Peck, Abe

Uncovering The Sixties: The Life & Times of the Underground Press

ISBN: 039471217X
New York, NY: Pantheon Books, 1985. First Edition. Softcover. “By 1969, the high-water mark of protest, at least five hundred papers served communities and constituencies worldwide, with five hundred to a thousand more dissenting papers in high schools alone,” (pg xv). The sixties were an infamous decade in the United States with political and social upheaval running rampant throughout the country as citizens fought for civil rights and equality. The narrative of the mainstream media aligned with the perspective of the conservative majority which painted the protesters and activists as troublemakers or criminals. Those who knew the truth saw the white-washed stories and wanted to expose the truth. Abe Peck (b. 1945) was among these rebels as editor of the Seed in Chicago (1968-1970) and an avid supporter of the movement in his freelance writing and columns. Freedom of the Press is a constitutional right, and yet the legality of the antiestablishment sentiments that pervaded the newly-founded underground press organizations came into question regularly. The Underground Press Syndicate became a powerful entity in the legal defense and for disseminating information quickly as member-organizations shared stories and sources, allowing reprints to easily fill any space in each issue. Demonstrations and events across the country were able to spread their message exponentially with the help of the underground press. Peck began in 1981 to revisit the Seed, the Rat, the East Village Other, and all the publications he could to establish the timeline and identify the turning points and triumphs that nourished the movement. He segments the years into chapters based on the shifting paradigms, growing support, and ongoing progress. From the Summer of Love to the Detroit riots to the Vietnam War to Stonewall, accurate accounts and diverse perspectives on each of these events can be found in the Underground Press. The media has only become more pervasive in the lives of individuals since the era of the underground press, and journalists and activists alike would be fascinated with the first-hand account of how a rebellious faction of writers impacted the culture at large over 50 years ago. Softcover: First Edition, as stated on copyright page, First Printing as indicated by “5/85 Printed in the U.S.A. © 1985 Random House, Inc.” on the back cover. Book is in Good condition, with moderate bumping, scratching to front, back covers and spine; significant shelf-wear to the fine edges of same. Minor water damage evident on bottom of pageblock and spine; pages are browning with age, but the text is clean and unmarked. Minor foxing is visible on interior of front cover and first few pages; red-ink stamp soliciting book donations near top of interior front cover, reads, “WE WANT YOUR BOOKS!!! / Hardcover & Paperback / Booklovers Paradise / 2956 Merrick Road / Bellmore, NY 11710 / Off Wantagh Pkwy. / (516) 221-0994." Good. [Item #5632]

Price: $25.00