Soma and the Fly-Agaric : Mr. Wasson's Rejoinder to Professor Brough

Cambridge, MA: Botanical Museum of Harvard University, 1972. From an edition of 1,000. 8vo; signature-bound in printed tan wraps. 57pp. Minor rubbing to wraps, small horizontal stress crease to front cover at spine. Else fine.

Legendary ethnomycologist R. Gordon Wasson answers a critical review by John Brough of his SOMA: Divine Mushroom of Immortality (1969). Brough's critique, published in June 1971 by the Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, apparently took aim at Wasson's reading of ancient Indian text the Rigvega. As Richard Evans Schultes notes in his foreword here, the BSOAS denied not only Wasson's request to defend himself in their pages, but also the subsequent request to republish Brough's paper in the present volume. A nice bit of scholarly cross-fire, and an excellent addendum to Wasson's monumental SOMA. Ethno-mycological Studies No 2. Scarce in the trade.