Opium, Barbara Hodgson. Not to be confused with Opium, the gloriously complete history by Martin Booth, Hodgson's tiny volume is a Cliff Notes version of the substance. Packed with photographic ephemera and quotes and anecdotes garnered from classic works, she offers a short history of cultivation, production and export through the ages, with an eye to its portrayal in media.  Another item more properly classed as a 'gift book.'


Read September 2006