Huxley’s “drug book” The Doors of Perception and Heaven and Hell and his “cure yer own eyesight problems” book The Art of Seeing, as reviewed by our very own Daev.
Doors of Perception and Heaven and Hell (Amazon.com)
Doors of Perception and Heaven and Hell (Powell’s Books – new or secondhand)
Doors of Perception and Heaven and Hell (Amazon.co.uk)
On a May morning in 1953, Aldous Huxley ingested 0.4g of mescalin, then sat back, closed his eyes, and let the effects take hold… wondering what would transpire. When he reopened his eyes, his entire world was transfigured… from flowers to clothing:
‘A bunch of flowers shining with their own inner light. Those folds – what a labyrinth of endlessly significant complexity! I was seeing what Adam had seen on the morning of his own creation – the miracle, moment by moment, of naked existence.’
Huxley doesn’t just dwell up on the simple beauty of the experience – these essays delve deep into the notion of perception, and compares his experience with the visions of great artists, or those who have religious experiences. Even if you have no interest in hallucinogens, we highly recommend this book – it should change your view of the world.
The Art of Seeing (Amazon.com)
The Art of Seeing (Amazon.co.uk)
The Art of Seeing (Powell’s Books – new or secondhand)
At the age of 16, Huxley was stricken with an eye disease which left him in a state of near-blindness for many years thereafter. In 1939, in a state of exasperation, he began to practise the method of visual re-education evolved by Dr W.H. Bates. Within two months he was reading without spectacles and without eyestrain. An enthusiastic convert, Huxley wrote this book, a homage to the Bates method and a serious challenge to the orthodox medical profession.
See also:
Dr W.H. Bates, Better Eyesight Without Glasses: Retrain Your Eyes and Rediscover 20/20 Vision (Amazon.com)
Dr W.H. Bates, Better Eyesight Without Glasses: Retrain Your Eyes and Rediscover 20/20 Vision (Amazon.co.uk)
Reviews by Daev.
