LSD: My Problem Child
4 companion texts
Hofmann's memoir is both personal and historical, the discovery, the therapeutic period, the criminalization, and his lifelong advocacy. These readings contextualize the science, the policy, and the cultural consequences.
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Psychedelics
The definitive scientific literature review. Hofmann made specific claims about mechanism and safety that Nichols's 2016 paper evaluates against current evidence. Read them together to see what Hofmann got right.
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The Medical History of Psychedelic Drugs
The best historical account of the clinical period Hofmann witnessed, the 40,000+ patients, the methodological problems, the prohibition, and the revival. Places Hofmann's personal account in its institutional context.
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LSD: History & Law
A clean chronological account of every major legal and scientific event from 1938 to 2021. Use it as a reference when reading Hofmann to know what was happening institutionally at each moment he describes.
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Storming Heaven
The cultural history that surrounds Hofmann's personal account, what the world was doing with his molecule during the period his book covers. Operation Midnight Climax, Ken Kesey, Timothy Leary. The social context for the private experience.