Volume 1 | The Hasheesh Eater

For the first time the complete writings of Fitz Hugh Ludlow (1836-1870) will be available in one set, including his major fiction and non-fiction work, each volume edited, introduced and contextualized. Ludlow is a forgotten master of prose writing from, and about, a mid 19th century America full of volatility, destiny, and a new sense of its own erudition. The editors hope this collection helps return Ludlow to his rightful place of importance in the history of American letters. These will be sublimely beautiful hard cover editions with the original accompanying illustrations.

Fitz Hugh Ludlow burst on the literary scene in 1857 with the unlikely best seller The Hasheesh Eater. Written when he was just 20 years old, the book swept him into a career as a full-time New York City writer and Bohemian. He became a prolific novelist, short story author, arts critic, travel writer, journalist and editor. His friends and colleagues ranged from Walt Whitman to Brigham Young to Mark Twain. The material published in Ludlow’s Collected Works displays a depth of observation, a breadth of erudition and an appetite for extreme experience applied to the emerging modern American nation. The Hasheesh Eater was the first discussion of drug effects to appear outside the context of addiction and moral failing. It contains eloquent meditations and insights yielded by the drug in fields ranging from music, religion and philosophy, fields where Ludlow was significantly well-read even at such a young age. The book’s appeal is quite modern, and latter day personalities ranging from H.P. Lovecraft to Timothy Leary praised the book.