4 h 21 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 4 h 21 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What happens when the drug that brings delight begins to haunt your dreams?
Thomas De Quincey begins his memoir with hunger, not opium. A gifted schoolboy runs away and nearly starves in London. On Oxford Street, a young woman named Ann offers kindness while facing hardship herself. These early encounters give a human face to the suffering that comes before his first dose of laudanum.
At Oxford, De Quincey studies hard, reads widely, and suffers bouts of pain that he links to his earlier hardships. Laudanum brings relief and opens a world of pleasure. But delight gives way to dependence and terrible dreams. His account seeks to tell the truth about both attraction and suffering, rather than offer a simple warning.
What you’ll discover
- Hunger before opium Follow the runaway schoolboy whose lonely days in London shape the story that follows.
- Ann's quiet kindness Meet the young woman whose compassion offers comfort amid their shared hardship on Oxford Street.
- Pleasure without easy answers Read an account that acknowledges opium's appeal without hiding the suffering it brings.
- Dreams that unsettle Enter the disturbing dream world De Quincey records as dependence takes hold.
- A candid Romantic voice Discover rich, ornate prose brought to bear on hunger, delight, addiction, and despair.
Who will love it
This is for readers who love vivid personal memoir, the streets of Regency London, and the strange country of dreams. It suits anyone drawn to Romantic writers, stories of recovery, or a voice that is learned, funny and frank.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A proud writer decides to confess publicly
- A brilliant schoolboy runs away to Wales
- Hunger and an empty house in London
- Ann saves his life on a doorstep
- A loan, a lost address, and a lasting grief
- Opium is discovered as a cure and a delight
- From happy year to a habit that rules
- Dreams of faces, crocodiles and lost Ann
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Confessioni di un mangiatore d’oppio inglese
by Thomas De Quincey · 1821
A starving teenager shelters in an empty London house, and later finds paradise in a bottle of laudanum.
Challenging2–5 hours to readItaliano
Excellent
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In short
What does it cost to buy happiness for a penny and carry it in a waistcoat pocket? Thomas De Quincey asks that question in this memoir of his years with opium, and he answers it with the honesty of a man who paid the price.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A proud writer decides to confess publicly
De Quincey opens by admitting that he is breaking a custom. English readers dislike seeing a man display his moral scars, and most confessions come from adventurers and swindlers. He hesitates for months. In the end he believes his story can serve others, and that settles it.
He argues that weakness and misery are not the same as guilt. He calls his life that of a philosopher, devoted to the mind since boyhood. He admits that he took more opium than any man on record, but says he fought the habit with religious zeal and has loosened almost every link of the chain.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1821
- Language
- Italiano
- Reading time
- 2 h 50 min
- Level
- Challenging
Cite this edition
De Quincey, Thomas. Confessions of an English Opium-Eater. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/confessions-of-an-english-opium-eater.
De Quincey, T. (2026). Confessions of an English opium-eater. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/confessions-of-an-english-opium-eater (Original work published 1821)
De Quincey, Thomas. Confessions of an English Opium-Eater. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/confessions-of-an-english-opium-eater.
@book{dequincey2026confessions,
author = {De Quincey, Thomas},
title = {Confessions of an English Opium-Eater},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/confessions-of-an-english-opium-eater},
note = {First published 1821}
}
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What is Confessions of an English Opium-Eater about?
It is De Quincey's memoir of his youth, his long use of laudanum, and its effects. He describes starving in London, the pleasures of opium, the pains that followed, and the dreams that haunted him.
Is Confessions of an English Opium-Eater a true story?
Yes, it is autobiographical. De Quincey based it on his own life, though some names are hidden and he shaped scenes for effect. It first appeared in the London Magazine in 1821, and a longer book version followed in 1822.
Who is Ann in the Confessions?
Ann is a girl of about sixteen whom De Quincey meets on the streets of London during his hunger. She gives him wine when he collapses, and they lose touch before he can find her again.
The author
Thomas De Quincey
1785–1859 · English essayist
Thomas De Quincey was a British writer born in Manchester in 1785. He lived in London, the Lake District, and Edinburgh, where he died in 1859. He wrote essays for magazines. His autobiographical work Confessions of an English Opium-Eater first appeared in 1821, and he revised it in 1856.
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