Books

The original publication of Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, with Steadman's illustrations bleeding over massive tabloid newspaper pages. Two long excerpts from Thompson's drug-fueled memoir of a trip to Las Vegas in the company of the Chicano lawyer Oscar Zeta Acosta (fictionalized as "the Samoan") first appeared in the November 11 and November 25, 1971 issues of Rolling Stone. This association between writer and magazine was one of the greatest in the history of periodicals. HST's next book, Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail, starts in this bound volume, with four installments of this volume, beginning with the January 6, 1972 issue. This is the seventh set of fifteen issues, which were offered by Rolling Stone in oversized hardcover volumes. The pages document the musical and cultural icons of the era. According to the printed information found at the front of this volume, "This collection.was bound by the Cardoza-James Bindery in San Francisco. They were printed by the Garrett Press of San Francisco. The paper is 25-pound publication newsprint stock, with the exceptions of the outside and inside sheets which are a 45-pound Mustang book stock. The type face of the body text is eight-point Times Roman, and the headline face is 18- and 24-point Times Roman." Oh, to be young again and able to read 8-point type with ease! This volume appears to have been made from unsold copies of the tabloid magazine, flattened, with slight evidence of the original center folds. 1008 pages. Issues 91 to 105. 11 by 16-3/4 inches. First edition, bound. The issues themselves are tanned, as usual, because of the newsprint paper they are printed on, but they are otherwise very good. The binding is very good, with a light surface scuffing on the front cover. This copy has a short essay by Ben Fong-Torres about Hunter S. Thompson (reprinted from Not Fade Away) with an original introduction by Fong-Torres, printed on original Rolling Stone letterhead, and signed by Fong-Torres especially for insertion in this volume.

Ralph Steadman's iconic illustrations complement Hunter S. Thompson's infamous tale of bat country and the American Dream.