September 2025 – This article features an assortment of covers from books, periodicals, reports, and dissertations in Sasha and Ann Shulgin’s library, almost all from Sasha’s office. Inscriptions, stickie notes, and enclosures (such as letters and notes tucked inside books) are also included. Read about the Erowid Center crew’s cataloging efforts from the past year, and please consider contributing financially to our efforts to finish scanning, compile metadata on the thousands of documents, and get this collection online.
“Required Reading”: Mount Analogue
Two English-language editions of Mount Analogue by René Daumal sit on different shelves in Sasha’s office, each with a note on the cover referencing it as required reading for Leo Zeff’s clients. The original edition, Le Mont Analogue, was published in French by Éditions Gallimard in 1952.
“Leo Zeff had everyone read this book before they worked with Leo”, stickie note on cover of the 1983 edition“Leo Zeff had this book as required reading”, stickie note on cover of the 2000 edition
The 1990s
Binder of printouts from Usenet alt.drugs, Psychedelic Drugs release 1.0 1992Clandestine Laboratory Investigating Chemists Vol 2: Syntheses, presented at the 4th Annual Technical Training Seminar, Vancouver BC, Sep 7-10, 1994(Thesis, 1996, California School of Professional Psychology at Alameda) Listening for the Logos: A Study of Reports of Voices at High Doses of Psilocybin by Horace BeachOne Foot in the Future: A Woman’s Spiritual Journey, by Nina Graboi (1991), enclosed, a postcard to Ann from the author, “Dear Anne, Thank you for the order of my book, should be ready for shipment by the end of April. Warm regards to you and Sasha, Nina Graboi”.Psychiatric Annals Journal of Continuing Psychiatric Education (March 1994), Vol 24 No 3, issue theme: The New Psychedelic Subculture.ЗабрискИ Rider 5 [Zabriski Rider 5], Igor Tarasov, Editor (1997), One of the weirder magazines the Erowid crew has seen, written in English and other languages, almost entirely on a black background. An archive of the publication website accessed through Archive.org’s Wayback Machine declares the short-lived project a “stronghold of hippy culture”. Rivals Mondo2000 in its graphic design choices (we love you, Mondo2000!).
The 1980s
“Blue Book” cover and spine: MDMA – A Multidisciplinary Investigation – Reports From the Medical, Scientific, and Regulatory Communities Compiled by Earth Metabolic Design Laboratories, Inc. (Revised April 18, 1985).(thesis, 1989, Purdue University) Stereochemical Aspects of Hallucinogenic Drug Action and Drug Discrimination Studies of Entactogens by Robert Oberlender Special Edition for A.T. Shulgin. This was accompanied by correspondence between Oberlender and Sasha.Inscription to Sasha by a Russian chemist in pharmacology book in the early 1990s. Part of a trove of 1980s (and a few 1970s) Russian books shared with Sasha by Russian scientists in the early 90s. Topics include pharmacology, drugs used to treat organophosphate and nerve gas poisoning, and anticholinergics.Letter by a person who gifted Sasha the book Лекарственные средства Часть 1 [Medicines Part 1: Pharmacotherapy Guide for Doctors 11th Edition]Наркоманией – Tоксикомании [Drug Addiction – Toxicomania], by И.С. Болотовский [I. S. Bolotovsky] (1989)Albert Hofmann inscription in 1983 edition of LSD: My Problem Child (“For Ann and Sasha with cordial wishes”)
The 1950s through 1970s
Do It Now Foundation’s Catalog of Educational Materials to Promote Chemical Awareness, 1st Edition (“Now celebrating our 10th anniversary”)(Fall 1974), periodical produced by DEA, depicting vials of heroin arranged by color.STASH Capsules – Vol 1 No 1 – Periodic bulletin of The Student Association for the Study of Hallucinogens, Inc. (Jun 1969)First U.S. edition of Heaven and Hell (1956), bookmarked at pages 52/53, 54/55, 56/57, 58, and 98/99. Includes pencil notes. This volume is in the secretary in the Shulgins’ living room that holds Huxley books and first editions.
