A brilliant and original investigation into the medical origins of LSD and how the Nazis and the CIA turned it into a weapon, by the author of Blitzed.

First used as a drug capable of treating mental illnesses, then as a 'truth serum' by the CIA, Tripped reveals how the fortuitous discovery of LSD in April 1943 led to a mass exploitation of this promising hallucinogen.


Using archival material, Norman Ohler brings to light the often misguided interaction between scientific research, state authorities and hedonistic drug culture that shaped drug policy in the twentieth century. With a cast of characters ranging from Albert Hofmann to the Federal Bureau of Narcotics; Richard Nixon and Elvis Presley; and Aldous Huxley and John Lennon, this is Ohler at his thrilling, revelatory best.

Details

ISBN13: 9781838953607
Format: Paperback / softback
Number of Pages: 240
Edition:
Publication Date: 08 Jul 2025
Publisher: Atlantic Books
Publication City, Country: London, United Kingdom
Dimensions (cm): 19.8(H)x12.9(L)
Weight (gm):

Author Biography

Norman Ohler is an award-winning novelist and screenwriter. He is the author of The Infiltrators and the New York Times bestseller Blitzed, as well as the novels Die Quotenmaschine (the world's first hypertext novel), Mitte and Stadt des Goldes (translated into English as Ponte City) and the historical crime novel Die Gleichung des Lebens. He lives in Berlin.

Reviews

'An astonishing story... Brilliantly told.' - Antony Beevor on The Infiltrators


'Deeply engaging, enticingly written and extremely affecting... Original and fascinating... This is a remarkable story, powerfully told.' - Philippe Sands, Spectator on The Infiltrators

'Gripping... Will appeal to anyone who relishes Ben Macintyre's tales of wartime espionage and cryptic codes.' - Sunday Telegraph on The Infiltrators

'A detailed and meticulously researched tale about a pair of young German resisters that reads like a thriller.' - New York Times on The Infiltrators