The Grateful Dead are one of the most fascinating rock bands and cultural phenomena of the 20th century. This volume collects the most important and illuminating writings by and about the band, its members and its fans (known as Deadheads), providing a rich account of the Dead and their importance in rock music and popular culture.

This phenomenon is both analyzed and celebrated here, in such pieces as Ed McClanahan's groundbreaking article in Playboy in 1972, fan-magazine editor Blair Jackson's 1990 essay on the seriousness of the drug situation at Dead concerts, and Steve Silberman's insightful essays on the music and its fans.