When it was first published in 1919, Sax Rohmer’s Dope caused a sensation. It was both the first novel to speak openly about the world's international drug trade, and the first story to center around the death of a celebrity by drug overdose.

Filled with what are considered today the worst types of racist and xenophobic character depictions (it was published a century ago), Rohmer’s racism can be tough to stomach. But as a thriller torn from London newspaper headlines and highlighting the city’s notorious opium dens, Rohmer’s (quaint by today’s standards) account still intrigues.

The drugs of choice may change, but the eternal dance of death and depravity continues.

SAX ROHMER (1883–1959), was a prolific English novelist. He is best remembered for his series of novels featuring the master criminal Dr. Fu Manchu.