In this new edition of "The Ergot Alkaloids," the classic from 1964, the botany, history, chemistry, and pharmacology of ergot are described, including the synthesis of LSD. It is the foundational work on the discovery of LSD, being reissued here in unchanged reprint as a historical document. Albert Hofmann has written an updated foreword for this edition and added a new chapter detailing the history of LSD, which connects to its discovery in 1943 and describes its fascinating yet controversial development up to the present day. The journey from ergot to LSD shows that LSD, like most discoveries, is primarily not just a product of chance, but also the result of long, extensive research efforts.