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The Acid Queen
The Psychedelic Life of Rosemary Woodruff Leary
Brief Description
Rosemary Woodruff Leary has been known only as the wife of Timothy Leary, the Harvard professor-turned-psychedelic high priest, whose jailbreak captivated the counterculture and whose life on the run with Rosemary inflamed the U.S. government. But Rosemary was more than a mere accessory. She was a...
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See moreThe untold story of the beatnik, psychonaut and fugitive who tested the limits of her mind to bring psychedelics into the mainstream - until her audacious exploits forced her into the shadows
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Description
Rosemary Woodruff Leary has been known only as the wife of Timothy Leary, the Harvard professor-turned-psychedelic high priest, whose jailbreak captivated the counterculture and whose life on the run with Rosemary inflamed the U.S. government. But Rosemary was more than a mere accessory. She was a beatnik, a psychonaut, and a true believer who tested the limits of her mind and the expectations for women of her time.
Long overlooked by those who have venerated her husband, Rosemary spent her life on the forefront of the counterculture, working with Leary on his books and speeches, sewing his clothing, and shapingβ for better and for worseβ the media's narrative about LSD. Ultimately, Rosemary sacrificed everything for the safety of her fellow psychedelic pioneers and the preservation of her husband's legacy.
Drawing from a wealth of interviews, diaries, archives, and unpublished sources, Susannah Cahalan writes the definitive portrait of Rosemary Woodruff Leary, reclaiming her narrative and her voice from those who dismissed her. Page-turning, revelatory, and utterly compelling, The Acid Queen shines an overdue spotlight on a pioneering psychedelic seeker.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781838857424
Publisher: Canongate Books
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 05 June 2025
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Canongate Books
Edition: Main
Illustration: 16pp 1c plate section
Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 38.0mm
Width: 159.0mm
Height: 240.0mm
Weight: 638g
Pages: 384
About the Author
Susannah Cahalan is a number one New York Times bestselling author, journalist and public speaker. Her first book, Brain on Fire, has sold over a million copies and has been translated into more than twenty languages. Her second book, The Great Pretender, was shortlisted for the Royal Society's 2020 Science Book Prize. She lives in New Jersey with her family.
susannahcahalan.com | @suscahalan
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