Mystic Chemist: The Life of Albert Hofmann and His Discovery of LSD

by Dieter Hagenbach and Lucius Werthmüller

From the Publisher: Mystic Chemist is the authoritative biography on the most famous chemist of the 20th century. Authors Hagenbach and Werthmüller, close friends of Hofmann, take us on a journey through the 20th century from his mystical childhood experiences with nature; to his chemistry studies with Nobel Prize winner Paul Karrer in Zurich through his discoveries of both LSD and psilocybin at Sandoz; to his adventurous expeditions and his many years of retirement devoted to philosophy of nature and a rich social life.

Only a few discoveries of the 20th century have had such a crucial and meaningful influence on science, society and culture as LSD; this mysterious and extremely potent substance which causes profound changes of consciousness in doses of just a few hundred micrograms. Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann first experienced its remarkable effects during a self-experiment with Lysergic Acid Diethylamide in 1943 at Sandoz Laboratory in Basel. It changed his life deeply, as it also has the lives of millions of people all around the world. His bicycle ride during this first LSD trip became legendary.

The authors also reveal a thorough and eventful history of the impact LSD on culture and the ensuing struggles between advocates and opponents, many of which persist today. This invaluable survey covers all the key stages: the revolution in clinical therapy; the youth movement of the sixties; innovations in computer technologies; to the birth of a new science of consciousness and much more. Albert Hofmann was voted “greatest living genius” in 2007 by the Daily Telegraph.

About the Author: Thomas B. Roberts, Ph.D., Stanford, is an emeritus professor at Northern Illinois University, where he teaches Foundations of Psychedelic Studies as an Honors Program Seminar. Started in 1981, it is the world’s first university-cataloged psychedelic course.

ISBN-10: 0-907791-44-1    –    ISBN-13: 978-0-907791-44-7