Coke An Anecdotal History

(Hardback)

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Description

'Cocaine's not addictive, darling. I should know, I've been taking for years.' That airy disclaimer uttered by Tallulah Bankhead echoes ironically today. The coca plant was named the Tree of Life. Cocaine, first extracted in 1860, was greeted by the world as a wonder drug. Sigmund Freud embraced it as a remedy for almost every ailment; some believed it a cure for the human condition itself. By 1900 cocaine formed the basis to several hundred brands of patent medicines and was the preferred pick-me-up of the Belle poque.

Reviews

'Friend and killer to the stars, Charlie's finally got a biography all of its own. Published this month, Coke: The Biography simply bulges with cameo appearances - from Kate Moss to Tallulah Bankhead.' Evening Standard 'This book is not a moral tract but a fascinating account of a drug whose effects Fleetwood Mac singer Stevie Nicks likened to 'being swept up on a white horse by a prince', although one, she neglected to mention, who often throws his riders off at full gallop. The authors chart the ebb and flow of cocaine use... intercut[ting] their story with profiles of the dealers and drug barons making millions from cocaine.' Mail on Sunday

Author Bio

JEREMY SCOTT is the acclaimed author of Fast and Louche, Show Me A Hero and The Irresistible Mr Wrong. NATALIA NAISH was born in Los Angeles to English parents and came to London after graduating from Harvard. She has a master's degree from UCL and now works for Bridget Riley. Coke is her first book.