The Pursuit of Pleasure: Drugs and Stimulants in Iranian History, 1500-1900

Princeton: Princeton University Press. Near Fine with no dust jacket. (2005). First Edition. Softcover. 0691144443 . No signatures.; xv, [5], 346 pages. Softcover. Illustrated. Page dimensions: 235 x 154mm. "This excellent, well-written book is likely to become a classic work on the subject of drugs and stimulants both in Iran and the wider Islamic world. It will have a readership far beyond those individuals interested principally in Iranian or Middle Eastern studies. The author not only discusses the use of the commodities but he also analyzes the social practice of consumption, the persistent tension between social practice and religious norms exemplified by the use of and attitude toward wine, drugs, and stimulants, and the ways in which Iranian consumption was related to the shifting patterns of international trade." - quoted from review by Stephen F. Dale. ; 8vo .