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A to Z Their Sex, Drugs, Music and Impact on Society from the Sixties to the Present. by Skip Stone Brief Description of Book
All content herein Copyright 1999, Hip
Inc.
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A to Z Their Sex, Drugs, Music and Impact on Society from the Sixties to the Present. by Skip Stone Brief Description of Book
All content herein Copyright 1999, Hip
Inc.
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Part I is a comprehensive review of the events and achievements of the hippy movement. It includes a look at the unique fashions, liberated lifestyle, historic activism and vibrant philosophy of the hippies. There is a discussion of old and young hippies and a call for a new counterculture movement. Part II is a reference work with chapters about hippy music and books, a discussion of major hippy events including a detailed timeline, descriptions of hippy havens around the world, famous hippies, their friends and enemies, and an extensive glossary of hippy terms. This book answers all those questions you have about hippies, including who did what, when, and why. |
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Click on a chapter to read an excerpt! Dead-ication
Part I
Part II
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People today are still living off the table scraps of the sixties.
Few authors or researchers have adequately explained the phenomenon of the hippie movement of the 1960s. The ongoing fascination and attraction many have for this period and the hippy lifestyle indicates that it has a special appeal to those who cherish personal freedom. I believe there's a little hippie in all of us. It's a latent part of the human spirit that manifests when conditions are right. In this book, I will explore those conditions and the resulting manifestations and try to make some sense of it all. There is no denying, that after more than thirty years we are still intrigued by hippies and the 1960s. Look at the 90s revival which included two Woodstocks, the Austin Powers movies, the rebirth of colorful hippy fashions, and the increasing use of psychedelic plants and chemicals. Today we see a new movement of young hippies ready to take up where we left off. We have reached a turning point where we can look back at what happened, learn from our mistakes, reorganize ourselves, and with the help of this new, enthusiastic generation and modern technology re-ignite the movement. Fortunately we are now able to get beyond the negative stereotype once foisted upon the "flower children" by the media and society. We must spread the word, because so much of the hippy philosophy is positive and loving, something sorely lacking in today's world. Many people find the hippie message of freedom, tolerance, love and peace a threat to the status quo. These individuals need to understand that we only want to improve the status quo for everyone. This book will show just how we did that back in the sixties. Understanding the hippie phenomenon is the key to laying the groundwork for the new movement. As we examine various aspects of the hippy movement, keep in mind that the influence of these aspects is ongoing. Like a stone tossed into a pond, the big splash is followed by ripples that spread through society over time. It's my contention that the impact of the hippies was so great, that now, almost two generations later, we are still integrating it into our collective psyche. The hippie meme* is so strong and deep that it is likely to continue manifesting its power for decades if not centuries. It's like Christianity, whose early adherents had to go underground after the reactionary forces tried to undermine and eradicate that movement, only to surface again and again, in distant lands where tolerance was more than a dream. Like Christians, hippies will rise again and again, until the social structures that inhibit freedom crumble, and man learns to live in harmony with his fellow man and Mother Nature. These are the things we strive for and dedicate our lives and actions to achieve. The first section of this book is an overview of the events, philosophy and lifestyles of the hippy movement. In the second section I've organized information about the hippies so it can be easily found. This book is meant to set the record straight about hippies, and to be a reference work for students and writers. But I hope it will also serve as a catalyst for others to explore further the influence of hippies upon society and help lay the foundation for the new hippy movements to come. *A meme is a contagious concept (like a virus) that spreads quickly causing people to change their behavior. |
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Landmark Hippy Events
Music With A Message
Santana
Hippy Havens
Hippie Books and Videos
Hippies, their Friends and Enemies
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"People today are still living off the table scraps of the
"I highly recommend it.
It is a well compiled, humorous, knowledgeable collection
A great source of valuable information that immensly helps
Skip Stone, the author of Hippies From A to Z has spent a considerable effort to bring you a taste and a better understanding of a time, past. His effort has culminated into the definitive (re)source of information on a time, a culture and the people of the hippy generation. In the first part of the book, Skip covers the movement via the
The second part of the book is a detailed reference of the time,
The events and personalities and how they influenced the
Vincent P. Gearhart - Moderator/Editor, Keep
On Truckin' Re-Visited Newsletter
"As a 21-year-old college student, born in 1978, several years after the height of the hippie movement, my life has been drastically affected by the changes hippies have made on society. I decided to study the movement in a sociological perspective for a class I attend at the University of Texas in Austin. Having little insight of the movement, I searched through many sources to find accurate information. Upon discovering Hippies from A-Z by Skip Stone I immediately became paralyzed before the pages. I would sit for hours reading historical accounts of that great era in which people cared enough to make a change. The book let me travel to events that not only impacted the 60’s era but also the future of America. Hippies from A - Z is a complete, please, let me stress the word complete, account of the events of the hippie movement; everything I wanted to know was captured in those pages. Stone’s book is written in a manner that is fun and clear to understand. I used this book both for reference purposes and enjoyment reading. It is unexplainable in simple words alone how valuable Hippies from A - Z became in my pursuit for educational purposes. As a result of reading the book, I have become more knowledgeable about the movement, events and people that were involved. If you possess any interest in the hippy movement flip through the pages and read about the areas that interest you. Skip Stone does a terrific job in arranging the book so that each section stands alone, yet is interconnected with the theme of the book. As an author and a believer in Hippy ideology, Stone writes about the movement in an objective manner. He describes the views of others and the actions and results of the movement, which are discussed not entirely in a positive way. Through my understanding of the Movement, my ideology has slightly changed. I have become a bit more open-minded and in living in the bureaucratic world, especially of a university, I now notice many injustices that still exist. Hippies from A-Z in describing the icons and ideals of the era, has inspired to follow the legends that changed the world forever. Never in my lifetime have I been referred to as a “reader”. I
do not enjoy reading for pleasure, however despite the fact that I am enrolled
in a full load of school work, with a great deal of reading involved, I
read Hippies from A - Z cover to cover, which truly is impressive!
Searching and studying the sources of information out there, listen to
someone who is a veteran in finding resource material, save yourself time
and boredom, read the book. I promise it will be worthwhile."
"I really enjoyed the book. I LOVE the quotes that are interspersed throughout the chapters. They make the reading easy and break things up a bit. Those pieces of insight and wisdom bring other fresh and interesting voices to the story, along with yours. Often I knew the person, or the quote, which brought a familiar and good feeling to what I was reading. A really great job with the quotes you chose! I learned a lot of things I hadn't previously known (or remembered). Since I happen to be of the age between the "old hippy" and the "young hippy", I remember some of it, but not really that many details. I just consulted the glossary and I guess, by your definition, I was a teeny bopper! I liked your description of what it is like being on LSD... (It was really good for someone who hasn't had the experience.) I never read about the astrological relationship to the period in that kind of detail before. Oh yes, and the timeline, very good. One of the things I really liked was the expression of all the different things that were going on at a particular time. It really brings events into a greater perspective for me (the political events in association with the social and cultural evolution of the hippie movement in association with the emergence of the ecological movement ...). Hippy Names, cute. Glossary, very useful. Great line up of musicians. I like the hippy havens and look forward to reading more of that section for cool places to travel to. (By the way, O.B. has more wonderful hippy places in addition to "The Black". A wonderful herb store, a crystal store, a metaphysical/ wiccan store and a great food co-op) I think it's very entertaining and educational. I think you've got a great book going here. The cover is beautiful too." - Joli from San Diego
"Delightful - Informative - Provocative" "This is the way I remember things as they took shape. As I read this book I was entertained as well as reinforced in ideals that are as important now as in the 60's. "Hippies A to Z" is a wonderful timeline of the beautiful people and the counter-revolution. Browse the chapters and find your place, then reflect. You can go forward or back as it fits your groove. This book is a "happening thing!" "Skip, you really did your homework" - Mad John , 48 year old Hippie from the 60's Hippies from A to Z. It is awesome. I recieved a free copy for winning the essay contest, and it made my day when it came in the mail. I sat down with some hot chocolate and turned on a little jimi hendrix to get me in the sixites mood. Hippies from A to Z has the facts on everything that went on in the sixties and more. It is a comprehensive book on everything you could want to know about the sixties. My favourite parts were the timelines and the music with a message section. If you are travelling around and you want to relax in a town with a liberal attitude towards hippies, you can find those in the book as well. Another neat thing is the quotes. After every paragraph in the book there is a quote on the subject. (Sex, drugs ...whatever) All together it is a well researched book that is a useful guide to anyone interested in the sixties and hippies in general. This book is jam packed with useful information for anybody who gives a damn. I highly recomend it for anyone who is a regular to this website and particularly to this forum. three thumbs up for Hippies From A to Z!!!! - Mad Rambler I just finished reading your book. The one I wanted to write but couldn't have done a better job at if I had. Most Excellent! Things well said that needed to be said and read. I believe the hippie movement has been in need of a better sense of identity for a long time. Or perhaps not so much a better sense of identity, but a better sense of community. Or maybe both. I donno. But your book was just the mixture of information and inspiration that such a book needed to be and you-da-man!! Doug Thompson "This book is easy to understand at least at my level of awareness. I feel it has continuity, it's well organized, and the quotes are especially nice to jar our memories in what hippies & others have said that helped people to ponder life's opportunities & our freedom of choice, along the way. I feel that Skip has strong opinions about many things and is willing to express his feelings boldly in the context of this book. I think that Hippies From A to Z has made a successful contribution to this time frame by relating the historical events & spiritual qualities of what the hippie movement was about and the activities surrounding that era." -Richard from Las Vegas "The book is pretty good, it shows everything you want to know about hippies, what they liked, what they did, their point in the use of the LSD, the different rock bands they heard to and why they felt identified with their songs. It's written in an "easy to understand" way. I used this book as a source in a research report about hippies. I didn´t needed any other source, because everything I needed to know was there. Everyone should buy it, its like having an encyclopedia about hippies." -Chary a high school student from Ecuador |
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Hippies from A to Z is available for resale to Distributors and Retailers. Please contact us for further information and pricing. Retailers may order the book from Ingram Book Company. |
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