The Doors of Perception by Aldous Huxley (Vintage Classics) - four tenths of a gram of mescalin, visionary experience, and mysticism

Mescaline experience is the centerpiece of Aldous Huxley's The Doors of Perception, framed as a report of how perception changes under the drug. In 1953, Huxley took four tenths of a gram of mescalin in the presence of an investigator and then watched ordinary details shift, describing the transformation of things as mundane as flowers in a vase and the creases in his trousers. The volume also pairs with Heaven and Hell, where Huxley turns to the history and nature of mysticism, connecting visionary states to broader questions about the origins and meaning of mystical experience.