This book is a missed opportunity. The author, a lecturer in humanities at San Francisco University, structures his narrative around what he considers the three central ideals of the Dead: ecstasy, mobility, and community. He tells the story chronologically, and the first part of the book, which takes us up until late 1969 and comprises nearly half of the text, is excellent, adding detail and nuance to a familiar story. Unfortunately, halfway through the second part of the work Richardson begins to lose his way. From this point on the author seems unsure about how to relate the band to the greater culture—seemingly his overarching goal—and the account consequently devolves into a series of pat summaries of the band's achievements from the mid-1970s to present. The final section reads more like a time line than a history. Overall, the work would have been a far stronger if the opening segment had been expanded by 50–100 pages and allowed to stand on its own. VERDICT Everyone from Deadheads to casual fans to historians of the 1960s will find great value in Richardson's initial narrative. For the rest of the story, Dennis McNally's A Long Strange Trip is the best place to start.—Derek Sanderson, Mount Saint Mary Coll. Lib., Newburgh, NY