Essential Substances: A Cultural History of Intoxicants in Society

Rudgley, who teaches anthropology at Oxford University, here reviews the use of intoxicants since prehistoric times and finds that ``the universal human need for liberation from the restrictions of mundane existence is satisfied by experiencing altered states of consciousness.'' His documented argument that intoxicants have always been an integral part of societies is convincing. So are his insights: drug dealers in communities like Manhattan's Spanish Harlem are pursuing ``many of the ideals of the American dream . . . in their entrepreneurial aggression at the workplace.'' If Rudgley's attempt to steer a middle course between the scholarly and the popular is not completely successful, his book is entertaining and at times provocative. It includes such interesting illustrations as a wooden snuff tray from Chile, a Mayan mushroom stone and a portrait titled Sniffer painted by a 19th-century aboriginal artist. (July)