Anyone interested in magic mushrooms needs to read the 2006 book by Andy Letcher titled "Shroom: A Cultural History of the Magic Mushroom." You may or may not like it, because the author does not pull his punches with existing theories on Shroom history. But even so, you need to read it!
Why? Because there is probably no other human alive besides Letcher that has read practically every piece of information ever published about magic mushrooms. And he has been good enough to put it together for us in a compact book of only 300 pages. (384 with reference section and index.)
Two major portions of Shroom are devoted to the Siberian use of the Fly Agaric for both recreational and spiritual purposes, and to Gordon Wasson's mid-century discovery of magic mushroom use in Mexico and subsequent popularization of Psilocybin mushrooms in the West.
Later on in the book, Letcher give a historic account of the immensely popular 'free festivals' in Britain during the late 1970's and early 80's. The no. 1 'drug' of choice at these festivals was wild-harvested magic mushrooms. Margaret Thatcher successfully put a stop to these festivals, thereby ending the second wave of magic mushroom use. The third and still ongoing wave of shroom popularity began when simple methods of cultivating Psilocybe mushrooms in large quantities were developed by American Terence McKenna.
My main reservation when it comes to this book is that Letcher, at least in the beginning, seems overly prone to side with the critics and skeptics of the many various theories of historic use of magic mushrooms.
E.g. he points out that the ancient petroglyphs in Tassili, Algeria, which many shroom enthusiasts are convinced depict shamans with magic mushroom, could potentially have several other interpretations. The reader is left with a sense that because there are other possible interpretations, therefore, the mushroom interpretation is wrong.
Letcher's critical analysis of the many theories on historic use of magic mushrooms would have been excellent if it had been balanced in terms of pros and cons, which it is not.
This lack of balance is especially blatant when one realizes that he uses the reality of a changing environment and flora as an argument against the possible use of magic mushrooms by Druids in a heavily forested ancient Britain even though it grows abundantly in British pastures today, while simultaneously arguing that the Fly agaric could not have been used in ancient Egypt because no Fly agaric related mushroom grows there today.
In all fairness, though, Letcher does get more balanced in his presentation of different viewpoints towards the end of the book, acknowledging several times that there is no objective way to be sure which of the opposing claims are valid. He deserves kudos for that.
All in all, this book must surely be the most thorough and comprehensive account ever written on the history of magic mushrooms; in particular the more recent part of that history, relating to the past one hundred years or so.
In addition to magic mushrooms, Shroom is also an account of the history of psychedelics in general. Large portions of the book tell the stories of Aldous Huxley and mescaline, Timothy Leary and LSD, and the more recent use of ecstasy at rave fests.
So notwithstanding my reservations against Letcher's slightly unbalanced presentation in the first half of the book, I really do think that anyone with a serious interest in magic mushrooms needs to read Shroom. There is no other book like it out there, I'm sure.
Why? Because there is probably no other human alive besides Letcher that has read practically every piece of information ever published about magic mushrooms. And he has been good enough to put it together for us in a compact book of only 300 pages. (384 with reference section and index.)
Two major portions of Shroom are devoted to the Siberian use of the Fly Agaric for both recreational and spiritual purposes, and to Gordon Wasson's mid-century discovery of magic mushroom use in Mexico and subsequent popularization of Psilocybin mushrooms in the West.
Later on in the book, Letcher give a historic account of the immensely popular 'free festivals' in Britain during the late 1970's and early 80's. The no. 1 'drug' of choice at these festivals was wild-harvested magic mushrooms. Margaret Thatcher successfully put a stop to these festivals, thereby ending the second wave of magic mushroom use. The third and still ongoing wave of shroom popularity began when simple methods of cultivating Psilocybe mushrooms in large quantities were developed by American Terence McKenna.
My main reservation when it comes to this book is that Letcher, at least in the beginning, seems overly prone to side with the critics and skeptics of the many various theories of historic use of magic mushrooms.
E.g. he points out that the ancient petroglyphs in Tassili, Algeria, which many shroom enthusiasts are convinced depict shamans with magic mushroom, could potentially have several other interpretations. The reader is left with a sense that because there are other possible interpretations, therefore, the mushroom interpretation is wrong.
Letcher's critical analysis of the many theories on historic use of magic mushrooms would have been excellent if it had been balanced in terms of pros and cons, which it is not.
This lack of balance is especially blatant when one realizes that he uses the reality of a changing environment and flora as an argument against the possible use of magic mushrooms by Druids in a heavily forested ancient Britain even though it grows abundantly in British pastures today, while simultaneously arguing that the Fly agaric could not have been used in ancient Egypt because no Fly agaric related mushroom grows there today.
In all fairness, though, Letcher does get more balanced in his presentation of different viewpoints towards the end of the book, acknowledging several times that there is no objective way to be sure which of the opposing claims are valid. He deserves kudos for that.
All in all, this book must surely be the most thorough and comprehensive account ever written on the history of magic mushrooms; in particular the more recent part of that history, relating to the past one hundred years or so.
In addition to magic mushrooms, Shroom is also an account of the history of psychedelics in general. Large portions of the book tell the stories of Aldous Huxley and mescaline, Timothy Leary and LSD, and the more recent use of ecstasy at rave fests.
So notwithstanding my reservations against Letcher's slightly unbalanced presentation in the first half of the book, I really do think that anyone with a serious interest in magic mushrooms needs to read Shroom. There is no other book like it out there, I'm sure.
About the Author:
Get your copy of Shroom by Andy Letcher now! Dr. Rafael graduated from Chiropractic College in 1996. He now specializes in studying and writing about herbal medicine. You can find additional reviews on mushroom books at www.mycelium-running.info.
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