On the Ground: An Illustrated Anecdotal History of the Sixties Underground Press in the U.S. - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1604864559 ISBN 13: 9781604864557

Publisher: PM Press, 2011

Synopsis

Forthright anecdotes and interviews fill this eye-opening account of the birth of the underground newspaper movement. Stemming from frustration with the lack of any mainstream media criticism of the Vietnam War, the creation of the papers was emboldened by the victories of the Civil Rights–era, anticolonial movements in the Third World and the use of LSD. In the four short years from 1965–1969, the subversive press grew from five small newspapers in five cities in the United States to more than 500 newspapers—with millions of readers—all over the world. Stories by the people involved with the production and distribution of the papers, such as Bill Ayers, Paul Buhle, Paul Krassner, and Trina Robbins, bring the history of the movement to life. Full-color scans taken from a broad range of publications, from the Berkeley Barb and the Los Angeles Free Press to Chicago Seed and Screw: The Sex Review, are also included, showing the incredible energy that fueled the counterculture of the 1960s.

About this title

About the Author:

Sean Stewart is the former owner of Babylon Falling, a bookstore and gallery in San Francisco. He lives in New York City.

Review:

"On the Ground serves as a valuable contribution to countercultural history."  —Paul Krassner, author, Confessions of a Raving, Unconfined Nut: Misadventures in the Counterculture

"One should not underestimate the significant value of this book. It gives you real insights into the underground press and its vast diversity of publications, which translated into a taste of real people's power."  —Emory Douglas, former Black Panther Party Minister of Culture and graphic artist

"The Underground Press, as it was called, was a groundswell of media activity running the gamut from radically political to seriously satirical. A new book, On the Ground: An Illustrated Anecdotal History of the Sixties Underground Press in the U.S., edited by Sean Stewart, recalls the Underground epoch." —www.imprint.printmag.com

"This book offers a window into the ferment of the underground press through a combination of short interview excerpts in which prominent figures of the underground press reflect on their experiences in producing their work together with photo-reproductions of text and images." —Book News (August 2012)

"If you are an old underground fan like I am, the pictures here will knock you out. Full page spreads from the Barb or the Seed or Rat. . . . And the drawings: My god, there are a couple here by Crumb that in the not-so-stoned 21st century could get you locked up in the gray-bar hotel. We're surprised that PM had the guts to publish them." —RALPH magazine, www.ralphmag.org

"On the Ground deals with the sacredness of human life, examines the moral courage of direct action during the civil rights movement, and illustrates how journalism became a lifestyle of total immersion, both political and cultural." —www.jamaica-gleaner.com

"The striking graphics and compelling recollections in this text are at once a popular history and an inspiration." —www.CounterPunch.org

About this edition

• Publisher: PM Press
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1604864559
• ISBN 13: 9781604864557
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 208
• Editor: Stewart Sean