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Thomas de Quincey
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Confessions of an English Opium-Eater Kindle Edition

by Thomas De Quincey (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 242 ratings
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A timeless memoir of drug addiction from one of the leading intellectuals of the Victorian age

At first, Thomas De Quincey found opium to be a harmless pleasure. A twenty-year-old intellectual living in nineteenth-century London, De Quincey took laudanum sparingly, spacing out his doses so their effect would not be dulled. But after years of casual use, intense stomach pains caused him to rely on the drug more and more, until he was taking opium daily, and living in a world divided between hallucinatory bliss and aching physical torment.
 
De Quincey’s account of his addiction made him a celebrity. His rhapsodies of hallucination influenced generations of authors, from Poe and Baudelaire to Jorge Luis Borges, and warned countless readers of the dangers of drug dependency. 
 
Previous page
  1. Print length
    79 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Open Road Media
  5. Publication date
    February 9, 2016
  6. File size
    2802 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Moments of the narrative stand out with the kind of vividness De Quincey ascribes to an opium dream. . . . Its influence is still felt.” —The Guardian

About the Author

Thomas De Quincey (1785–1859) was an English author best known for his writings on the delights and terrors of opium addiction. After years of recreational use, De Quincey began taking opium daily in 1813, and wrote about his experiences in Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, serialized in 1821. His depiction of life as an addict made him a pioneer of the form. His other works include On Murder Considered as One of the Fine Arts (1827) and Suspiria de Profundis (1845).

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01AVTU6O4
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Open Road Media (February 9, 2016)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 9, 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2802 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 79 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 242 ratings

About the author

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Thomas de Quincey

Thomas de Quincey

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Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
3.9 out of 5
242 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

R. Marcavage
5.0 out of 5 stars like new condition.
Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2023
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Almost new condition, very nice book.
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Lars Friend
3.0 out of 5 stars Good read, crummy eBook conversion though.
Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2022
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The book itself is excellent but I'd like to note that this Kindle edition appears to be just a scan (can't search, highlight, look up words, change font, etc...)
5 people found this helpful
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Psalm Brown
4.0 out of 5 stars Concerning the 1995 Dover Thrift Edition
Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2013
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Thomas de Quincey's Confessions of an English Opium Eater gives an insightful glimpse into the pleasures and pains of opium usage. In this brief yet intriguing work, he catalogues his encounters with the drug and its ensuing psychological effects. His complex syntax is immediately noticed, and although it often becomes unnecessarily lengthy and scattered (perhaps a product of both his time and excessive drug use), his flowery prose is truly among the most beautiful that I have ever read. Personally, I learned to enjoy many of the drawn-out sentences, eventually choosing to simply let my eyes and mind be dazzled rather than comprehend how the last fragment has anything to do with the first few lines. Through this eloquently written account, the reader is easily led to empathize with and vicariously live out the heavenly euphorias initially found and the horrific phantasmagoria that later plagued his life. One of the things that amazed me about this book was that de Quincy continued to glamorize opium until the very end, even after his joys had left and his psyche damaged. I realize that this account was intended to detail one subject, but it would have been interesting to see how drug usage affected other facets of his life, such as his family, which is hardly mentioned. Overall, it's a very quick and fascinating read that I would suggest to any classic literature fan with a free afternoon.
18 people found this helpful
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Xian Yeagan
5.0 out of 5 stars Confessions of a reader of Confessions of an English Opium Eater
Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2015
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This is a classic of the subject, and speaks of the joys and sorrows of opium addiction. I read it first in my early teens, and it both stimulated me to try opiates and to do so in very small amounts and for a very short time. I was able to avoid addiction and I am grateful to De Quincey for making that possible, for showing me the terrible results that can come from prolonged use. On re-reading it in my seventies, I am once again moved by his poetry and his sufferings.
5 people found this helpful
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MariaJ
2.0 out of 5 stars Didn't finish
Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2024
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Had high hopes for this but disappointed! Not nearly as good as I hoped but it was free.
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Anastasia
5.0 out of 5 stars Getting High 19th-century Style
Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2012
Verified Purchase
I am writing a biography of a major 19th-century figure who was addicted to laudanum; and I read this book to try to better understand the affect her addiction would have had on her mentally, physically, and psychologically. Although it did not answer all of my questions, I found it thoroughly engaging because of its vivid and very personal style -- and it made me want to want to read more of De Quincey's works.
9 people found this helpful
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josh martier
1.0 out of 5 stars Not Real Book
Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2023
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Clearly printed out and poorly bound. Font is Times New Roman. Suspect it was copy and pasted into a word doc then printed and poorly bound into a “book.” More closely resembles a pamphlet instead of a book. Don’t waste your money just print out a PDF instead.
One person found this helpful
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Cox
5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommend for those interested in the story of an opium ...
Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2016
Verified Purchase
Absolutely phenomenal novel. Highly recommend for those interested in the story of an opium eater, scholar, or the subject of opium itself. One of the best books I've ever read
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Bee
5.0 out of 5 stars Exactly what I needed for cheap.
Reviewed in Canada on October 5, 2017
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Small size, cheap price.
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Lectora Nómada
5.0 out of 5 stars Ls clásicos nunca decepcionan
Reviewed in Spain on August 29, 2018
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Me encanta los clásicos y este no me ha decepcionado. Describe a la perfección el mundo del opio y su estadios del protagonista y cada consecuencia.
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Phillip Jacobs
3.0 out of 5 stars Worth reading at least (and at most) once
Reviewed in Australia on April 26, 2021
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An interesting window into the world of yesteryear, but written in that awful style typical of the pre 1900s.
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rhscarlo
5.0 out of 5 stars I listened to Side I.... which ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 12, 2016
Verified Purchase
I listened to Side I.... which only had one track and lasted over 70 minutes!.....and sadly I had to return the recording to the supplier. I've never read
De Quincey and was most surprise to learn of his early life, which was horrendously poverty-stricken. The reader sets a brisk pace never dawdling
and drawing the listened in. On the strength of side 1, would I but another set? Probably not: I was expecting opium to play a major part . However,
De Quincey writes well and I might change my mind; I've had the book for 20 plus years!
I congratulate Naxos for this issue (and Tale of a Tub) for bringing out classics of non-fiction as well as their valuable fiction recordings.
Try ebay for much of their catalogue: their recordings can be dire, because volunteers read them but, on the other hand, some ebay versions are in
the professional category. And at about £2 or £3 for say Desperate Remedies who's complaining?
Side One - a single track, over 70 minutes!
2 people found this helpful
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freundlichkaufer
5.0 out of 5 stars The book has been delivered timely with predescribed quality. One can not expect more than that. a b c d
Reviewed in Germany on May 15, 2015
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The book has been delivered timely with predescribed quality. One can not expect more than that. a b c d
One person found this helpful
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