The ultimate resource for hash info and fun.

Hashish! is handsome in appearance and confident in tone: a glossy-covered, finely-illustrated tome containing the professionalism and comprehensive knowledge of a man who has spent three decades studying all aspects of cannabis.

Robert Clarke says his book is "by intent a teaching tool." What an education! Combining charts, graphs, and copious archival data with useful detail and the kind of grammatical and organizational perfection that makes reading a pleasure, Clarke unveils the secrets of hashish - its ancient origins, how it's made and used, and how it has been altered in the modern era by drug wars and capitalism.

Displaying immense skills as a historian and anthropologist, Clarke guides us through the resin-soaked cultures of India, Nepal, Lebanon, Morocco, Kashmir, and other glandular geographies. Clarke's descriptions of trade routes and cannabis physiology are as entertaining as his descriptions of the hashish high.

Clarke tells us how to make our own hashish, presenting a variety of methods for collecting and processing resin glands. He also includes a lengthy discussion of the different psychoactive experiences derived from smoking and eating cannabis. He even analyzes the body's method for metabolizing THC and other cannabinoids, providing details about cannabinoid profiles and their effects on body and mind.

The mid-section of Clarke's book features sixteen pages of sharp, radiant photographs, including microscopic glandicious close-ups by Mel Frank, that reveal the artistry of nature, and the artistic ways that humans show their appreciation for nature's resinous gifts. Hashish is shown embossed with Pakistani customs seals, as well as snake motifs, carved THC cobra heads and snake bodies. The photographic section also includes shots of beautiful hand-tooled pipes: Indian chillums, Uzbek water pipes, Afghani sarchanas.

Like Clarke's 1981 classic Marijuana Botany, Hashish! is flawless, a marvelous resource for anyone who wants to make, use, or know about hashish. Ideal for reading pleasure, or as a reference text and instruction manual, Hashish! is a must-have book.

By Robert Connell Clarke
Red Eye Press
$29.95us, 380 pages

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