Subject: Annouce: New Book:MAGIC MUSHROOMS AROUND THE WORLD

From: TMA <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 14 Jun 1996 08:39:23 -0700

LUNA INFORMATION SERVICES & LIS PUBLICATIONS
Are Proud To Present:

MAGIC MUSHROOMS AROUND THE WORLD:
A Scientific Journey Across Cultures & Time
* The Case for Challenging Research and Value Systems *

by Jochen Gartz, Ph.D.
(Translated from German by Claudia Taake, M.A.)

        Magic Mushrooms Around The World is the first new book on psychoactive
mushrooms available in the U.S. for more than 10 years.  Originally published in German in
1993, we are pleased to announce publication of a revised and expanded English-
language edition this summer.

        Introducing a rich variety of psychoactive mushrooms from around the globe -
including some rare and little-known species - the author describes dozens of species and
covers a broad range of mushroom-related topics, from distribution maps to comparisons of
cultural attitudes to laboratory analyses of active ingredients.
        One of the book's most remarkable features is its multi-disciplinary approach:
chemistry, botany, biology, history, anthropology, religion, pharmacology, medicine - all of
these are among the fields contributing a diversity of data, questions and information that
are assembled into one of the most comprehensive and intriguing portraits of psychoactive
mushrooms ever created.

        Lavishly illustrated, well-organized and enriched by numerous accounts of
mushroom experiences, this book explores the psychoactive mycoflora on five continents
and reconstructs a continuity of psychoactive mushroom use throughout history, from as
early as 10,000 years ago to the present day.

        You will also find detailed chapters on mushroom cultivation techniques,
psychotherapy applications, the bluing phenomenon, the dangers of accidental poisonings
caused by misidentification of species, and more.  A treasure trove of information,
illustrations and magnificent color photography, the book contains much novel information
as well, such as the first report on the psychoactivity of baeocystin and up-to-date findings
on the use of plant growth hormones to accelerate growth.

--      130 pages, 8"x11", sturdy softcover
--      30 color plates
--      36 black & white illustrations
--      3 maps of geographic distribution patterns
--      10 tables
--      18 reproductions of historic source materials and citations from the early
        mycological literature
--      Bibliography of 250+ citations and sources
FROM THE TABLE OF CONTENT:

"Who Was the First Magician?" - Foreword by Christian Rätsch
1.      Introduction
2.      Fancy of Fools or Flesh of the Gods:
                Reflections on the History and Scientific Study of Magic Mushrooms
3.      The Current State of Knowledge About European Species
        3.1 Psilocybe semilanceata - The Classic Psychotropic Species of Europe
        3.2 Psilocybe cyanescens - Potent Mushrooms Growing on Wood Debris
        3.3 Panaeolus subbalteatus - Mycology & Myths about the Panaeolus Species
        3.4 Inocybe aeruginascens - Fast-Spreading New Arrivals
        3.5 Gymnopilus purpuratus - Magnificent Mushrooms from South America
        3.6 Conocybe cyanopus - Tiny Mushrooms of Remarkable Potency
        3.7 Pluteus salicinus - A Little-Known Wood-Inhabiting Species
4.      Mushroom Identification: The Potential for Deadly Mistakes
5.      The Bluing Phenomenon and Metol Testing - Reality vs. Wishful Thinking
6.      Mushroom Cultivation - Classic Findings and New Techniques
7.      Psychotropic Mushroom Species All Around The World
        7.1 Spotlight on North America and Hawaii
        7.2 Mycophilia in Central and South America
        7.3 Australia's Mycoflora Attracts Attention
        7.4 European Customs and Conventions
        7.5 Japanese Experiments
        7.6 Intoxications and the Oldest Known Mushroom Cult in Africa
        7.7 Usage in Asia and Oceania
8.      Remarks About Effects of Mushrooms from the Category Phantastika
9.      Psychotherapy
10. Outlook
11. Bibliography (Reference Section with over 250 entries)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
                Dr. Jochen Gartz is a chemist and mycologist at the University of Leipzig
(Eastern Germany), where he founded the Department of Fungal Biotransformation in the
area of biotechnology.  Jochen Gartz has almost two decades of experience in the study of
psychotropic substances.  He began his career conducting research into the synthesis of
organic compounds and has also worked as an analytical chemist in the pharmaceuticals
industry.
                It was in 1983 that Jochen Gartz turned toward the challenge of solving some
of the mycological mysteries associated with Magic Mushrooms.  At that time, an unusual
cluster of poisoning cases and intoxications were reported near East Berlin, with symptoms
that included "sensational hallucinations".  While these incidents were later found to have
been caused by an error in identification of the species, initial reports claimed the discovery
of a "new mushroom" in the East Berlin area, largely because reports of similar
hallucinatory symptoms caused by psychotropic mushrooms had not been observed or
published there in recent memory.
                Intrigued by these "new mushrooms" and their effects, Jochen Gartz set out
to study their metabolic and biochemical processes, as well as the interaction of these
mushroom ingredients with the human mind and body.  His initial curiosity about a series of
intoxications in Eastern Germany has since blossomed into a career dedicated to exploring
all aspects of psychoactive mushrooms - from chemical analyses and cultivation techniques
to socio-cultural attitudes and the history of Magic Mushroom use throughout the ages.
                Jochen Gartz is fast emerging as an international expert on the cutting edge
of psychoactive mushroom research.  He travels extensively for his field studies around the
world, he has published more than 50 research papers and conducts mycological
seminars.
                In January 1994, he became the first mycologist to discover a psychoactive
mushroom species native to South Africa, a species named Psilocybe natalensis, after
Natal Province, where the mushrooms were found.

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