first edition
1987 · New York
by Shilts, Randy
New York: St. Martin's Press, 1987. First edition. Very good.. Uncorrected proof of the first printing of this essential work of investigative journalism on the AIDS epidemic. "There was no excuse, in this country and in this time, for the spread of a deadly new epidemic."
The unsparing prologue to Shilts's immense journalistic achievement is full of such bitter truths; thirty years on, they shock the reader both for their historical accuracy and for their continuing truth. Even as greatmedical and social advances have relieved much suffering since the height of the AIDS crisis, the tendency of the powerful to ignore science when it suits them, and to abandon the dying when helping them appears unprofitable, remains in full force. AND THE BAND PLAYED ON is a thorough and precise accounting of the early years of the AIDS epidemic and the Reagan administration's ghastly and murderous mismanagement of a public health catastrophe, chronologically organized and immensely detailed. As a journalist, Shilts was sometimes at odds with the gay community he wrote both to and about, and remains controversial for some of his claims; despite his still-debated stature, his achievements led to the eventual ranking of his AIDS reporting as one of the top 100 works of journalism in the 20th century. Scarce in this format. 9.25'' x 6''. Original publisher's printed yellow wrappers. 587 pages. Toning to extremities. Some minor soil. Else sound. (Inventory #: 50591)
The unsparing prologue to Shilts's immense journalistic achievement is full of such bitter truths; thirty years on, they shock the reader both for their historical accuracy and for their continuing truth. Even as greatmedical and social advances have relieved much suffering since the height of the AIDS crisis, the tendency of the powerful to ignore science when it suits them, and to abandon the dying when helping them appears unprofitable, remains in full force. AND THE BAND PLAYED ON is a thorough and precise accounting of the early years of the AIDS epidemic and the Reagan administration's ghastly and murderous mismanagement of a public health catastrophe, chronologically organized and immensely detailed. As a journalist, Shilts was sometimes at odds with the gay community he wrote both to and about, and remains controversial for some of his claims; despite his still-debated stature, his achievements led to the eventual ranking of his AIDS reporting as one of the top 100 works of journalism in the 20th century. Scarce in this format. 9.25'' x 6''. Original publisher's printed yellow wrappers. 587 pages. Toning to extremities. Some minor soil. Else sound. (Inventory #: 50591)