Actors snorting their lines

Shooting Stars by Harry Shapiro, Serpent's Tail, £14.99

Having unearthed a wealth of information in Waiting For The Man, his history of drugs in the music industry, Shapiro here turns his attention to drugs in and around Hollywood films.

The early part of the century provides an especially intriguing history, when drug legislation was in embryonic form and exploitation films capitalised on public hysteria.

Perhaps more of a textbook than light reading, it may not have the crossover potential of the likes of Eric Schlosser's Reefer Madness, but for those interested in film, censorship and gaining an insight into the intertwining of two areas of 'recreation', this is certainly worth a look.