The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a renewed interest in the relationship between public health authorities and the public. Particular attention has been paid to 'problem publics' who do not follow health advice. This is not a new issue. As the chapters in this collection demonstrate, the designation of certain groups or populations as problem publics has long been a part of health policy and practice. By exploring the creation and management of these problem publics in a range of time periods and geographical locations, the collection sheds light on what is both specific and particular. For health authorities, publics themselves were often thought to pose problems, because of their behaviour, identity or location. But publics could and did resist this framing. There were, and continue to be, many problems with seeing publics as problems. -- .

The early 2020s marked the fortieth anniversary of the first confirmed cases of AIDS and a new wave of historical interest in the ongoing epidemic. This edited collection showcases some of this exciting new work, with a particular focus on less well-known histories from western Europe. Featuring research from social, cultural and public historians, sociologists and area studies scholars, its eight chapters address experiences, events and memories across regions and nations including Scotland, Wales, Italy, Norway and the Netherlands, paying careful attention to often-overlooked groups including drug users, sex workers, nurses, mothers and people in prison. Offering new perspectives on the development and implementation of policy, the nature of activism and expertise and which (or whose) histories are remembered, it is essential reading not only for historians of health but also for all those working in HIV/AIDS studies. Electronic versions of chapters 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8 are available under a creative commons licence: www.manchesterhive.com/view/9781526151223/9781526151223.xml -- .