FREE: The Serpent & The Rainbow-Wade Davis, London, 1986, 1st.

The listing, The Serpent & The Rainbow-Wade Davis, London, 1986, 1st. has ended.

Collins, London, 1986, Hard cover, 297 pp., excellent condition, book has dust jacket which is also in excellent condition.

Synopsis
This classic work of anthropological narrative nonfiction, written in 1985, follows Harvard ethnobotanist Wade Davis to Haiti on a mission to discover the drug compounds at the root of zombie-making voodoo practices. Davis learns how such magical potions are made by bribing and befriending a local houngan (priest of voodoo, or "Voudon" as it's referred to in this book) and the chemicals he finds end up proving to be of value to the field of anesthesiology. He dispels Western preconceptions and fears about the nature of zombies and voodoo ceremonies, as over the course of the story he comes to realize that the fate of slavery beyond death is administered to law breakers as a part of a complex localized judicial system. This is an exciting blend of botanical treatise, travelogue, and blood-soaked Haitian history lesson. It also provides an intriguing glimpse inside a very complex and strange culture. Despite the ultimately positive conclusion of Davis's explorations, the book was adapted into a more conventionally creepy movie in 1988 by horror maestro Wes Craven.

US Shipping Only. No Canada or Foreign shipments.