Confessions of an English Opium-Eater - The Original Classic Edition. Quincey Thomas

Thomas De Quincey wrote this account of his life and his struggle with drug addiction to both educate on the evils of opium and also to share the dream trances that he experienced while in the throes of addiction. This version by Penguin presents De Quinceys original version from 1821 and then his revision notes from 1856. There is also a short section of comments that De Quincey made concerning his Confessions from 1821-1855. <p> The Confessions, in a nutshell, begin by recounting De Quinceys early life and the events that led him to begin taking opium. The rest of the tale deals with his problems with opium and his dreams that came from taking the drug. The original version isnt that long of a read, but his revision notes add considerable length, and for the most part werent as interesting as the 1821 original. <p> De Quinceys prose is absolutely amazing. He is one of the most gifted writers Ive had the pleasure to read (up to this date). Many times I felt as though I was lifted up by his words and carried directly into his world. Ive yet to have as profound an experience with any other author. <p> I can only imagine how prolific he might have been if he had not been saddled with an opiate addiction. <p> An amazing book and one I highly recommend to those who are prepared to read and understand it. For those looking for a justification for drug use, look elsewhere!