Inglis, L: Milk of Paradise

Poppy tears, opium, heroin, fentanyl: poppy latex is a bringer of sleep, of pleasurable lethargy, of relief from pain - and hugely addictive. A commodity without rival, it is renewable, easy to extract, transport and refine, and subject to an insatiable global demand.

In Milk of Paradise, acclaimed cultural historian Lucy Inglis takes readers on an epic journey from ancient Mesopotamia to modern America and Afghanistan, from poppy juice to heroin, from morphine to today's synthetic opiates. It is a tale of addiction, trade, crime, sex, war, literature, medicine and, above all, money. And, as this ambitious, wide-ranging and compelling account vividly shows, the history of opium is our history and it speaks to us of who we are.

'Fabulous . . . Milk of Paradise is a triumph, epic in scale and full of humanity.' The Times

'Inglis has graced her pages with tales and medical snippets to provide enough information to feed a small library. This must be opium's definitive history.' Julie Peakman, History Today

'If only all historians could write like Lucy Inglis.' Paul Lay, The Best History Books of 2018, fivebooks.com

'A deeply researched and captivating book.' The Economist