Peter Stafford (1941 – July 20, 2007) was an American writer and author of the ''Psychedelics Encyclopedia''. Stafford is also co-author with Bonnie Golightly of ''LSD: The Problem-solving Psychedelic,'' as well as other books on

psychedelics Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of ...

Biography

Stafford was born in Oakland, California. He attended

Reed College Reed College is a private liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1908, Reed is a residential college with a campus in the Eastmoreland neighborhood, with Tudor-Gothic style architecture, and a forested canyon nature preserve at ...

and graduated from the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...

. In 1961, while at Reed College, Stafford experimented with the Native American sacred cactus Peyote. He moved to the East Village in New York City in 1964, where he spent the next ten years. He was the editor of ''

Crawdaddy! ''Crawdaddy'' was an American rock music magazine launched in 1966. It was created by Paul Williams, a Swarthmore College student at the time, in response to the increasing sophistication and cultural influence of popular music. The magazine w ...

'' magazine from 1969 to 1970. He was a contributor to ''

High Times ''High Times'' is an American monthly magazine (and cannabis brand) that advocates the legalization of cannabis as well as other counterculture ideas. The magazine was founded in 1974 by Tom Forcade.Danko, Danny"Norml Founder Retires – Exha ...

''. In 1974, Stafford moved to Santa Cruz, California, with the intention of reconnecting with his father, whom he had not seen since early childhood. Stafford died on July 20, 2007, in Santa Cruz, apparently from a complete heart block and injuries sustained falling from a ladder in his home.

Selected works

* (with B. H. Golightly) ''LSD: The Problem-solving Psychedelic'' (1967) — also called ''LSD In Action'' (1969) *''Psychedelic Baby Reaches Puberty'' (1971)."Psychedelic Baby Reaches Puberty,"
The Vaults of Erowid. Accessed Jan. 18, 2017. *''Psychedelic Encyclopedia'' (

And/Or Press And/Or Press was an independent small press publisher based in the San Francisco Bay Area that operated from 1974 to 1983. The company published books on personal development, guides to the countercultural lifestyle, and consciousness expansion. ...

, 1977). — republished in 1993 by

Ronin Publishing Ronin Publishing, Inc. is a small press in Berkeley, California, founded in 1983 and incorporated in 1985, which publishes books as tools for personal development, visionary alternatives, and expanded consciousness. The company's tagline is "Life ...

* ''Magic Mushrooms'' (Ronin Publishing, 2003) * ''Psychedelics'' (Ronin Publishing, 2003).

References

External links

LSD: The Problem-Solving Psychedelic
- Drug Library
Psychedelics Encyclopedia
- Erowid reviews
Peter Stafford Papers (ca. 1960-1971)
Columbia University Libraries * 1939 births 2007 deaths Reed College alumni American encyclopedists American magazine editors Accidental deaths from falls Writers from Oakland, California Psychedelic drug researchers American psychedelic drug advocates Accidental deaths in California 20th-century American journalists American male journalists People from the East Village, Manhattan {{US-journalist-1930s-stub