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It’s pretty commonly-known that the 70s were responsible for some of the coolest and most far-reaching tidbits of American pop culture — silly trifles like civil rights and environmentalism aside, the 70s saw the rise of seminal musical acts like Fleetwood Mac, Elton John, Black Sabbath, AC/DC, The Ramones, The Clash, Blondie, and the release of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. In film, the 70s basked in the glory of some of American cinema’s strongest and most influential releases to date, such as Star Wars, The Godfather, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and yes, The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The 70s even ushered in the beginning of the golden age of video arcade games, with, heh, game-changing titles like Pong, Asteroids, and Space Invaders. And then, then the 70s provided mankind with this book.

Hallucinogenic Plants, written by Richard Evans Schultes and published in 1976, was an attempt to educate the new generation on all of the weird flowers and leaves their parents were always making tea with, and delivered it in a simple, easily-digested form, ideal for a grade-school audience. The book also includes beautiful color illustrations by Elmer W. Smith so as to aid in locating magical flora that may be growing on the outskirts of your local playground, for example.

Of course, the book was quickly recalled due to the fact that it promoted mind expansion, psychic exploration, and worst of all, fun. Nonetheless, booksellers’ post-recall descriptions of the tome are nearly as entertaining as some of the plants described within.

Only edition, suppressed by the publisher. Indeed, how the Golden Guide series, devoted to nature books for a youthful audience, came to publish this delightful manual remains a mystery. We do know they quickly recalled it and it has become a most sought-after book.

Scarce book which was pulled from shelves and discontinued shortly after being issued. “Say kids, tired of looking for fossils, how about exploring the dangerous and mind-altering world of hallucinogenic plants?” Discontinued for obvious reasons.

The question remains - what were they thinking? A “Golden Guide” to hallucinogenic plants??? Our little Golden Guides - the ones we used as kids to look up birds and trees and mosses? Hallucinogenic plants? How many editors lost their jobs over this one? The book was promptly recalled and, as another wit has observed, is unlikely to be reissued.

Classic Golden Guide, best book they ever did, quickly recalled through pressure by the Moralist Minority. Proves again Leary’s adage: “(hallucinogens) are known to cause psychotic reactions in people (and groups) that have never taken them.” 

It’s now a prized collectible codex, with rare hardcover copies fetching as much as $500 on some online vintage book retailers. Fortunately for you, if you’re interested in this kind of unpatriotic, immoral trash, the druggies at Erowid have done history a kindness by posting the full text and the accompanying illustrations online, where the children of the future can discover its secrets with even less risk of detection by their parents than ever before.