So Many Roads: The Life and Times of the Grateful Dead

More than fifty years after they first came together, the Grateful Dead remain one of rock's most beloved bands — a musical and cultural phenomenon that spans generations and paved the way for everything from the world of jam bands and the idea of independently released music to social networking. Much has been written about the band, but nothing quite as vibrant and vivid as So Many Roads.

Drawing on new interviews with surviving members and people in their inner circle — along with the group's extensive archives and his own research from years of covering the group — David Browne, longtime music journalist and contributing editor at Rolling Stone, does more than merely delve into the Dead's saga. By way of an altogether unique structure — each chapter centered around a significant or pivotal day in their story — he lends this epic musical and cultural story a you-are-there feel unlike any other book written about the band.

Readers will find themselves inside the Dead's communal home in Haight-Ashbury during the band's notorious 1967 bust; behind the scenes in the studio, watching the Dead at work (and play); backstage at the taping of the legendary "Touch of Grey" video and at their final shows; and in the midst of the Dead's legendary band meetings.

"There is nothing like a Grateful Dead concert," read the legendary bumper stickers. Similarly, there's nothing like So Many Roads, which explores all-new routes on the band's long, strange trip.