Archive Notes
Vintage Book of Poison Plants, Hallucinogens & Botanical Folklore
The Devil’s Garden explores plants that heal, intoxicate, poison, inspire worship, alter consciousness, and kill.
Edward R. Ricciuti’s illustrated study moves between natural history and folklore, covering poisonous garden plants, deadly mushrooms, hallucinogens, sacred trees, aphrodisiacs, opium, botanical birth control, witchcraft, ritual sacrifice, war, murder, and the long human fascination with plants that are both useful and dangerous.
Chapters include “A Supernatural Botany,” “Plants and Sex,” “Death in House and Garden,” and sections devoted to poisonous plants, dangerous drugs, warfare, and murder. Ricciuti follows the darker cultural history surrounding plants—the stories, fears, rituals, crimes, and beliefs that grew around them.
The book is illustrated with botanical drawings, historical artwork, and black-and-white photography. Library records classify it under poisonous plants, hallucinogenic plants, dangerous plants, and plant folklore. This First Edition retains its original illustrated dust jacket
Details
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Title: The Devil’s Garden: Facts and Folklore of Perilous Plants
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Author: Edward R. Ricciuti
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Publisher: Walker and Company, New York
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Date: 1978
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Edition: First
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Material: Red cloth hardcover with printed dust jacket
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Illustration: Black-and-white photographs, botanical drawings, and historical images
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Features: Sections on supernatural botany, poisonous plants, hallucinogens, aphrodisiacs, dangerous drugs, war, murder, folklore, and ritual use
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Pages: 172 pages
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Dimensions: Approximately 9½ inches tall;
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Condition: Good vintage condition. Dust jacket shows rubbing, scratches, creasing, and edge wear. Interior pages are clean with light age toning. No major damage visible. Please review all images carefully.
