The Hasheesh Eater

First published in 1857, American author Fitz Hugh Ludlow’s The Hasheesh Eater is one of the first examples of addiction literature. The book recounts Ludlow’s initial fascination and subsequent addiction to hasheesh, and includes many detailed descriptions of the hallucinations he experienced while under the influence of the drug, a version of cannabis which he ingested in pill form. There was a minor scandal when the book was published but it quickly became a Victorian bestseller. Ironically, the popularity of The Hasheesh Eater led to interest in the drug it described. Not long after its publication, the Gunjah Wallah Co. in New York began advertising "Hasheesh Candy."