Adam Zmith reveals the long history of the quick rush from sniffing poppers.
3, 2, 1... inhale, deep. From the Victorian infirmary and the sex clubs of the 1970s, poppers vapour has released the queer potential inside us all.
This is the intriguing story of how poppers wafted out of the lab and into gay bars, corner shops, bedrooms and porn supercuts. Blending historical research with wry observation, Adam Zmith explores the cultural forces and improbable connections behind the power of poppers. What emerges is not just a history of pub raids, viral panics and pecs the size of dinner plates. It is a collection of fresh and provocative ideas about identity, sex, utopia, capitalism, law, freedom and the bodies that we use to experience the world.
In Deep Sniff, what starts as a thoughtful enquiry into poppers becomes a manifesto for pleasure.
ISBN-13: 9781913462420
Media Type: Paperback
Publisher: Watkins Media
Publication Date: 09-14-2021
Pages: 180
Product Dimensions: 5.19(w) x 7.76(h) x 0.60(d)
Adam Zmith is a writer. He was the recipient of the London Writers Award 2019-20, and is the author of several shortlisted and published short stories. He is also one of the producers of The Log Books podcast, winner of Gold in the Best New Podcast category at the British Podcast Awards 2020.
Table of Contents
1 Undesirable Purposes 1
2 Two Body Innovators 21
3 The Creation of Man? 41
4 Sex / Death 61
5 Utopia for a Moment 81
6 A Guilty Pleasure 101
7 Hit / Hold / Release 121
8 Antidote 141
9 The Next Forty-Five Seconds 163
References 179
Playlist 189
Acknowledgements 190
