{"product_id":"milk-of-paradise-a-history-of-opium-9781643130552","title":"Milk of Paradise: A History of Opium","description":"\u003cp\u003ePoppy tears, opium, heroin, fentanyl: humankind has been in thrall to the \"Milk of Paradise\" for millennia. The latex of papaver somniferum is a bringer of sleep, of pleasurable lethargy, of relief from pain--and hugely addictive. A commodity without rival, it is renewable, easy to extract, transport, and refine, and subject to an insatiable global demand.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo other substance in the world is as simple to produce or as profitable. It is the basis of a gargantuan industry built upon a shady underworld, but ultimately it is an agricultural product that lives many lives before it reaches the branded blister packet, the intravenous drip, or the scorched and filthy spoon. Many of us will end our lives dependent on it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eMilk of Paradise\u003c\/i\u003e, acclaimed cultural historian Lucy Inglis takes readers on an epic journey from ancient Mesopotamia to modern America and Afghanistan, from Sanskrit to pop, from poppy tears to smack, from morphine to today's synthetic opiates. It is a tale of addiction, trade, crime, sex, war, literature, medicine, and, above all, money. And, as this ambitious, wide-ranging, and compelling account vividly shows, the history of opium is our history and it speaks to us of who we are.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Pegasus Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 02\/05\/2019\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781643130552\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 464\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.45lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.40w x 1.90d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e 12\/15\/2018 pg. 78\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 12\/15\/2018\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 01\/01\/2019 pg. 81\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 03\/11\/2019\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Lucy Inglis","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":36664335761564,"sku":"9781643130552","price":24.61,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_bc5f3656-2a2a-4ac1-838f-a326b2b17367.jpg?v=1603906385","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/milk-of-paradise-a-history-of-opium-9781643130552","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}