Arthur Conan Doyle once described the influence of cocaine as "so transcendently stimulating and clarifying to the mind. . . " It is perhaps for this reason the drug remains just as enrapturing as it was upon its discovery in the mid-nineteenth century. The "magical elixir," strangely, was once seen as a substance with incredible medicinal value. Indeed, even the famed Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud sung the drugs praises as a miracle worker. Regardless of its various reputations, cocaine's story remains captivating.
This book attempts to cover the who, what, when, where, why, and hows of cocaine: its origin, its legacy, and why its history is so addictive.
