Literature about peyote that may be of potential interest to readers
Aberle, David F. (1966) & (1982) (second edition)
Peyote Religion among the Navaho.
A classical treatment with an excellent public health assessment.
Anderson, Edward F. (1980) & (1997) (second edition)
Peyote the Divine Cactus
Slightly dated but still the most comprehensive work ever done on the Peyote plant. The second edition was primarily updated in the legal discussion.
Anderson, Edward F. (1995) Cactus and Succulent Journal 67: 67-73
“The “Peyote Gardens” of South Texas: A Conservation Crisis.”
An important work on the state and future of this plant in Texas.
Backeberg, Curt (1961)
Die Cactaceae. Handbuch der Kakteenkunde. Vol. V. “Cereoideae (Boreocactinae).” page 2893-2903.
Many pictures: including a crested example on page 2904.
Benitez, Fernando (1975)
In the Magic Land of Peyote.
A Westerner’s tale of a pilgrimage with the Huichols.
Bohata, Mysak & Snicer (2005)
Kaktusy’s Special Lophophora Issue.
This is easily the best work in existence concerning the Lophophora species.
Nathaniel Lord Britton & J.N. Rose (1922)
The Cactaceae. Descriptions and Illustrations of Plants of the Cactus Family. Volume 3: 83-85.
Byarlay, Patricia (ed.) The Peyote Awareness Journal later as “Peyote: A Medicine Journal.”
Short but valuable periodical publication of the Peyote Foundation.
Collier, Donald (1929) (US Congress) Senate Committe on Indian Affairs 34: 18234-18255.
“Peyote, A General Study of the Plant, the Cult and the Drug.”
An interesting account considering the time frame.
Dogin (1976) Federal Register, 41: 4015
“Peyote”
FYI
Gottlieb, Otto (1997)
Peyote and Other Psychoactive Cacti.
Nice popular work aimed at a general audience of readers.
Some outright errors overall, including an unfortunate perpetuation of MANY myths, but Derek Westlund’s cultivation material is excellent.
Gottlieb’s suggestion that dopamine be injected into the plants as a mescaline precursor would result in only trivial increases in mescaline content but could lead to toxic results if said cacti were consumed due to the accumulated dopamine.
Grym, Rudolph (1997) Also revised in 2014.
Rod/ Die Gattung Lophophora
A new classic (in Czech & German). Lavishly illustrated.
LaBarre, Weston (1964) (1969) (1975) (1989)
The Peyote Cult.
The classic work. Considered, by scholars and peyote-ists alike, to be the authoritative work on the peyote religion. Meticulous work documenting the religion from a Western framework of analysis.
First published in 1938. Original written as his doctoral dissertation, LaBarre was disturbed when it became used by the NAC as a guidebook for new chapters.
LaBarre, Weston (1960) Current Anthropology 1: 45-60
“Twenty Years of Peyote Study.”
Good overview.
McLaughlin, Jerry L. (1973) Lloydia 36 (1): 1-8.
“Peyote: an introduction.”
A good intro and overview for the naive.
Mercado, Leo (ed.) The Peyote Foundation Journal
Publication of the Peyote Foundation, POBox 778, Kearny, Arizona 85237. [http://www.peyote.net]
Morgan, George R. (1983) Botanical Museum Leaflets. Harvard
University 29 (2): 73-86
“The Biogeography of Peyote in South Texas.”
An intimate look at peyote and its home in Texas.
Mount, Guy (1990)
The Peyote Book: A Study of Native Medicine.
Even handed popular work. Nice overview and account of modern day peyoteists.
Opler, Marvin K. (1940) American Anthropologist 43 (3) part 1:
463-474.
“The Characteristics and History of the Southern Ute Peyote Rite.”
Very standard approach but interesting comparative reading.
Ott, Jonathan (1993) [Second edition densified 1996]
Pharmacotheon
Excellent summary of peyote’s history.
Petrullo, Vincenzo (1934)
The Diabolic Root. A study of Peyotism, the New Indian Religion Among the Delaware.
A good discussion of the peyote faith from its early founding through its spread across the United States and Canada. A nice early viewpoint on the origins of its unjustifiable religious persecution.
Roseman, Bernard (1968)
The Peyote Story. The Indian Mind Drug.
An interesting view of the Native American Church by a white who was allowed to participate.
Schultes, Richard Evans (1936) Thesis, Harvard University.
Peyote Intoxication, A Review of the Literature on the Chemistry, Physiology and Psychological Effects of Peyotl.
Have not yet obtained a copy but certainly sounds interesting.
Schultes, Richard Evans & Albert Hofmann (1980)
Botany and Chemistry of the Hallucinogens. 2nd Ed.
Schultes, Richard Evans & Albert Hofmann (1992)
Plants of the Gods
History, sacramental use, ethnopharmacology, botany and chemistry. Wonderful pictures.
Both are classic works.
Slotkin, J.S. (1952) Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, 42 (pt. 4): 565-700. “Menomimi Peyotism. A study of individual variation in a primary group with a homogenous culture.”
Stewart, Omer C. (1956) Colorado Quarterly 5: 79-90.
“Peyote and Colorado’s Inquisition Law.”
Nice piece on the history (up to the time this article was written) of anti-peyote activity and legislation as a religiously sponsored agenda coexisting with abundant available evidence indicating they were in error as to their assertions and prejudicial activities.
Stewart, Omer C. (1987)
Peyote Religion. A History
[Civilization of the American Indian Series. Vol. 181]
A definitive study that complements LaBarre very well.
also Stewart, Omer C. (1993) “Peyote Religion. A History.” [Have not seen the latter. From Books-in-Print]
Stewart, Omer C. (1993)
Peyotism in the West: A Historical and Cultural Perspective. [Anthropological Papers: No. 108]
Another interesting short piece that readers might enjoy:
James H. Howard (1962) Journal of American Folklore, 75 (296): 10-14. “Peyote jokes.”
Addition titles encountered in various sources
(including but not limited to Book-In-Print, Samorini 1998, Rätsch 1998, Mind Books’ catalog and Ott’s column in MAPS) See full citations in the reference section. I did not use or in some cases have not yet obtained copies of these articles or books but wanted to list them for the reader’s convenience:
No author listed (1991) Peyote: A Source Book of the Ritual Drug. Gordon Press. 0-8490-4656-4. If not for the $79.95 price tag this would have been ordered just to find out what it is. (Listed in Books-In-Print on CD-ROM simply as “Peyote.” Unable to directly contact the publisher. The voice mail for the listed phone number has been “full” for a surprising number of years now.
B.J. Albaugh & P.O. Anderson 1974
Gunter Ammon & Jorgen Gotte 1971 & 1974a & 1974b
Edward F. Anderson 1996
Antonin Artaud 1966 & 1975
L. Warren Azevedo 1995
L. Beltrami 1941
Fernando Benitez 1972
Mario Benzi 1969, 1972 & 1998
Kathleen Berrin 1978
Victor Blanco Labra 1992
Thomas Benno Bollhart 1985
Charles S. Brant 1950
Silvester J. Brito 1989
Ronald K. Bullis 1990
Alejandro Camino 1992
D. Canestrini 1993
Armando Casillas Romo 1990
Luigi Ceroni 1932
Warren d’Azevedo 1978
Calus Deimel 1980, 1985, 1986 & 1996
L. Diguet 1907
Allen T. Dittman & Harvey C. Moore 1957
C. Burton Dustin 1962
Havelock Ellis 1897 & 1971
A. Don Evans 1989
Irwin Feinberg 1965
Jay Courtney Fikes 1993
D. Flattery & J. Pierce 1965 (1992)
Bianca Maria Frigerio 1974-1975
Peter T. Furst 1965, 1969 & 1981
Peter T. Furst & M. Anguino 1977
Peter T. Furst & Salomón Nahmed 1972
Jochen Gartz 1995
Peter Gerber 1980
John M. Goggin 1938
A. Gottlieb 1998
Martin Gusinde 1939
Carl Hammerschlag 1988
Alden Hayes 1940
Christina Hell 1988
Jennifer James 1996 [This is an informational brochure]
Joyce James 1964
M. Kan et al. 1989
Weston LaBarre 1981
Lame Deer & Richard Erdoes 1979
Vittoria Lanternari 1974 (1960)
James H. Leuba 1960
Lumholtz, Carl 1902 & 1989
Alice Marriott & Carol K. Rachlin 1972 & 1988
Chase Mellen III 1963
Henri Michaux 1967, 1968 & 1986
Laurenchich Minelli 1977
Laurenchich Minelli & Bianca Maria Frigerio 1976
Claudia Müller-Ebeling & Christian Rätsch 19??
Barbara G. Myerhoff 1973, 1975, 1976 & 1980
S. Nahmed Sittri et al. 1972
Marvin K. Opler 1940
Morris E. Opler 1938 & 1940
V.M. Palmieri 1942
Paul Pascarosa & Sanford Futterman 1976
Torsen Passie 1994
Tom Soloway Pinkson 1995
Alexandre Rouhier 1988 & 1996
Victor Sanchez 1996
Stacy Schaefer 1989, 1993a, 1993b, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998a, 1998b & 1998c
Stacy Schaefer & Peter T. Furst (eds.) 1996
George Schäfer & Nan Cuz 1968
J.S. Slotkin 1956
J.S. Slotkin & D.B. McAllester 1952
Weston LaBarre 1957
Huston Smith & Reuben Snake (eds.) 1996
J.R. Smythies 1963
G. Sogliani & P. Sagripanti 1957
Paul Steimetz 1990
Omer C. Stewart 1944
Silke Straatman 1988
Mariano Valadez & Susana Valadez 1992
Christopher Vecsey (ed.) 1991
Günter Wagner 1932
Günter Wallraff 1968
Dennis Wiedman 1985
Dennis Wiedman & Candace Green 1985
Jon Wright 1994
R.M. Zingg 1938 & 1982
There are several bibliographies focusing on hallucinogen research in the works or completed that should be available, reportedly on-line, according to MAPS.
An excellent bibliographic database for peyote and mescaline could be assembled by merging the appropriate references in those bibliographies with those included by Abramson 1956, Anderson 1980 (1997), Beringer 1927, Bruhn & Holmstedt 1974, Cholden 1956, Janiger & Paltin 1971, Kapadia & Fayez 1970 & 1973, Kline 1956, LaBarre 1975 (1989), Ott 1993 (1996) & 1997, Patel 1968, Reti 1950, Safford 1915 Journal of Heredity and 1921 JAMA, Samorini 1998 Allucinogeni, empatogeni, cannabis. Bibliografia italiana commentata, Schultes 1937 & 1940, Schultes & Hofmann 1980, Slotkin 1951, 1955 & 1956a, the SISSC (Società Italiana per lo Studio degli Stati di Cosienza 1994 “Bibliografia Italiana su Allucinogenie Cannabis”, Stewart 1989 and 1994, Wikler 1957 [summary of psychiatric and pharmacological work on mescaline.] Also the bibliographies on use of mescaline and other hallucinogens in psychotherapy by Unger 1963a LSD, Mescaline, Psilocybin and Psychotherapy: An Annotated Chronology.” and Unger 1963b Psychiatry 26 (2): 111-125. “Mescaline, LSD, Psilocybin, and Personality Change: A Review.” and Unger 1965 “LSD and Psychotherapy: A Bibliography of the English-Language Literature” pp. 241-248 in The Psychedelic Reader (Weil, G.M. et al. Editors). The NIH is also said to have a bibliographic listing on the subject.
Good sources for on-line sites and a wealth of information and data bases are the Erowid website [http://www.erowid.org], Will Beifus 1996 Psychedelic Sourcebook, Jon Hanna 1996 Psychedelic Resource List and MAPS [Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies] 2105 Robinson Avenue / Sarasota, Florida 34232 (http://www.maps.org).
Also keep an open eye for the completion of the Albert Hofmann Foundation archives some day in the future.