hyperspace is the first book to delve into the history of this substance, the discovery of its properties, and the impact it has had on poets, artists, and musicians.” (publisher’s blurb). Foreword by Dennis McKenna. This copy signed by the author on the wrappers verso

Ram Dass; Ralph Metzner; Gary Bravo
Santa Fe: Synergetic Press, 2010.

“No understanding of the history of the sixties could be complete without a grasp of the work of Leary, Alpert, and Metzner, the cultural resistance to their experiments, and the way in which psychoactive drug use became a part of contemporary society. Next Generation Independent Book Awards Finalist, Birth of a Psychedelic Culture explores these experiments and their cultural milieu through never before seen photographs, personal accounts of authors Ralph Metzner and Ram Dass, and conversations with luminaries such as Aldous Huxley, Charles Mingus, Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs and others that appeared on the scene.” (publisher’s blurb)

William A. Richards
New York: Columbia University Press, 2018.

“Sacred Knowledge is the first well-documented, sophisticated account of the effect of psychedelics on biological processes, human consciousness, and revelatory religious experiences. Based on nearly three decades of legal research with volunteers, William A. Richards argues that, if used responsibly and legally, psychedelics have the potential to assuage suffering and constructively affect the quality of human life. Richards’s analysis contributes to social and political debates over the responsible integration of psychedelic substances into modern society. His book serves as an invaluable resource for readers who, whether spontaneously or with the facilitation of psychedelics, have encountered meaningful, inspiring, or even disturbing states of consciousness and seek clarity about their experiences. Testing the limits of language and conceptual frameworks, Richards makes the most of experiential phenomena that stretch our understanding of reality, advancing new frontiers in the study of belief, spiritual awakening, psychiatric treatment, and social well-being. His findings enrich humanities and scientific scholarship, expanding work in philosophy, anthropology, theology, and religious studies and bringing depth to research in mental health, psychotherapy, and psychopharmacology.” (publisher’s blurb

Steven J. Gelberg
Albany: SUNY Press, 2025.

“The first authoritative study of the important role of music in psychedelic use and the ways in which psychedelics provide unprecedented access to the deeper mysteries of music.” (publisher’s blurb)

David Luke; Rory Spowers
Rochester: Park Street Press, 2018.

“Cutting-edge explorations and discussions of DMT experiences and plant sentience from leading luminaries in the field of psychedelic research.” (publisher’s blurb)