Persephone’s Quest, Entheogens and the Origins of Religion; Ethnomycological Studies, No. 10

Limited edition, 1986. Hardcover. Quarto in custom slipcase. 258pp. Quarter navy leather over deep blue boards. Gilt lettering to spine and gilt rules to spine edge, gilt lightning strike over black tree illustration on upper board. Top edge gilt, tipped in colour frontis and 26 plates, many of which are munted and in colour, other b&w illustrations, references, notes. Printed by Stamperia Valdonega of Italy. Edition limited to 300 copies of which 274 were numbered and 26 were ‘hors commerce” and lettered A-Z; this copy is numbered 96. The first deluxe edition of this serious study by the author of ‘Soma’ – with essays by others looking at aspects of the use of entheogens (psychoactive substances used in a spiritual context) in Asian religions and the Western classical tradition. A lovely near perfect copy with just the faintest trace of age, thus about Fine in Near Fine very lightly rubbed custom acetate dust jacket and matching clothbound slipcase. (Note the volume is very tight in the slipcase). Not to be confused with the 1988 Yale trade edition, this one bears no ISBN.