Written in 1821, Confessions of an English Opium-Eater brought literary fame and not a little notoriety to Thomas de Quincy. It blew the lid on widespread opium addiction in Regency England, outing such worthies as Dr Abernethy, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wilberforce.
Confessions recounts the authors privileged public school days, his defiant truancy which led ultimately to a life of penury in London and to his rescue by, and romance with, a young prostitute. It is an intensely personal portrayal of narcotic dependence, filled with humanity, humour and beautiful prose.
This...