The sheer amount of work that goes into publishing a book, from the challenges that arise during research to the technicalities behind photography, is often overlooked. This is especially evident for books about cannabis and cannabis culture. Higher: The Lore, Legends, and Legacy of Cannabis, written by Dan Michaels and featuring photography by Erik Christiansen aka Erik Nugshots, was recently released by Ten Speed Press. The book explores the legends, legacy, and lore of cannabis, including 100 portraits of the most popular strains out there, specifically 50 classic strains and 50 modern strains. It also provides information on lineage, taste, the ranges of THC content, and common effects, while including the hijinks and historical milestones that shaped the world of cannabis.
The project is nothing new for the duo: Christiansen and Michaels have worked together on several books in the past including Green: A Marijuana Journal, Green: A Pocket Guide to Pot, and Green: A Field Guide to Marijuana. With several cannabis books under their belts, they’ve learned a thing or two when it comes to what works and what doesn’t in a cannabis book.
Photo by Erik Christiansen, @erik.nugshots
Higher traces the evolution of modern cannabis, going back to the Hippie Trail of Central Asia up to the Emerald Triangle in California. It also provides a historical timeline from prohibition days, including the Marihuana Tax Act, the War on Drugs, medical cannabis, and the rise of availability for adults.
On the scientific side, the book explores plant anatomy, breeding of wild landraces, the first domesticated cannabis crops, and consumption. Importantly, it covers the world’s most influential cannabis strains ever created. We’ve showcased the original building blocks of cannabis, the landrace cultivars, within this spread.
Narrowing down the list of strains was by far the hardest part of …
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Author: Benjamin M. Adams / High Times
