Turn On and Tune In

Before the counterculture claimed it, the world was already chasing altered states.

In 1968, Timothy Leary famously urged a generation to "turn on, tune in, drop out"—a phrase that would become synonymous with the psychedelic revolution. But as renowned chemist John Mann reveals in this captivating exploration, humanity’s fascination with mind-altering substances is far older, deeper, and more complex than a single decade.

Turn On and Tune In is a vivid, sweeping history of psychedelic, narcotic, and euphoriant drugs—from ancient rituals to modern rave culture. Drawing on science, art, literature and politics, Mann unpacks the role of drugs across centuries: from the opium dreams of Romantic poets to the chemical escapades of the 1960s, the global war on drugs, and today's reawakening interest in psychedelics for therapy and healing.

Perfect for fans of Michael Pollan’s How to Change Your Mind, Ben Sessa’s The Psychedelic Renaissance, or Confessions of an English Opium-Eater by Thomas De Quincey, this is a fascinating and fearless account of the chemistry, culture, and controversy surrounding altered consciousness.

If you’ve ever been curious about the real history of getting high—this is the book to tune into.