Rare Book of the Day – The Ecstatic Adventure. Edited by Ralph Metzner, Forward by Alan Watts. Inscribed First Edition.
The Ecstatic Adventure. Edited by Ralph Metzner with a forward by Alan Watts. Inscribed First Edition.
Ralph Metzner, born in 1936, is an American psychologist and researcher. In the early 1960s, Metzner worked with Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert (now Ram Dass) on pioneering psychedelic research at Harvard University, including the first controlled experiments with LSD. Throughout his career, he has focused on consciousness research, including psychedelics, yoga and meditation. He now works as a psychotherapist, and is Professor Emeritus of psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies.
The Ecstatic Adventure, published in 1968, is a seminal collection of essays on the psychedelic revolution. Its full title is:
"The Ecstatic Adventure: Reports of Chemical Explorations of the Inner World by Philosophers, Theologians, Scientists, Housewives, Musicians, Mothers, Children, Patients, Convicts, Addicts, Secretaries..."
It features an introduction by Alan Watts, and writings by such luminaries as Allen Ginsberg and Timothy Leary. It's a fascinating piece. This is the first printing, inscribed by Metzner on the title page:
Inscription:
The Big Three: Leary, Metzner and Alpert:
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