Trips: How Hallucinagens Work in Your Brain

by Gilbert Shelton, Robert Crumb, Cheryl Pellerin

Book Overview

Trips shows, using color illustrations, the latest research, and bleeding-edge cultural analogies, how the still-mysterious hallucinogens may work in the still-mysterious brain. Written in language a general audience can understand, the book's tone is light and irreverent, yet at the same time deals with the drug culture in a serious way. Trips offers readers a rare look at the social, cultural, historical, and scientific phenomenon of psychedelics-through the eyes of artists who've grown up with them, regulators who control them, federal scientists who approve and fund their research, and scientists who've spent careers studying them--and in the process fills a growing need for truthful information about drugs. For a generation, people have been worried about false horrors attributed to LSD-chromosome damage (LSD doesn't; coffee and aspirin do), suicide, madness, and flashbacks (no such thing). There are, however, real problems associated with hallucinogens, which until now have been unknown, ignored, or untranslated from the scientific literature. Trips separates the facts from the falsehoods and provides, through the combination of Pellerin's text and the artwork of legendary American artist Robert Crumb, a practical, entertaining, and yet rock-solid guide.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1888363347
• ISBN13: 9781888363340
• Release Date: November 1998
• Publisher: Seven Stories Press
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 7.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Hoffmann Wasn't Wrong...

A often overlooked point of view that the war on drugs culture tends to ignore or neglect is the fact that "even the best theories are history if enough people produce the right number of contradictory findings". So, in my opinion this book does a great service in informing those whose opinions are not biased towards total allegiance to the status quo. I have to laugh when i see headlines in the news about how the government is willing to ignore it's own findings on the medicinal uses of marijuana due to the ideological monetary inconvenience that information imposes on the financial structure of certain government agencies...even more so given that the money could be better spent on policing real issues such as terrorism, violence...etc,etc.The desire to alter conciousness is as old as humans themselves and this book illustrates that clearly and precise. There is even an altered states graphic form for the prospective experimenter to fill out. Overall the nice comic illustrations provide the needed comic relief to get through some light scientific reading...although very accurate it's too light for any serious scientific or chemistry buffs. But for the average user(reader) it's good to know all that is included before you take any risks. The section in the back of the book filled with URL's is also a great place to further your understanding of all the issues and information regarding LSD or any other illegal substance. A good fast read and I highly recommend this book.

Truth at last!

Looking for a little reality in the nonsense-clogged canon of drug texts? Yes? Then this is the book for you. The author has meticulously separated the wheat from the chaff, dispensing with the usual shock propaganda and instead using real science (imagine that!) to explain, in just the right amount of detail, how hallucinogens work. This is a remarkably honest and even-handed text that assembles the results of the most up-to-date research into a fascinating and relevant subject. Well-illustrated, factual and entertaining, I'd recommend this book to anyone with curious teenagers. In short, "Trips" is a ray of light in an otherwise benighted field of inquiry, and Ms. Pellerin should be applauded for this courageous and intelligent work.

Very Intelligent Book on A Controversial Subject

First-rate survey of current scientific thinking on hallucinogenic drugs combined with terrific wit make Ms. Pellerin's book a real treat. I enjoyed every word of this book immensely.

A sensible enlightened look at a maligned drug

My one-line summary pretty much says it all. LSD shouldn't be lumped with drugs such as cocaine and heroin. Its potential benefits are great. The previous customer reviewer, who said that the book is irresponsible, must not have read the book. They're probably a knee-jerk, "all drugs are bad", type (though they claim to be so familiar with this subject that they can say they've seen this information all before, which strikes me as very odd, given several of the comments). People like this reviewer are the main problem. They live with closed minds. Sharing information about this subject that is accurate can't be anything but responsible.

She is a genius......

I have not read the book yet but I have known this author for 11 years and know her work...she is truly gifted...a genius in my view...and this book should make a major contribution to an understanding of one of the most complex and controversial subjects in the field of mental health...meds...and the use of them...and abuse of them...