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Shamanic Snuffs frontispiece;
Spirit Wanderer painting by Donna Torres, © 2024
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Jonathan Ott Books
~ Publication of a deluxe series of twelve Jonathan Ott volumes, including five new titles and five new editions of long-out-of-print books ~
With over a half century of ethnobotanical labors under his belt, Jonathan Ott holds a deserved reputation as one of the world’s most brilliant, prolific, and provocative scholar-practitioners of drugs and ‘psychedelics’. Ott himself employs the word entheogen for use in a shamanic or spiritual context1, as he helped coin the term and spread it through the 1980s & ’90s (most recently, he has argued for a resurrection of the scientific term psychoptic as generic for visionary drugs2, “producing vision of the mind or soul”). Fiercely independent and self-directed in his research, Ott has also been blessed with some extraordinary mentors — including R. Gordon Wasson, the father of ethnomycology; Albert Hofmann, the discoverer of LSD; and Richard Evans Schultes, the famed Harvard ethnobotanist. In addition to his own prodigious nonfiction writings, Ott has served as a translator, a publisher, a natural products chemist, a conservationist, and a conference organizer. With ethnobotanist Rob Montgomery, he co-founded the legendary Entheobotany Seminars, the most famous of which took place in Palenque, Mexico from 1994 to 2001. These featured a colorful coterie of ethnobotanists, anthropologists, biochemists, doctors, artists, poets, and psychonauts, including Terence McKenna, Paul Stamets, Sasha and Ann Shulgin, Wade Davis, Kat Harrison, Ralph Metzner, Dale Pendell, Nobel laureate Kary Mullis, and many more. Between these fringe gatherings and his copious writings, Ott served as a crucial node in the once largely underground network that produced and shared knowledge about entheogenic botany, history, pharmacology, culture, and practice. Ott lives in southeastern Mexico, where he has managed a biological preserve for decades.
“…a thing of beauty. Accurate information, complete information, and a pleasure to read as well…”
—Alexander “Sasha” Shulgin on Ott’s books
Jonathan Ott has been publishing since the mid 70s, including numerous scientific papers3 , underground journalism, and has written twelve monographs, including three pending in this series; bringing his self-publications to nine. Currently, only three of his books remain in print, and even paperback copies of the others go for hundreds to thousands of dollars. Given the interest in high-quality research into shamanic plants, the extraordinary value of Ott’s research, and the endless delights of his unique prose styles, Jonathan Ott Books is embarking on the publication of a deluxe series of twelve volumes, including five new titles and five new Editions of long-out-of-print books4. These signed and numbered collector’s volumes are being printed in Mexico, and hand-bound by expert bookbinder Leonardo Cruz, and each will be limited to no more than 300, possibly as few as 100, slipcased, full leather-bound copies for sale (depending on a several factors, the actual quantity produced of each title may in fact be significantly less). These are one-time Editions which will not be reprinted! We are elated to report that renowned ethnobotanical painter Donna Torres is producing original art for the full-color frontispieces for each volume. We’ll endeavor to release two titles a year as part of a collectible set in this exceptional series. Make haste to secure your set of what is sure to become an historical phenomenon!
“I admire Jonathan Ott immensely and will certainly do what I can to get word out about this beautiful series of books—very much in the mold of his great mentor.”
—Prof. Wade Davis, anthropologist, author, conservationist, and one of National Geographic’s Explorers for the Millennium.
The first in the book series is a limited, doubled edition set of Ayahuasca Analogues and Shamanic Snuffs:
Albeit separated by seven years, these really represent two volumes of the same psychonautic modelling, of South American Shamanic Inebriants based on Psychoptic Tryptamines; accordingly, are being released as a boxed set. They remain the only modern, multi–disciplinary scientific books on the subject! Despite the similarity of their subject-matters, there is very little overlap in the extensive bibliographies.
Each boxed set of Ayahuasca Analogues/Shamanic Snuffs is handmade with a level of artistic craftsmanship far beyond what you normally find in most deluxe or limited edition books. This magnificent set is more than just a beautiful new edition of these engaging and historically important ethnobotanical monographs, but a valuable work of art in itself.
Each book is handbound in full leather, each cover has an inlaid color illustration of an Erythroxylum coca plant, a gold imprint on the back, and gold lettering on the spine. Printed on premium, acid-free paper, each title has a marker ribbon, an original full-color frontispiece by celebrated artist Donna Torres, and is signed and numbered by the author. The books come housed together in an exquisite and sturdy cloth-bound slipcase.
Ayahuasca Analogues and Shamanic Snuffs have long been out of print. The original editions of each individual title have recently sold online for considerably more than our asking price for the entire, deluxe, new two-book set. These gorgeous artifacts are a worthwhile investment—made to last for generations, destined to become coveted by collectors and ever more valuable with time. Don’t pass up your chance to invest in this unparalleled historical set now!
Order your copy of the Ayahuasca Analogues and Shamanic Snuffs deluxe box set:
$600 + shipping & handling—we ship worldwide.
6 sets currently available, #XII, XIV–XVIII.
Note: price on the subsequent sets may be subject to rise due to tariffs, secure your copy today!
As each book is made by hand in Mexico, the bookbinder will be shipping us batches of 10 sets as he completes them. These are available on a first come first serve basis.
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~ Project Fundraiser—the very first of the Numbered Sets ~
The plan has been to offer each AA/SS two-book set for $600 retail + shipping & handling, however, their production in Mexico, means that tariffs may increase the price of future batches. The binder is figuring out the best method to safely ship batches of books to us for distribution and the first boxes were sent Express, costing us nearly $600 in postage for just twenty sets, and that is unsustainable.
To aid the Jonathan Ott Book Project’s launch, help offset some initial obstacles and keep production rolling without interruption, we’re seeking your financial support by offering a rare opportunity to invest in the first ten of these collectible, signed & numbered sets of Ayahuasca Analogues and Shamanic Snuffs—at fundraising prices.
The first numbers in any limited edition are the most valued and a worthy investment, ever more so with the passage of time. In this case these are not just the first numbered sets of Ayahuasca Analogues and Shamanic Snuffs, but also the first titles to be released in the entire twelve book series which we hope to publish in the coming years… with your support!
Of these most valuable first numbers, only 3 sets remain available:
Set #III: Available now, on a first-come first-serve basis, for $795. Order your copy now!
Set #IV & VI: Available now, on a first-come first-serve basis, for $695 each. Order your copy now!
Sets #I, II, V, VII, VIII, IX & X: Have already sold. Gratitude for the support!
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More sets are being hand-fabricated by the binder in Mexico, but tariffs may cause a substantial price hike on these, so order your copy with haste!
With your support, production on the next title in the series [see further below], Word-Woven Worlds of the Word Leaf, can begin later in 2025.
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Contact: [email protected]
Subscribe to our email list for periodic updates about the deluxe edition book series, including specials and pre-orders,
along with current news, articles and interviews with Jonathan Ott.
Ayahuasca Analogues: Pangæan Entheogens [Natural Products Co., Kennewick, WA, 1994] details the history, botany, chemistry, and human pharmacology of the famed Amazonian ayahuasca potion, which Ott describes as “one of the most sophisticated pharmacognostical discoveries of all antiquity.” This legendary book, which includes Ott’s colorful trip reports, also explains how dozens of non-traditional source plants from around the world can be used by intrepid explorers to brew analogues of ayahuasca. This was revolutionary research when Ayahuasca Analogues was first published, and remains highly relevant for kitchen witches everywhere. Featuring a completely new frontispiece painting, A Letter for Richard Spruce, by Donna Torres The information-dense 128 pages are supported by the largest bibliography ever compiled to this subject. All editions have been out of print for over 25 years and are highly valued by collectors. This will be the first English publication of the updated 2nd edition of Ayahuasca Analogues, which previously appeared only in Spanish, and has been actualized. Only 5,000 copies of the English 1st Edition were printed (4,700 in softcover; 300 slipcased hardcovers). Ayahuasca Analogues remains the only modern, multi–dsiciplinary scientific book on the subject! Signed and numbered by Jonathan Ott at the back of each book.
To sample the book, read the introduction here: AA Exordium PDF
“Jonathan Ott is one of the most knowledgeable scientists [on] Banisteriopsis caapi. He has produced in Ayahuasca Analogues, Pangæan Entheogensa beautifully published and highly authentic book… The reader is immediately struck with three impressions: the clarity of the language; the diversity of coverage; and the authority of the treatment.”
—Prof. Richard Evans Schultes, Harvard University, Journal of Ethnobiology 14(2): 273–274, 1994.
Shamanic Snuffs or Entheogenic Errhines [Entheobotanica, Solothurn, Switzerland, 2001] is an unparalleled review of snuffed plant preparations used as shamanic inebriants for millennia. There is no other book on this topic! Shamanic snuffs have been drawing more attention with the growing popularity of rapé formulations, but tobacco is only part of a remarkable story. This unique book covers the history, ethnobotany, and phytochemistry of the major classes of snuffs —Anadenanthera, Virola, Nicotiana — and features accounts of an additional 58 snuffs, including ill-studied African errhines alongside a variety of more obscure and unusual ethnomedicinal insufflatus (hunting snuffs for hounds and horses anyone?). To round this all off, in his ever entertaining style, Ott reports on dozens of his psychonautical bioassays. The book’s 160 pages encompass not only the largest, but the only, general, multi-disciplinary bibliography to this subject; a Densified Index of 1,243 topics provides a ready key to its information-dense content. The pages for this near mythical book were printed in 2001, but due to unforeseen circumstances only 250 books were ever bound and distributed (these volumes are now highly valuable collector’s items). The interior of our version utilizes these original pages, but features new binding and frontispiece art, Spirit Wanderer, by Donna Torres. Destined to remain a coveted rarity, no more than a mere 550 copies of Shamanic Snuffs will ever be sold (250 from the original release; plus the 300 maximum presently in production). Signed and numbered by Jonathan Ott at the back of each book.
To sample the book, read the introduction here: SS Inspiration PDF
“Your book, Shamanic Snuffs or Entheogenic Errhines [is a] magnificently, beautifully-crafted Edition, a veritable jewel of a book.”
—Albert Hofmann, 20 September 2001.
Translated from the handwritten German of Albert’s thank-you, immediately upon receipt of his complimentary copy ‹D› (for Delysid™ or LSD).
Notes:
1. See “Entheogens” Journal of Psychedelic Drugs 11(1-2): 145–146, 1979; “Entheogens II” Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 28(2): 205–209, 1996.
2. See “Obsequies for the Psychodelic Renaissance: non–oblivious semantics for the Psychoptic Resurgence”, in A. Tollan (Ed.), Breaking Convention VI, London: Strange Attractor Press.
3. For a list of peer-reviewed scientific papers by Jonathan Ott, see https://jonathanottbooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Ott-Scientific-Papers.pdf
4. But excluding his first book Hallucinogenic Plants of North America and Persephone’s Quest, coauthored with R. Gordon Wasson, Stella Kramrisch and Carl P. Ruck.
Ayahuasca Analogues frontispiece;
A Letter for Richard Spruce painting by Donna Torres, © 2024
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Coming Soon:
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Additional articles by Jonathan Ott.
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Interviews with the author.
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Historical Reviews & Testimonials.
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“Every legislator and judge, federal and state, would do well to read Ott on drugs.”
— R. Gordon Wasson, the father of ethnomycology.
Descriptions of the 12 Jonathan Ott book titles to be published in the deluxe edition series:
All titles will be signed and numbered editions (each limited to 100–300 copies maximum), handcrafted and handbound in full leather,
feature an entirely new painting by Donna Torres, and come housed, individually or as a set, in a cloth covered slipcase.
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These first two titles released as a boxed set.
Production began September, 2024, first sets available early 2025:
Albeit separated by seven years, Ayahuasca Analogues and Shamanic Snuffs really represent two volumes of the same psychonautic modelling, of South American Shamanic Inebriants based on Psychoptic Tryptamines; accordingly, are being released as a boxed set. Despite the similarity of their subject-matters, in the extensive bibliographies (471 and 439 citations, respectively; or a total of 910 references), there are only 79 duplications/overlaps, or 8.7% (that is: conjointly there are 831 discrete citations).
1. Ayahuasca Analogues: Pangæan Entheogens – This is the first English publication of the updated 2nd edition, which previously appeared only in Spanish. The first book to detail the history, botany, chemistry and human pharmacology of the famed Amazonian ayahuasca potion, which Ott describes as “one of the most sophisticated pharmacognostical discoveries of all antiquity.” This legendary book, which includes Ott’s colorful trip reports, also explains how dozens of non-traditional source plants from around the world can be used by intrepid explorers to brew analogues of ayahuasca. This was revolutionary research when Ayahuasca Analogues was first published, and remains highly relevant for kitchen witches everywhere. Featuring a completely new frontispiece painting, A Letter for Richard Spruce, by Donna Torres. The information-dense 128 pages are supported by a 20-page Densified Bibliography of 474 Citations (still the largest ever compiled to this subject: being 2 pages, and 11% greater, than that of the First Edition); and an 8-page Densified Index of 669 Topics (3% augmented: both enhancements being ‹Densified›,* or enclosed within the same page-count), allowing facile access to its wealth of multi-disciplinary content. Only 5,000 copies of the English First Edition were printed in 1994, all editions have been out of print for over 25 years and are highly valued by collectors. Ayahuasca Analogues remains the only modern, multi–dsiciplinary scientific Book on the subject!
2. Shamanic Snuffs or Entheogenic Errhines – An unparalleled review of snuffed plant preparations used as shamanic inebriants for millennia. There is no other book on this topic! This unique book covers the history, ethnobotany, and chemistry of the major classes of snuffs and accounts of lesser known ethnomedicinal snuffs. In his ever entertaining style, Ott also reports on dozens of his psychonautical bioassays. The pages for this near mythical book were printed in 2001, but due to unforeseen circumstances only 250 books were ever bound and distributed (these are now highly valuable collector’s items). The interior of our version utilizes these original pages, but features new binding and frontispiece art, Spirit Wanderer, by Donna Torres. The 160 pages encompass a 19-page Densified Bibliography of 448 Citations (not only the largest, but the only, general, multi-disciplinary Bibliography to this subject); with a 15-page Densified Index of 1,243 Topics providing a ready key to its information-dense content (which includes the first, multi-route, Psychonautic Bioassays of isolated and crystallized bufotenine and O-methyl-bufotenine—by way of modelling diverse shamanic snuffs, fumatories, oral, sublingual and even intrarectal preparations). Destined to remain a coveted rarity, no more than a mere 550 copies of Shamanic Snuffs will ever be sold (250 from the original release; plus the 300 maximum presently in production).
The tentative dates for the subsequent books, provisionally ordered and grouped as we plan to release them:
Late 2025:
3. Word-Woven Worlds of the Word Leaf: A Cocaficionado’s Pharmacognostical Pæan – This is a new book in English! We have here a witty, wild and often satirical romp through the history and ethnopharmacognosy of the “divine” or sacred coca-leaf, Erythroxylum species, including the discovery of cocaine and its subsequent career—as a ‘diabolical’ panacæa and ‘heavenly’ but ‘demonic’ drug; which revolutionized medicine and hedonism: playing a key, often farcical, role in international politics and global economics throughout. Featuring a sublime new painting by Donna Torres, Tales of Sustenance and Vision, as color frontispiece. This is an expanded and completely updated English version of Ott’s portion of a 2003 book in German, co-authored with the late anthropologist Christian Rätsch, Coca und Kokain; this had only one edition, of which some 3,000 were sold, and has been out-of-print for over 21 years. Ott describes this stimulating book as his most humorous work to date. Despite its by turns jocular tone, it is dense with scientific information of a multi-disciplinary nature, making this an essential reference volume for anyone interested in coca-leaf and its ‘spirit’; the 160 pages feature a 30-page Densified Bibliography of 643 references, and the information is accessible by an 8-page Densified Index of 815 topics.
New A Cocaficionado’s Pharmacognostical Pæan frontispiece;
Tales of Sustenance and Vision painting by Donna Torres, © 2025
4. The Cacáhuatl-Eater: Ruminations of an Unabashed Chocolate-‘Addict’ – A new, and substantially revised edition of the original from 1985. This was Ott’s first self-publication, of which only some 1,500 copies were sold, and has been out-of-print for 35 years. Ahead of its time in 1985, this is a book about (so-called) ‘addiction,’ disguised as a book about chocolate… as drug. Ott explores the history of cacao, explodes the numerous myths regarding its purported deleterious effects, and examines rather the many health-benefits of cacao, cocoa and chocolate—viewed as an ‘addictive drug.’ Despite its obscurity, this little book inspired the birth of ‘organic’ and ‘gourmet’-chocolates, as well as some later works on chocolate; besides leading to the demise of ersatz chocolates based on carob. Unlike the original edition, among its 96 pages there is an 8-page Densified Bibliography of 206 references, and a 6-page Densified Index with 504 topics.
“…his new book is an informative, engaging and witty treatise on one of the world’s most beloved drugs… The Cacahuatl Eater is a welcome and overdue addition to the drug literature. It will be useful to botanists, pharmacologists, physicians and laypeople alike… It is well written, well researched and easy to read.”
—Dr. Andrew T. Weil, Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 17(3): 207, 1985.
Late 2025/early 2026:
5. Mute Words. Silent Spectres of Speech / Sigil-Skeletons of Sound: The Ecstasy of Speech – An entirely new work, literary and not scientific, written in 2022, Ott’s poetic exploration and musings on what he considers one of the great wonders of human existence—the mysteries of the writing process and artistic inspiration. Ott ponders the power and potency of the written, as opposed to the real or spoken word; and substantiates his original theory of the genesis of words (“Ariadne’s Thread and the Labyrinth”), through some writings of Charles Dickens, Marcel Proust and James Joyce. For Ott, “Mute Words” arise spontaneously, of themselves: and he illustrates this by detailing the genesis of this very book! He writes about himself, writing about himself, writing! Subjacent is an unknown and radical theory of linguistics proposed in 1957 by his own mentor: the father of ethnomycology, R. Gordon Wasson—who first linked the origins of Culture and Religion to psychoptic fungi and plants. Being a literary work, there is neither Index nor tabular Bibliography; although there are 125 Bibliographic References interspersed throughout the text.
2026:
6. Psychoptica, Shamanism and Modern Life – Another new title! First time in book form, this remains one of the most comprehensive (and solid) anthologies, on the topic of shamanic ethnopharmacognosy. Based on the Conference, Hallucinogens in Native American Shamanism and Modern Life (which Ott and several colleagues convened, at the Japan Center Theatre in San Francisco, from 28 September, through 1 October, 1978), Ott subsequently edited this extract—as a special double-issue, of Journal of Psychedelic Drugs [presently entitled Journal of Psychoactive Drugs]—Volume 11(1-2): 1–149, 1979. This features Research-Articles by: José Luis Díaz; Stanislav Grof; Albert Hofmann; Bo Holmstedt; Weston La Barre; Timothy Plowman; Richard Evans Schultes; Alexander T. ‹Sasha› Shulgin; R. Gordon Wasson; Andrew Weil; Norman Zinberg; and the Ahnishinaubeg (Ojibway) shamaness (and holder of a Master’s Degree in Ethnobotany), Keewaydinoquay Peschel. Like the Conference, this anthology—now available for sale for the first time ever—encompasses the botanical, chemical, pharmacological, ethnobotanical and medical aspects of a variegated diversity of psychoptica (including coca, which many still fail to classify properly, as a shamanic inebriant, or entheogen)—indeed, this anthology introduced that neologism itself (C.A.P. Ruck, J. Bigwood, D. Staples, J. Ott & R.G. Wasson, «Entheogens» JPD 11[1-2]: 145–146, 1979)! In a stunning, surprise-event, R. Gordon Wasson, assisted by the anthropologist Reid Kaplan, presented Keewaydinoquay—who, in full shamanic regalia, sang an invocation to Miskwedo (or Amanita muscaria). The three presented a précis of what will become Wasson’s final (and rarest book): printed in an Edition of only three copies, this remains unpublished, under lock-and-key, at the Houghton Rare Book Library of Harvard University, until a specified time after Keewaydinoquay’s decease. Wasson had shown Ott the final proofs of this book, which is supplemented by traditional Ahnishinaubeg birch-bark-scrolls, hand-painted by Keewaydinoquay, detailing her Tribe’s mythomycology of Miskwedo (the Siberian entheogen Amanita muscaria). The entirety of what is known of this book, and the subjacent research—which included Kaplan’s Miskwedo-velada on Bear Island—proceeds from two papers in this anthology: Keewaydinoquay’s «The legend of miskwedo» (JPD 11[1-2]: 29–31); and Wasson’s «Traditional use in North America of Amanita muscaria for divinatory purposes» (JPD 11[1-2]: 25–28); which likewise is the Introduction to the book.
“It makes an extremely important contribution to the problems concerning the use of hallucinogens among American Indians. I have been extremely interested to read it and I thank you most warmly for sending it.”
—Prof. Claude Lévi-Strauss, Collège de France, Personal Communication, 13 November 1979.
Late 2026:
[Possible release as a two-book box set]
7. Pharmacophilia or The Natural Paradises – This is a revised edition of Ott’s irresistible, even poetic book from 1997, which erects a theoretical framework behind our eternal enthusiasm for psychoactive drugs. The book consists of a concise, entertaining and readable exposition of this theory (over 5 Chapters and 74 pages), followed by 88 pages of 138 detailed End-Notes which substantiate this through more than 700 detailed References: tied-together with a Densified Index of 14 pages and more than 1,066 Topics. Neither a ‘drug-addict’ nor a ‘drug-abuser,’ but a drug-lover, Ott educes the healthful and beneficent paradigm of Pharmacophilia—our shortest route to the Natural, not Artificial, Paradises.
[A limited number of the first edition hardcover and softcover printing of Pharmacophilia are still available to order via https://sacredsucculents.com/#ott-books]
8. Pharmacomania or, Mr. Jekyll and Dr. Hyde: The Literary Creation of ‘Addicts’ and ‘Alcoholics’ – This is an entirely new work written early in 2024, and a companion-volume to Pharmacophilia. As “Literary Historiography,” Ott examines Western literature over the past two Centuries, to show whence derive our current disastrous models of, and often catastrophic relationships to, ‘addiction’ (habituation). Through extensive quotations from 52 writers (29 Literary and 23 Scientific) and their historical contexts, he documents the origins of the prejudices and grievous errors inherent in how the modern world thinks about ‘drugs’ and ‘addiction,’ and suggests more scientifically sound and salubrious ways to relate even to the most widely-demonized substances, and, more importantly, ourselves. Further illustrating this is Ott’s autobiographical account of his own history of pharmacomania and pharmacophilia. This might be Ott’s most important book: at 272 pages, it is his second longest. Since essentially this is a literary work, neither Index nor tabular Bibliography has been appended; although 188 Citations are embedded within the text.
2027:
9. Teonanácatl: Psychoptic Mushrooms of North America – This is a newly-revised edition. Based on the “Second International Conference on Hallucinogenic Mushrooms” held at Port Townsend, WA in 1977, this contains Chapters by Ott’s mentors Albert Hofmann, R. Gordon Wasson, and Richard E. Schultes: describing their rediscovery of teonanácatl and psiloc[yb]ine. This was the first book ever published to cover the taxonomy, identification and cultivation of North American ‘magic’ mushrooms, and contributed to inspiring the work of Paul Stamets and several other psychomycologists. This edition will feature a new afterword by Stamets. Out of print in English for over 40 years, there was only a single, 1978 edition, of 5,000 copies. This edition lacks the cultivation-section and color photographs; but its 128 pages include 5 Bibliographies of 14 pages and 276 references; and a 6-page Densified Index of 418 topics. A greatly-expanded Appendix details, not only the 1977 Conference upon which this Book is based, but its 1976 predecessor—and a total of 5 discrete Conferences, and 26 Seminars—31 Events in all—co-organized by Ott over 25 years: between Fall of 1976… unto Spring of 2001.
“…a very readable clear and concise discussion tracing the history… in finally determining that certain species of mushrooms were, in fact, hallucinogenic… The contributions of these three contributors [Schultes, Hofmann and Wasson] insure the success of the present book… The data in the systematic treatment by J. Ott are routine, i.e., not original except for his comments under the heading of ‘history.’ These are both enlightening and interesting.”
—Prof. Alexander H. Smith, Michigan State University, Mycologia 71(4): 676–677, 1979.
10. Ometochtzin o las muertes de Dos Conejo – This also is a new publication; being Ott’s entheogen-inspired, visionary screenplay with extensive scholarly notes! Originally in Spanish and Náhuatl, now with full English translations, it was written 24 years ago, with the Cuarón–brothers in mind to direct the film… but evidently it proved to be too esoteric for Hollywood. This features novel ethnopharmacognosy of visionary additives to pre-Columbian Agave-wines (teoctli or xochioctli). Written in 2003, this was desktop-printed in an Edition of one copy, sumptuously leather-bound and leather-boxed, together with a key artefact of the plot: a composite, 8-page Codex (color-printed on traditional, handmade amate [Ficus] -paper between wooden covers; the whole enwrapped in a matching, Book-like folder). This was Ott’s first fully literary work, also his first written originally in Spanish. It is a 21-Scene-Screenplay set in ‹New Spain› early in the 1500s and scrupulously historical: based-on the imprisonment, trial and execution of ‘Don Carlos’ Ometochtzin, the grandson of the great warrior, poet and scientist Nezahualcóyotl (whose visage formerly graced the 100 Peso banknote)—at that time, ruler of Acolhuan/Tezcoco (cultural center of Mesoamérica and repository of the legacy of the mythical ‘Toltecs’). Although Ometochtzin (‹Two Rabbit›) was burned at the stake, for «dogmatizing heresy», his real ‘crimes’ were: 1) strident and activist political agitation against the usurpation of political power by the Colonial Viceregal Government; 2) the concomitant forcing of the Nahua Peoples into apostasy, to the Roman Catholic religion (which Ometochtzin flatly dismissed as factitious and hypocritical); and 3) possession of one of the few surviving, purged and forbidden pre-Columbian Codices. Almost all had been burned by the Mexica (‘Aztecs’) in 1428 (but Nezahualcóyotl had refused to surrender his, by far the largest, library). However, that very Bishop, Juan de Zumárraga (who later was to try and condemn Ometochtzin), in 1529, finally burned Nezahualcóyotl’s library in Tezcoco! A decade later, in June 1539, he arrested Ometochtzin for having secreted one of these Codices, and while he languished in prison over the last four months of his life, ostensibly as a part of his ‘investigations,’ Zumárraga utterly destroyed Nezahualcóyotl’s ‘Xanadu’—his fabulous ‘pleasure gardens’ at Tezcotzinco! The plot hinges on this Codex, and Ometochtzin’s explanation of it, and the true history of the Chichimecas, during a series of jail-cell-interviews with Bernardino de Sahagún—who in fact had served as interpreter in his trial… and was inspired by Ometochtzin to dedicate the last 61 years of his life to documenting the history of the Chichimecas. Sahagún (and, later, Diego Durán) based their histories on a now-lost Códice X, which in the screenplay, is Ometochtzin’s contraband Codex. There unfolds considerable novel ethnopharmacognosy concerning recondite visionary additives to Agave-wine, or octli (now, pulque), and its Mayan homologue, balché—particularly, ocpatli (‘octli-drug’), the root of an Acacia-species known today as palo de pulque, and probably a rich source of Psychoptic Tryptamines (this also grows in the SW United States). Indeed, this was the first entheogen prohibited by the Spaniards—in 1529, just 8 years after the Conquest; and full 42 years before the Inquisition was established in New Spain and 91 years before said Inquisition made it a capital heresy, to use the other more famous entheogens: ololiuhqui; péyotl; teonanácatl; pipiltzintzintli; and dozens of others. The original Book has only 88 pages, but after careful consideration the decision has been made to to translate the entire work and present it in English alongside the original dialogue, which includes entheogenic poetry, in Náhuatl; and some of the original transcripts of the trial, in 16th Century Spanish (featuring Ometochtzin’s cogent, revolutionary and moving words: clearly, this influential leader had to be silenced!). The extensive Notes and historical Scene-Directions will be translated into English, and the result will be a 160-page Book, in English, Spanish and Náhuatl—enhanced by the color-replica-Codex (companion-bound within a double-slipcase) including English explanatory side keys to images that Ometochtzin points-out to Sahagún, by way of recounting the real history of the Chichimecas (chichic, ‘to suck’ metl, ‘Agave’—‹the People who suck from the Agave›). Naturally, the screenplay is assertively indigenist.
Depending on interest, this Edition might possibly be limited merely to 100 copies for sale. There is no Index, and the Bibliography is limited to 13 “Cultural Sources.”
2028:
11. The Age of Entheogens & The Angels’ Dictionary – This is a revised edition of one of Ott’s most accessible books. “A radical re-examination of the history of our western civilization, exploring the brutal suppression of ecstatic, experiential, natural religions from The Age of Entheogens, by the 1600-year-old Pharmacratic Inquisition, leading up to the contemporary Entheogenic Reformation.” This is accompanied by a dictionary-style lexicon of 290 words from 6 languages, supported by 445 quotations, pertaining to shamanism and ecstasy: made in response to R. Gordon Wasson’s call for; “a vocabulary to describe all the modalities of a Divine Inebriant.” Its 160 pages include a 6-page Densified Bibliography of 147 sources and a 10-page Densified Index of 744 topics.
[A limited number of the first edition hardcover and softcover printing of Age of Entheogens are still available to order via https://sacredsucculents.com/#ott-books]
“This latest intellectual endeavor of Ott—which follows the masterful Pharmacotheon of 1993 and the innovative Ayahuasca Analogues of 1994
—beyond a doubt is still another masterful and innovative book on entheogens…”
—Giorgio Samorini, Eleusis 4: 48, 1994.
“You deserve the highest praise for The Age of Entheogens & The Angels’ Dictionary. I could quibble on some points, but your overall vision, the passion of your argument
and the language are breathtaking. This is a terribly important book. Good work, man!”
—Michael Horowitz, Former Director of Fitz Hugh Ludlow Memorial Library, 9 August 1996 (personal correspondence).
12. Pharmacotheon: Psychoptic Drugs, their Plant-Sources and History – Originally published in 1993 and thoroughly revised in 1996, this remains the most complete reference-book extant on the topic of psychoptic plants and compounds. A dense 640 pages, it covers 1,110 species, with the largest Bibliography ever compiled on the subject: 122 pages of 2,570 references; plus a Botanical Index of 16 pages and a Densified Index of 30 pages with 2,310 topics. Here you will find everything you ever wished to know, and much more. Accurate, definitive, and surprisingly entertaining—even more than three decades after its first publication. Foreword by Albert Hofmann.
[A very limited number of the second edition softcover Pharmacotheon are still available to order via https://sacredsucculents.com/#ott-books]
“The juxtaposition of the objective, scientific aspects with the purely subjective, experiential side of the drug problem constitutes the unique character of Pharmacotheon and endows this book with singular value. It could only have been written by a person like Jonathan Ott, who combines the multifaceted talents of the creative writer with the specialized knowledge of the scientist…”
—Albert Hofmann, November 1992, from Pharmacotheon’s foreword.
“This masterful book is more than its title may indicate. It is an encyclopedic contribution, bringing up-to-date all aspects of the study of psychoactive drugs. The excellence of the volume, plus the name of the well known and widely respected author, Jonathan Ott, combine to make Pharmacotheon an absolute must for the shelf of researchers […] All of his scientific documentation is expertly organized into a highly readable volume of value to technical persons as well as to general readers… Jonathan Ott lives through the pages of this book. I have rarely perused a volume through which the author has so personally breathed on every page. Pharmacotheon will be one of the few cornerstones of research… for very many years to come.”
—Prof. Richard Evans Schultes, Harvard University
“…a thing of beauty. Accurate information, complete information, and a pleasure to read as well. An excellent presentation of the current situation…”
—Alexander “Sasha” Shulgin
[Sasha kept three books in a little niche beside his computer for rapid reference: PIHKAL, TIHKAL… and Ott’s Pharmacotheon!]
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Notes on the Deluxe Edition Series: Each title will be numbered and signed by Jonathan Ott at the back of the book. Ott’s very first book, Hallucinogenic Plants of North America, will not be included in the deluxe edition series, neither will his coauthored works, such as Persephone’s Quest; however, Ott is ever a prolific writer and there is always the possibility that an additional new title(s) could be written and added to the list before production of the current 12 volumes is completed…
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* Footnote: The unfamiliar term ‘Densified,’ applied to the respective Bibliographies and Indices, has a two-fold meaning. This is an innovation by the Author, designed at once: 1) to improve the typographic appearance of these essential parts of his Books, by presenting mostly full columns, as opposed to the typically ragged appearance of such appendages (having many unsightly blank spaces); and 2) further to inform and assist the reader, by including additional information. For instance, in an Index, where an indigenous name of a given plant or inebriant is the Topic, this often will be identified botanically; and vice versa, for the corresponding botanical binomial. In the Bibliographies, the additions may take the form of cross-references to related Citations; comments on historical significance; or referrals to another subject; etc. This method at once takes-advantage of all of the available page-space, which is more efficient and ecological; and further guides the reader interested in any particular Citation or Topic. [Of the first 8 Books, 5 have tabular Bibliographies (the ca. 500 Citations of Pharmacophilia are embedded within the End-Notes; in Mute Words and Pharmacomania, the Citations are presented in-text), totaling 91 pages, and 2,035 Citations—averaging 407/Book at 22.4/page. Of the corresponding 6 with Indices (the two more literary Books lack Indices), these total 57 pages, and 4,536 Topics: averaging 756/Book at 79.6/page. Inasmuch as Books so dense in information—much of which is novel—are weakened and vitiated by an all-too-common want of Bibliographies substantiating their content; and much more so, of detailed Indices giving ready access to said content, these data are emphasized, as this is one of the greatest strengths of these Books—which, moreover, costs the Author much more time and minute attention than their actual composition. Reflecting this is the fact that, over the 5 Books containing both tabular Bibliographies and Indices, their conjoint total of 134 pages (average of just under 27 pages/Book) equals ~20% of their 672 total pages (averaging exactly 134.4 pages/Book—or 1 complete Book’s worth of Bibliographies and Indices, between these 5 Books).]
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Further details and release dates to come…
See here for a list of peer-reviewed scientific papers by Jonathan Ott
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P.O. Box 784, Occidental, CA 95465 USA
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