The Acid Queen
The Psychedelic Life of Rosemary Woodruff Leary
by Susannah Cahalan
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Pub Date 5 Jun 2025 | Archive Date 5 Jun 2025
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Description
Rosemary Woodruff Leary has been known only as the wife of Timothy Leary, the Harvard professor-turned-psychedelic high priest, whose jailbreak captivated the counterculture and whose life on the run with Rosemary inflamed the U.S. government. But Rosemary was more than a mere accessory. She was a beatnik, a psychonaut and a true believer who tested the limits of her mind and the expectations for women of her time.
Long overlooked by those who have venerated her husband, Rosemary spent her life on the forefront of the counterculture, working with Leary on his books and speeches, sewing his clothing and shaping – for better and for worse – the media’s narrative about LSD. Ultimately, Rosemary sacrificed everything for the safety of her fellow psychedelic pioneers and the preservation of her husband’s legacy.
Drawing from a wealth of interviews, diaries, archives and unpublished sources, Susannah Cahalan writes the definitive portrait of Rosemary Woodruff Leary, reclaiming her narrative and her voice from those who dismissed her. Page-turning, revelatory and utterly compelling, The Acid Queen shines an overdue spotlight on a pioneering psychedelic seeker.
Advance Praise
“Cahalan details a piece of lost but fascinating history, the story of a woman who embodied an era of freedom, experimentation and psychedelic adventure. Meticulously reported and beautifully crafted”
SUSAN ORLEAN, author of THE ORCHID THIEF
“Cahalan shines a light on one of the twentieth century’s most amazing untold life stories. An essential read — and an unforgettable trip”
ROBERT KOLKER, author of HIDDEN VALLEY ROAD
“When I finished reading this intoxicating book I both better understood the American counterculture and had exhilarating new ideas about what it means to be a woman in the world”
ADA CALHOUN, author of ALSO A POET
Available Editions
EDITION | Hardcover |
ISBN | 9781838857424 |
PRICE | £22.00 (GBP) |
PAGES | 384 |