Richard Alpert Author

Richard Alpert, PhD, (1931-2019) AKA Ram Dass, was a Harvard psychologist who, with his colleague Timothy Leary, pioneered the therapeutic use of psychedelic drugs. As Ram Dass, he became a spiritual leader, popularizing Eastern practices in the West through his charities and books like Be Here Now. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Sidney Cohen, MD (1910-1987) was a pioneer in research on LSD and other mood-altering drugs as an academic and as the first director of the Division of Narcotic Abuse and Drug Addiction at the National Institute of Mental Health. He was a psychiatrist, professor of medicine, and prolific author. Lawrence Schiller (b. 1936) first used photography as a way to see the world. He took his still camera everywhere, which resulted in a rich body of photographic work. His multi-faceted approach to telling a story, not just through photography, but also investigative journalism, film, television, and book publishing produced unique and deep perspectives on his subjects. With a career spanning more than five decades, Schiller has created a visual and written history of America during some of the most tumultuous and important years of the twentieth century. Schiller has written four New York Times bestsellers and his films have won an Oscar and seven Emmys. He currently resides in Pennsylvania. Jessica Hundley is a journalist, author, editor, filmmaker, and producer specializing in culture, counterculture, psychedelia, and the arts. She has edited books for Taschen, Rizzoli, Princeton Architectural Press, Chronicle, and more, serving as an author and series editor for Taschen's Library of Esoterica. As an author, her many books include The New New Age: Crystals (Hat & Beard Press;  Grievous Angel, an acclaimed bio on country rock icon Gram Parsons (DaCapo); and extensive overviews of the photography of Dennis Hopper (Taschen Publications), and Michael Jackson photographer Todd Gray (Chronicle).