Acid Test Productions, Petaluma, California, 1996. Softcover. Written by illustrated Ted Ringer. As you can see from the photo of the front cover, this is an Uncorrected Proof. It was published in 1996. The novel was first published in 1997. There are no other Uncorrected Proofs for sale anywhere on the Internet. This is the only book that was published in 1996 for sale on the Internet. It was also the author's first book.

Separately, inside the book, there is a Press Release dated 12 December 1996 from Acid Test Productions, announcing the publication of this novel in April 1997. One interesting tidbit: it says that the book will be 208 pages. This uncorrected proof is 236 pages. Also inside the book is a separate card of Acid Test Productions.

Drawing from the press release: 'Through all the transitions in Ted Ringer's life, he maintained two influences that contributed to this novel: a love of the Grateful Dead and a friendship with the man who inspired the main character, Minnie. Ted Ringer could have been speaking of himself when he wrote, 'Minnie saw music as a sacred privilege you shouldn't abuse. You had to get off your butt and participate. Just like the song said,  'if you get confused, listen to the music play' and there you were. This was the truth. It had to be true or the Boys wouldn't be doing it this long. It was more than a job.'

The press release states that 'the novel is about a delightfully offbeat character named Minnie, the owner of a Boulder, Colorado bar, who embarks on a much needed vacation that takes him on the road with The Grateful Dead and entangles him in an adventure that involves a greedy IRS, a paranoid and delusional CIA, and a plan involving The Grateful Dead to save the endangered rainforest from a dangerous coffee cartel. The IRS wants Minnie's money, the CIA wants a bootleg tape and the Dead lead him into acts of heroism he didn't know he was capable of. With the volume turned up, Minnie tangles with unsavory characters in Brazil, foils American Nazis, falls in love, appeases the IRS and fools the CIA.'