Confessions Of An English Opium Eater

Describing the surreal hallucinations; insomnia and nightmarish visions he experienced while consuming daily large amounts of laudanum; Thomas De Quincey's legendary account of the pleasures and pains of opium forged a link between artistic self-expression and addiction; and paved the way for later generations of literary drug-takers from Baudelaire to Burroughs. Throughout history; some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves - and each other. They have inspired debate; dissent; war and revolution. They have enlightened; outraged; provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives - and destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers; pioneers; radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization and helped make us who we are.