opium-confessions and affordable books

If a book about a Little Lord Fauntleroy and his little velvet suits is to sweet for your taste, how about a book about opium and homelessness? In Confessions of an English Opium-Eater (1821) Thomas de Quincey tells the tale of his laudanum addiction, the way opium is taken, the way it works upon the [...]

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Laudanum, and its many uses

If you think drug addiction is a recent problem, think again! When I read Frankenstein recently I found dr. Victor Frankenstein used laudanum (an alcoholic tincture of opium), and I thought it would make a good post.
A drink of laudanum was made of 10% opium and 90% alcohol, and flavoured with cinnamon or saffran. It [...]

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