Average customer rating:
- A Must Have - Not the Limited Edition - Did You Catch It?
- Wrong Spelling?
- if you don't think about five stars, you probably won't buy it
- No regrets
- Depending on what youare looking for...
|
Gonzo
Hunter S. Thompson
Manufacturer: AMMO Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Photographers, A-Z
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Photojournalism
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
20th Century
| British
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
French
| Foreign Language Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
German
| Foreign Language Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Spanish
| Foreign Language Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
French
| Foreign Language Nonfiction
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
German
| Foreign Language Nonfiction
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Spanish
| Foreign Language Nonfiction
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Fiction Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Nonfiction Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Arts & Photography
| French
| Foreign Language Books
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Nonfiction
| French
| Foreign Language Books
| Specialty Stores
| Books
All French Books
| French
| Foreign Language Books
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Arts & Photography
| German
| Foreign Language Books
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Nonfiction
| German
| Foreign Language Books
| Specialty Stores
| Books
All German Books
| German
| Foreign Language Books
| Specialty Stores
| Books
General
| Fotografía
| Arte, arquitectura y fotografía
| Libros en español
| Formats
| Books
Fotógrafos
| Fotografía
| Arte, arquitectura y fotografía
| Libros en español
| Formats
| Books
Contemporánea
| General
| Literatura y ficción
| Libros en español
| Formats
| Books
Siglo 20
| Británica
| Literatura Mundial
| Literatura y ficción
| Libros en español
| Formats
| Books
No-Ficción
| Libros en español
| Formats
| Books
| Automotriz
| Ciencias Sociales
| Crimen y Criminales
| Educación
| Estudios de la Mujer
| Feriados
| Filosofía
| Gobierno
| Hechos Verídicos
| Planeamiento Urbano y Desarrollo
| Política
| Sucesos de Actualidad
| Transportación
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
The Gonzo Way: A Celebration of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
-
The Mutineer: Rants, Ravings, and Missives from the Mountaintop 1977-2005
-
Gonzo: The Life of Hunter S. Thompson
-
The Joke's Over: Bruised Memories: Gonzo, Hunter S. Thompson, and Me
-
Gonzo: The Art
ASIN: 0978607600 |
Book Description
Gonzo is a tour de force that will take you into the world of American writer and iconoclast Hunter S. Thompson.
Customer Reviews:
A Must Have - Not the Limited Edition - Did You Catch It?.......2007-10-10
This is a must have for any fan...
This is a reprint version - ignore all of the limited edition descriptions (fancy Gonzo box, around a box with numbered print) in below 2006 reviews from the exceptionally lucky...
This book came exactly how it's currently pictured ...and glorious in it's essence...
Wrong Spelling?.......2007-10-05
Loved the book but noticed that the quote near the end was incorrectly spelled. RES ISPA LOQUITUR is spelled RES ISPA LOQUITOR. Thinking about getting this tattooed so im sure glad that i checked the correct spelling before i got it. I'm pretty sure it is correct in "Generation of Swine.
if you don't think about five stars, you probably won't buy it.......2007-09-11
It is a limited numbered edition, housed in a boxed cover, itself housed in a protective, printed "gonzo" cardboard and Amazon will wrap it once more.
Considering that a standard, non large sized, edition of the book will be published in due course, you have to like the subject and know that you are paying the quality of the edition itself, otherwise wait for the standard edition.
Lovely pictures in great quality printing and a binding the edition deserves is what you pay for and what you get. You also get a separate printing which should be exclusive to this edition.
I do hope you got the point.
More a Christmas gift than a coffee table, unless you have on your table numbered editions which I don't do.
No regrets.......2007-05-21
I must admit I was incredibly hesitant about this purchase and my finger hovered over the 'confirm' button for a few seconds before biting the bullet and clicking. As soon as this book arrived all of my fears were immediately washed away. This is presented so beautifully, even the plain brown box feels special. Along with the book, the electric blue presentation box also contains a numbered print from Hunters Big Sur days.
The book itself is incredible, extremely well presented and it carries high production values throughout. The intro by Johnny Depp is a great touch.
Its a must have for any HST fan, but also for those who can appreciate how good books can be.
Depending on what youare looking for..........2007-05-14
This is either a treasure trove or an expensive dissapointment. It is essentially an enormous photoessay of periods of Dr. Thompson's life, reminiscent of the Life magazine photo collections. It is sparse in terms of text and explaination, leaving the photos to speak for themselves. It attempts to paint portraits of eras of his life, but if you are unfamiliar with these eras, the photos are devoid of meaningful context. For those who have read biographies and extensive amounts of Thompson's work, however, it is meaningful and powerful imagery. Be certain of your audience and their degree of interest before investing in this; it is genuinely rewarding only for those exquitely sensitive to the photoessay or intimately familiar with the Doctor's life.
Average customer rating:
- HORRIBLE BOOK!
- I know, I know...
- A must read for anyone
- Good stuff, but less important than his other work
- Buy the ticket...take the ride
|
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream
Hunter S. Thompson
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Authors
| Arts & Literature
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Journalists
| Professionals & Academics
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Popular Culture
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
True Accounts
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
| Espionage
| Murder & Mayhem
| Organized Crime
| Serial Killers
| True Crime
1960s
| 20th Century
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Writing
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Journalism
| Writing
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Foreign Languages
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Entertainment Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside History Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Fiction Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Nonfiction Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Reference Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Hell's Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga (Modern Library)
-
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
-
The Rum Diary : A Novel
-
On the Road (Penguin Great Books of the 20th Century)
-
Fight Club: A Novel
ASIN: 0679785892
Release Date: 1998-05-12 |
Amazon.com Reviews
Heralded as the "best book on the dope decade" by the New York Times Book Review, Hunter S. Thompson's documented drug orgy through Las Vegas would no doubt leave Nancy Reagan blushing and D.A.R.E. founders rethinking their motto. Under the pseudonym of Raoul Duke, Thompson travels with his Samoan attorney, Dr. Gonzo, in a souped-up convertible dubbed the "Great Red Shark." In its trunk, they stow "two bags of grass, seventy-five pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high-powered blotter acid, a salt shaker half-full of cocaine and a whole galaxy of multicolored uppers, downers, screamers, laughers.... A quart of tequila, a quart of rum, a case of Budweiser, a pint of raw ether and two dozen amyls," which they manage to consume during their short tour.
On assignment from a sports magazine to cover "the fabulous Mint 400"--a free-for-all biker's race in the heart of the Nevada desert--the drug-a-delic duo stumbles through Vegas in hallucinatory hopes of finding the American dream (two truck-stop waitresses tell them it's nearby, but can't remember if it's on the right or the left). They of course never get the story, but they do commit the only sins in Vegas: "burning the locals, abusing the tourists, terrifying the help." For Thompson to remember and pen his experiences with such clarity and wit is nothing short of a miracle; an impressive feat no matter how one feels about the subject matter. A first-rate sensibility twinger, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a pop-culture classic, an icon of an era past, and a nugget of pure comedic genius. --Rebekah Warren
Book Description
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is the best chronicle of drug-soaked, addle-brained, rollicking good times ever committed to the printed page. It is also the tale of a long weekend road trip that has gone down in the annals of American pop culture as one of the strangest journeys ever undertaken.
Now this cult classic of gonzo journalism is a major motion picture from Universal, directed by Terry Gilliam and starring Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro. Opens everywhere on May 22, 1998.
Customer Reviews:
HORRIBLE BOOK!.......2007-10-21
I could find absolutely nothing of "redemptive value" to this story. I thought there might be a some kind of "lesson" to be learned at the end, but that wasn't the case. No consequence for illegal, immoral choices and actions. A tale of debachery, disrepect, drug use promotion, vandalism and total hedonism. I'm not a right-wing, Bible-thumping, ultra-conservative, but I could not, would not recommend this book to anyone!
I know, I know..........2007-09-30
I know, it's THE Hunter S. Thompson book. It would be like having the gall to write a review for the Grapes of Wrath or Slaughterhouse Five and think you'd be doing anything other than blabbing just to see your own words on a computer screen.
That said, read this book this instant. Whatever good anyone's ever said about this book, it's twenty times better. I read it in two sittings and only stopped myself from reading it again because it was a library book and had to be returned.
The late HST's gift for gonzo, that strange mix of fiction and nonfiction, is ultimately realized in this book. Reality is seamlessly mixed with a bizarre fantasy world of sentient reptiles and split personality through the medium of hard drugs that serve to clarify (and sometimes amplify) a violent and twisted town in a strange time.
This book will have you laughing hysterically at parts, so don't read it around other people unless you're okay with passing it to them. This book will have you cringing at the brutality of human nature at points, so have your wits about you.
I really can't say anything else, other than that this book must be purchased and read this very instant if you haven't already done so.
A must read for anyone.......2007-09-21
Thompson's book helps create a vivid picture of the drug fueled 60's and early 70's a way no one else has before.
Good stuff, but less important than his other work.......2007-09-14
¨Fear and Loathing¨ is a great ride for sure. A drug-addled, hilarious, disturbing romp through Las Vegas in search of the American Dream. Thompson is definitely a skilled writer and an outlaw and this stuff comes through in this book. I don't want to shrug this work off by any means, but I definately prefer his other work, such as ¨The Great Shark Hunt,¨ because it truly brings out Thompson's outlook on the world, his hatred of wealth, power and greed, etc. This book is fun, but Thompson is definitely capable of more depth and thought. While this work might be what gave him his big break, he definitely went on to better things.
Buy the ticket...take the ride.......2007-08-23
A bizzare journey to the heart of the American Dream, funny, witty and full of memorable episodes. The illustrations by Ralph Steadman are also superb. Raul Duke says it clearly : "buy the ticket...take the ride"
Book Description
"California, Labor Day weekend . . . early, with ocean fog still in the streets, outlaw motorcyclists wearing chains, shades and greasy Levis roll out from damp garages, all-night diners and cast-off one-night pads in Frisco, Hollywood, Berdoo and East Oakland, heading for the Monterey peninsula, north of Big Sur. . . The Menace is loose again." Thus begins Hunter S. Thompson's vivid account of his experiences with California's most no-torious motorcycle gang, the Hell's Angels. In the mid-1960s, Thompson spent almost two years living with the controversial An-gels, cycling up and down the coast, reveling in the anarchic spirit of their clan, and, as befits their name, raising hell. His book successfully captures a singular moment in American history, when the biker lifestyle was first defined, and when such countercultural movements were electrifying and horrifying America. Thompson, the creator of Gonzo journalism, writes with his usual bravado, energy, and brutal honesty, and with a nuanced and incisive eye; as The New Yorker pointed out, "For all its uninhibited and sardonic humor, Thompson's book is a thoughtful piece of work." As illuminating now as when originally published in 1967, Hell's Angels is a gripping portrait, and the best account we have of the truth behind an American legend.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
A Classic Account of a Classic Period.......2007-07-16
As a ripe young 16 year old, discovering the post beatnik era that was blossoming into the hippie era, this account of life with the Angels was hypnotic, gripping, and even influencial on my impressionable mind. As boorish, surly, dangerous and unpredictable as they were the Angels Thompson portrays were perversely attractive to many 60's youth who wondered what kind of life they might want to persue if they, in fact, failed in straight society.
This is a classic account of the Angel's during their classic period when they came of age in the mind of the world. Thompson's chapter "The Making of the Menace" could more aptly be called today 'The Making of the Legend"
An absolute must read.
This is my 3rd copy..........2007-05-12
I just purchased my 3rd copy of this book...I've given two copies away.
Very intersting reading!!!
Hell's Angels.......2007-03-31
started out good, then turned in to a whiny account of author complaing about not being treated right by the Angels.
On the road with the Angels.......2007-03-17
I'm a great Hunter S Thompson fan, and have read all of his books. Although "Hell's Angels" was his first book, it would be the last one, that I got around to reading. I was used to his later, gonzo style, of writing so I was actually expecting this to be more of the same. But it was not. He seems more objective and a bit more conventional in this volume, than in his later work. He is still biased, but not to the same degree as he would become later. Also he keeps his long rantings about everything and nothing with no connection whatsoever to his main subjects to a minimum.
He is still very eloquent and writes in an interesting way, just more sober. A bit like Tom Wolfe or such.
I'm not particularly interested in the subject of Hell's Angels or bikers, but I enjoyed this look into a culture that seldom lets in outsiders. Also it gives some contrast to the image the Hell's Angels have these days. Very interesting and highly recommendable.
DOCTOR THOMPSON LEARNS HIS TRADE.......2007-02-08
As Thompson aficionados are probably aware Hell's Angels is Hunter's first real foray into the sustained writing that would make us smile or be provoked to call for his head on a platter for the next forty years. Although the text clearly demonstrates that this is not a piece of `gonzo' journalism, as it later came to be known, one can see the outline of where he could be heading in this book on probably the most famous outlaw motorcycle gang in American history. The line between Thompson the reporter and Thompson the participant is still fairly clear but one can see just enough sympathy with the subject matter of his book to see where he might be heading. His major `gonzo' work and most famous book Fear and Loathing in Los Vegas thus did not just come out of the blue.
And what of the subject matter of his book, the infamous Hell's Angels that in my youth my mother warned me against incessantly? As noted above Hunter gained a grudging sympathy for them during his yearlong experience in and around their hangouts and their nefarious various doings in Northern California. Some of the antics that they were involved in like their `robust' partying in natural settings and scaring the `squares' seem a little dated, and juvenile. Their gratuitous violence, however, seems rather too familiar.
The more sociological aspects of their marginal social existence is far more interesting and Thompson does a good job of identifying the post-World War II American times that gave rise to such self-defining outcasts. This phenomenon enters the books as one of the outcomes that occur when the Turner thesis on the effects of the end of the frontier and land's end get fleshed out in sunny California. While these men, and they were almost exclusively white Anglo-Saxon men (the women involved with them are a separate and in some ways more interesting question although in the book a marginal one), came from mainly working class backgrounds the details provided by Thompson portrays a classic lumpenproletarian milieu. Thus, politics, protest or allegiance to other organizations meant nothing to them. Forget all that intellectual gibberish, it was about the bikes, man. Dr. Freud can read what he wants into that. Dr. Thompson gives it to us straight.
Book Description
The Curse of Lono is to Hawaii what Fear and Loathing was to Las Vegas: the crazy tales of a journalist's "coverage" of a news event that ends up being a wild ride to the dark side of Americana.
Customer Reviews:
One of the best and funniest I have read!.......2007-06-07
It is a must read for people wanting to know more about Hawaii. I especially liked the section where he makes merciless fun of the Kona Board of REALTORS. The drug culture of the 60s revisited?!
One of his finest.......2006-11-10
Set behind the scenes of Hawaii during the 80's, the docter's portrayal of hawaii is by far one of his finest books. Growing up in hawaii, I recommend this book whole heartedly for its mixture of truth and surealism to portray hawaii the way I remember it.
He discribes the Hawaii's drug culture and tourism industry perfectly.
Definatly a must read if your a fan of Hunter Thompsons work.
The way to remember HST..........2006-11-06
In this finally reprinted book, HST travels to Hawaii to cover the Ironman Triathalon for Running magazine, and winds up deep in ancient Hawaiian religions and history, along with how Captain Cook first visited the Hawaiian islands. True gonzo adventure, and unavailable except in paperback for too long. If you have only read "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" by HST, this book will bring the reader closer to today's reality, or at least as HST sees it.
Good, clean fun.......2006-11-05
Well, not exactly "good, clean fun" but it is fun. I loved this book because it's not as acid-adled as a lot of HT's writing and it's funny as hell. Also, it's a primer on what is actually happening (around you) when you catch a trophy fish in Hawaii (which I did before this book came out). At the time, I was baffled by how fast my fish dissapeared and how I was being treated (like a cheap trick) but this made it all painfully clear (after the fact). Well worth the read.
Praise For Lono!.......2006-08-18
Once again HST delves deep into the dark side of the human mind. Whether it's fishing for drugs in an airplane toilet or running over stray dogs in a drunken stupor, Hunter takes his reader on a wild ride through mysterious Hawaii. If you want to take a trip without the airfare (or the acid) crack open this oversized volume and enjoy.
Amazon.com
"Disgusting as he usually was," Hunter Thompson writes in this, his 1959 novel, "on rare occasions he showed flashes of a stagnant intelligence. But his brain was so rotted with drink and dissolute living that whenever he put it to work it behaved like an old engine that had gone haywire from being dipped in lard." Surprise! Thompson isn't writing about himself, but one of the other, older, aimlessly carousing newspapermen in Puerto Rico, a guy called Moberg whose chief achievement is the ability to find his car after a night's drinking because it stinks so much. (I can smell it for blocks, he boasts.) The autobiographical hero, Paul Kemp, is 30, trapped in a dead-end job (Thompson wound up writing for a bowling magazine), and feeling as if his big-time writer dreams, soaked in Fitzgerald and Hemingway, are evaporating as rapidly as the rum in his fist.
In fact, Thompson was only 22 when he wrote The Rum Diary, but his fear of winding up like Moberg was well founded. What saved him was the fantastic conflagration of the 1960s, a fiery wind on which the reptilian wings of his prose style could catch and soar to the cackling heights of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Puerto Rico in 1959 doesn't have bad craziness enough to offer Thompson--just a routine drunken-reporter stomping by local cops and a riot over Kemp's friend's temptress girlfriend, a scantily imagined Smith College alumna who likes to strip nude on beaches and in nightclubs to taunt men.
Thompson's prose style only intermittently takes tentative flight--compare the stomping scenes in this book with his breakthrough, Hell's Angels--but it's interesting to see him so nakedly reveal his sensitive innards, before the celebrated clownish carapace grew in. It's also interesting to see how he improved this full version of the novel from the more raw (and racist) excerpts found in the 1990 collection Songs of the Doomed (available on audiocassette, partly narrated by Thompson). --Tim Appelo
Book Description
Begun in 1959 by a then-twenty-two-year-old Hunter S. Thompson, The Rum Diary is a brilliantly tangled love story of jealousy, treachery and violent alcoholic lust in the Caribbean boomtown that was San Juan, Puerto Rico, in the late 1950s. Exuberant and mad, youthful and energetic, The Rum Diary is an outrageous, drunken romp in the spirit of Thompson's bestselling Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Hell's Angels.
Customer Reviews:
The Rum Diary.......2007-09-24
Thompson's best work for beginners as well as a favorite for seasoned fans. Written more like a screenplay than any of his other works, The Rum Diary takes you on the journey of a degenerate journalist's time as a sports writer for an English rag in San Juan. From the interesting characters to the usual Thompson antics this book will not disappoint. The length lends itself to consumption of an afternoon, so if you are easily engulfed with storylines make sure you have the time. This is one of the most heavily used books in my Thompson collection as it is a great story that never seems to grow old. I can't wait to see what happens when the movie starts filming.
Best book ever.......2007-08-14
This is honestly the most enjoyable book I've ever read. Hunter S. Thompson is absolutely brilliant. You would have no idea that this was his first novel. I kept having to limit what I read in a day so that I could read it longer. I would recommend this book to anyone (and have!)
Great book.......2007-08-03
This little book was such a find. It is one that once you stop you cant put down. A good read and interesting topic.
hunter s. doesn't disappoint.......2007-07-26
this is a really good book. the pace is really quick, yet there is enough dialogue to connect you with the characters and settings. it is a real fun book to read.
Quality ish..........2007-06-06
I just finished this and it is a real hoot. I have never read any of his other works and intend to. I recommend this book for anyone who wants a laugh and enjoys reading about people who live at the bottom of the bottle. Enjoy!
Book Description
In the spring of 1970, artist Ralph Steadman went to America in search of work and found more than he bargained for. At the Kentucky Derby he met a former
associate of the Hell’s Angels, one Hunter S. Thompson. Their working relationship resulted in the now-legendary Gonzo Journalism.
The Joke’s Over tells of a remarkable collaboration that documented the turbulent years of the civil rights movement, the Nixon years, Watergate, and the many bizarre and great events that shaped the second half of the twentieth century. When Thompson committed suicide in 2005, it was the end of a unique friendship filled with both betrayal and understanding.
A rollicking, no-holds-barred memoir, The Joke’s Over is the definitive inside story of the Gonzo years.
Customer Reviews:
Run, Don't Walk.......2007-10-20
Dear Larry:
If you haven't read it yet, run, don't walk, to your nearest bookstore and buy The Joke'sOver, Ralph Steadman's memoir of his chaotic relationship and wild times with Hunter S. Thompson. It's awesome. I knew Steadman was a genius illustrator but I didn't know he could write so evocatively. And what a great topic! The prose reads like a more controlled, saner version of Thompson's own gonzo spume in Fear and Loathing and
his other pieces. You've got to read it.
Dave
Steadman + Thompson = Fun For All!!!.......2007-10-02
Having been an HST fan for decades now, this book combines many elements
that make this duo a must have for Thompson fans of all levels;think about it: You have the Gonzo genius of Hunter S. Thompson,and the illustrator
of these 'Adventures' not from HST, but the same incidents as viewed by the
one man fortunate(?) enough to go the distance to cover the story. A unique
twist on the escapades of Dr. Gonzo. These two men shared much more than
two people using their collective genius for journalistic purposes;these men
almost seemed(to me) to need each other, and their collective talents to such a bizarre level that these guys in many ways became so influential to more than just a journalistic quest-a pairing so unique that such a combination in all probability will never happen again(unless it
came down to absolute 'ripping off' of the style they created. This book
should be a 'must have' for anyone intelligent enough to see what was really going on. After reading this book, one can finally comprehend
'When the going gets tough, the weird turn pro'. The good Doctor will be sorely missed, but thankfully Ralph Steadman is still around to carry the torch in some way. The world lost a true genius, but the one redeeming
factor is that now the metaphysical has a monster to deal with, and I think HST will derive great pleasure in that!! BUY THIS BOOK;YOU CANNOT
BE DISAPPOINTED!!!!!!!!
Better than an unauthorized biography........2007-09-11
Mr. Steadman tells it like it is, even when there is obvious animosity between himself and HST. Some great pictures I hadn't seen before, although I wish they had been reproduced full page size. The stories are good and give some interesting insight into (attempting) to work with HST. Overall a good read, if you're a fan of either of the men you will enjoy this book and be glad it is in your personal library. To no fault of Mr. Steadman, reading this book did bum me out a bit that we have no more new HST work to read ever again. I still remember turning on the news that fateful February morning...
A good book that ultimately becomes just a little annoying.......2007-07-12
Ralph Steadman paints a very interesting portrait of his long-time colleague and collaborator, HST, warts and all. The book is for the most part an enjoyable and interesting read, and I would tend to put more stock in Ralph's biography versus those written by any others given the nature of their relationship. However, in some places the book seems a little disjointed. In the end, I found myself growing annoyed with Ralph's writing style (which comes off a bit like "trying too hard" and merely a cheap imitation of Hunter's unmatched skill) as well as his description of Hunter's faults, which start to sound a little too much like whining.
Intimate and revealing.......2007-05-14
Thompson's life is difficult to seperate from his gonzo essa, and is often viewed as fiction. Steadman's retelling of their turbulent friendship clears away a great deal of the confusion about this brilliant and difficult icon; twenty-five years of alternating conflict and cameraderie allows a more human and focused view of an explosive and unique man. In the end Thompson's mythical persona is enhanced rather than diminished by the humanizing and honest eye of Ralph Steadman, illustrating the reality of trying to mainttain a friendship with the perverse and explosive Thompson. He does Thompson the honor of addressing him honestly; sugar coating his memory would be an unforgivable offense in the Doctor's own books.
Amazon.com
Kingdom of Fear is billed as a memoir, but in essence, all of Hunter S. Thompson's books could fit into this category since his life and work have always been tightly bound together by a mythology largely of his own making. (After all, this is the man who, before earning a single dollar as a writer, began meticulously saving a copy of every letter he ever sent.) Still, this is certainly an unconventional memoir, but then what would you expect from the father of gonzo journalism? In these pages Thompson manages to dig deep and reveal a few "loathsome secrets" without offering the kind of personal details he has always avoided. His childhood, for instance, is basically summed up in a sentence: "I look back on my youth with great fondness, but I would not recommend it as a working model to others." He does, however, reflect upon his considerable legacy, including his well-known, and admittedly exaggerated, use of controlled substances ("The brutal reality of politics alone would probably be intolerable without drugs"), as well as offer assessments of his own work, such as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas ("It's as good as The Great Gatsby and better than The Sun Also Rises").
In this collection of twisted parables and outlaw adventures, Thompson writes about his early run-ins with agents of authority and the lessons learned; his stint in the Air Force and the beginning of his journalism career; his unsuccessful, though illuminating, bid for Sheriff of Aspen, Colorado in 1970 as the Freak Power candidate; the casualties and unintended consequences thus far in the War on Terror; and numerous examples of present-day injustice and hypocrisy--all with his characteristic mix of brutal frankness laced with humor. He also offers his own take on state of the Union: "The prevailing quality of life in America--by any accepted methods of measuring--was inarguably freer and more politically open under Nixon than it is today in this evil year of Our Lord 2002." Thompson continues to make even the most deadly serious subject matter endlessly entertaining. --Shawn Carkonen
Book Description
Brilliant, provocative, outrageous, and brazen, Hunter S. Thompson's infamous rule breaking -- in his journalism, in his life, and under the law -- changed the shape of American letters, and the face of American icons. Kingdom of Fear traces the course of Thompson's life as a rebel -- from a smart-mouthed Kentucky kid flaunting all authority to a convention-defying journalist who came to personify a wild fusion of fact, fiction, and mind-altering substances.
Call it the evolution of an outlaw. Here are the formative experiences that comprise Thompson's legendary trajectory alongside the weird and the ugly. Whether detailing his exploits as a foreign correspondent in Rio, his job as night manager of the notorious O'Farrell Theatre in San Francisco, his epic run for sheriff of Aspen on the Freak Power ticket, or the sensational legal maneuvering that led to his full acquittal in the famous 99 Days trial, Thompson is at the peak of his narrative powers in Kingdom of Fear. And this boisterous, blistering ride illuminates as never before the professional and ideological risk taking of a literary genius and transgressive icon.
Customer Reviews:
Not his best.......2007-03-18
Mr Thompsons autobiography is somewhat lacking compared to his other works. It seems, that he in his later years didn't have that much new to say, and this volume shows it very clearly. It deals with the legend of HST, not the man Hunter Stockton Thompson, and only plays the same tune that we've been hearing since F&L in Las Vegas, only in a strongly diluded form.
A great drawback is that he recycles a lot of stuff from his earlier work, which if you're a fan/reader of his you can't help but feel a bit cheated about. The book isn't that long as it is, but when half the material already has been printed before, and therefore probably, for fans at least, is on your shelf already, it gives the feeling of the good Mr Thompson not really making an effort writing this volume.
It's not all bad though. There are highlights in the book. His description of his childhood is enjoyable and very biographical. The last chapter is also very enjoyable, although not that good as biographical material, it does for a good reading.
It starts out legitimate enough, but quickly turns to his rambling and at times incoherent style of writing. Worth reading if you're a completist. I would recommend the compilations of his letters "The Proud Highway" and "F&L in America" as biography instead. They are much better.
Significantly Better Than "Hey Rube".......2007-03-16
This book (2003) and "Hey Rube" (2004) appear to be the last of HST's books. While "Hey Rube" contains lengthy discussions of gambling on professional football and basketball (including "March Madness"), this book is more far-ranging, containing everything from Thompson's reminiscences of his youth to his (highly negative) thoughts on George W. Bush. There's even a chapter from "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail 1972," one of the finest political books ever written.
The quality of the writing on the recent pieces is not quite up to that of his best from the past, but is still infinitely better than the mindless slop produced by other contemporary "writers." The man was an artist.
As always, one of the disturbing things about Thompson is his ability to assess politics correctly in real time. Reading back, you think "Why didn't people take this man seriously at the time?"
"Indeed," as Doc would say.
The best collection.......2007-01-19
It's true, there are lots of parts of this book that can be found in other books, but this is still the best HST book I've read. It's sort of like a greatest hits. The new parts however, are the best part of this book.
Some of his best work ever!.......2007-01-13
By far simply one of his best collections. It seems the good doctor saw what was on the horizon and unforunately he was right. The world is a lesser place without him and we should all cherish every word. His insight was frightening an accurate. BUY THIS BOOK!
Just what you would expect from a drunkard.......2006-12-04
Paranoid drivel is the best I can come up with ZZZZZZZZZZ.
Amazon.com
Since his 1972 trailblazing opus, Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail, Hunter S. Thompson has reported the election story in his truly inimitable, just-short-of-libel style. In
Better Than Sex, Thompson hits the dusty trail again - without leaving home - yet manages to deliver a mind-bending view of the 1992 presidential campaign, in all its horror, sacrifice, lust, and dubious glory. Complete with faxes sent to and received from candidate Clinton's top aides, and 100 percent pure gonzo screeds on Richard Nixon, George Bush, and Oliver North, here is the most true-blue campaign tell-all ever penned by man, beast, or Thompson.
Book Description
"Hunter S. Thompson is to drug-addled, stream-of-consciousness, psycho-political black humor what Forrest Gump is to idiot savants."
--The Philadelphia Inquirer
Since his 1972 trailblazing opus, Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail, Hunter S. Thompson has reported the election story in his truly inimitable, just-short-of-libel style. In Better than Sex, Thompson hits the dusty trail again--without leaving home--yet manages to deliver a mind-bending view of the 1992 presidential campaign--in all of its horror, sacrifice, lust, and dubious glory. Complete with faxes sent to and received by candidate Clinton's top aides, and 100 percent pure gonzo screeds on Richard Nixon, George Bush, and Oliver North, here is the most true-blue campaign tell-all ever penned by man or beast.
"[Thompson] delivers yet another of his trademark cocktail mixes of unbelievable tales and dark observations about the sausage grind that is the U.S. presidential sweepstakes. Packed with egocentric anecdotes, musings and reprints of memos, faxes and scrawled handwritten notes (Memorable."
--Los Angeles Daily News
"What endears Hunter Thompson to anyone who reads him is that he will say what others are afraid to (.[He] is a master at the unlikely but invariably telling line that sums up a political figure (.In a year when all politics is--to much of the public--a tendentious and pompous bore, it is time to read Hunter Thompson."
--Richmond Times-Dispatch
"While Tom Wolfe mastered the technique of being a fly on the wall, Thompson mastered the art of being a fly in the ointment. He made himself a part of every story, made no apologies for it and thus produced far more honest reporting than any crusading member of the Fourth Estate (. Thompson isn't afraid to take the hard medicine, nor is he bashful about dishing it out (.He is still king of beasts, and his apocalyptic prophecies seldom miss their target."
--Tulsa World
"This is a very, very funny book. No one can ever match Thompson in the vitriol department, and virtually nobody escapes his wrath."
--The Flint Journal
Customer Reviews:
FEAR AND LOATHING IN PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN 1992.......2007-04-23
Better than sex
Know this. The late Hunter Thompson, Doctor Gonzo, was something of a muse for me although our politics, in the final analysis, were light years apart. I have read everything of his that I could get my hands on. During many a troubled time when I got down on the seemingly hopeless struggle in the fight for socialism his savage humor aimed at the inanities of bourgeois politics and politicians carried me through. That said, the book under review Better Than Sex about the trials and tribulations of covering the ill-starred 1992 presidential campaign is not one of his better efforts and even with his vast journalistic skills must have been a chore rather than something to really dig into. I will tell you my take on the matter.
Hunter Thompson started making a name for himself as a political journalist in his first efforts at trying to understand presidential political campaigns during the ill-fated Democratic campaign of George McGovern against one Richard M. Nixon in 1972. His Fear and Loathing on Campaign Trail 1972 stands as a classic of `alternative' journalism on the issue. He stated then that a political junkie, and by any definition he was one, could only really stand in the vortex of one such campaign before burning out. Nevertheless he recklessly pressed his luck. Unfortunately, Thompson found himself in the place where Teddy White found himself after his seminal `straight' reporting on the 1960 Kennedy-Nixon campaign, The Making of President. White too, went on to write more such books and not to his benefit. In short, pigeon-holed. Take that lesson for what it is worth.
The problem with Better Than Sex is that Thompson had written it all before, and to better effect. The writing seems frantic and tired, very tired. It did not help that his cast of main characters- one President George H. W. Bush, one William Jefferson Clinton and one genuine dingo bat Ross Perot- would make even a political junkie get him or herself to the nearest rehabilitation center. The book reflects that in many ways not the least of which is the extraordinary amount of filler (literally with `draft' notes, letters, drawings etc.) that clutters the book. If that does not convince you then a three star rating on a genuine five star journalistic hero of mine tells the tale. Still, there is more than enough savagely funny analysis and humor for a real Thompson junkie to get by on during a few lonely political nights. Enough said.
Not what I expected but still good.......2006-01-27
Lots of politic stuff.Kind of boring theme but Hunters words makes it fun and intersting.It is a good book if you are a Hunter fan.If you are not dont start go with this one.Pick up "Fear and Lothing in Las Vagas" or "Hells Angels".After you read those book this book will be lot better.
Political Junkies, Rejoice..........2005-06-03
I find that, no matter what book I read by the good Dr. Thompson, I can never write an appropriate review or make any sort of intelligent, logical comment on the subject. To date, I've read Hell's Angels, The Rum Diary, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas twice, along with a few of the articles in Hey Rube. Picking up Better Than Sex, I hoped to finish the book and be able to, finally, write some sort of response to the book, putting to rest this impotence of critique that seems to hang like a strange, twisted shadow over his writing.
Like most people faced with the inability to perform a task, mine is psychological, rooted in a sort of awe factor, that phosphorous phantom known as envy that usually takes the form of imitation or fear and inability. I mean, essentially, you read Thompson and when you put the book down, you say "I want to write like that." Then, you open up Word or, if you're a bit old-fashioned, you pull out a pen and paper, and sit there, staring at the blankness, the perfect emptiness that you know you're only going to muck up because no human being can write like that.
No living human being, anyway.
What Thompson did - not only in writing but in life - was to infuse everything he touched with a sort of rough humanity. Whatever the subject, from the loss of idealism in the sixties hippy culture to why Bill Clinton was a weird one, but the only thing we had going in 1992, he could explain and expound upon it with the word of a poet and the common sense of your best childhood friend. The man knew how to craft a sentence and a story, something that was both informational and interesting, and by the time you reach the end of the story, you realize you're walking away not only entertained but educated. He had the power to do that.
Better Than Sex is a bit different from his earlier work, mostly in that it relies heavily on deviant, manic faxes sent to everyone from Clinton's campaign manager to Jan Wenner at Rolling Stone while Thompson was covering the campaign trail in 1992. While you're shuttled from one strange jaunt to the next, entertained at Hunter's various bizarre suggestions, you're also learning, picking up things you never realized were going on in that oh-so-important election year. He's pointing out mistakes that Bush Sr. made in 92, mistakes that were remembered not only by Hunter, but as becomes apparent as the book comes to a close, by the Bush II campaign. It's like a hard, fast look at the 2004 election trail, seeing the same plays from the same teams, except this time the away team learned from their mistakes twelve years ago, and they're not about to lose this championship again.
Reading it, however, isn't just an entertaining story or a guide to how to win a Presidential election. It's also a window into the mind of a man who was fed up with the Republicans twelve years ago, ready to take drastic action if Bush Sr. was re-elected. Reading it now, in light of Thompson's suicide in February, one can almost begin to comprehend the incomprehensible, as in his weirdest, most outrageous moments, Hunter revealed more of himself than he did when straight-laced and serious. In his coverage of the 92 campaign is the story of a man who could not live under the fascist iron fist of the more moderate Bush Republicans of the past, who reviled everything they stood for, and who threatened to flee the country should they take control for another four years. He shows himself as a man who is reinvigorated by the victory of sensibility over the zealous, Big Brother of a Republican party that was half the strength and only a forth as fanatical as the one that recently enthroned itself for another four years. He is revived by the masses throwing out the trash and choosing to change the ways of the country by making a choice for improvement and change. Twelve years later his rallying cry in Rolling Stone went unanswered, America chose fascism over freedom, and freak power as a force to be reckoned with is dead in the United States-how could he survive in that world?
This is not to say that a single presidential election could determine the life or death of one man; when it comes to politics, mortality rates are usually in the thousands. What Better Than Sex does say, however, is that like it or not, Thompson was a political junkie, that while his reputation was built on drugs, his perfect drug is a good political match, and that as a catalyst, it held major sway with a man whom drugs alone could not touch.
Accurate Title.......2004-05-22
This book is better than sex. His best since Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. He's not your average acid casualty. This book is an amazing blend of outrageous, mind bending accusations, libelous paranoid ranting, and just good old fashion fun. Hunter is a national treasure and this book is a great read.
A great representation of sarcasm.......2004-05-05
Better Than Sex is a book for those who like to read sarcastic, humorous, and often-cynical writing. Thompson creates a world of politics that is not the "norm" in the United States. It is something ugly, COMPETETIVE (even capitalizing it makes it understated), and downright dirty. He compares getting into politics like an addiction, a very serious addiction. It can mold people into a horrible beast that would run over their own mother as long as they got elected.
This is a book about politics. Yet, there are stories contained with James Carville, the ragin' cajun, stealing Hunter's money and jacket. Also, Thompson describes the, both good and bad, possibilities of a fax-machine, press pass, and telephone. Thompson basically shows his interest in politics in a very uninterested way. He almost makes it seem like he doesn't, in actuality, care about politics through his blatant sarcasm and, at times, downright rudeness. However, while reading, that does not deter from that he is obviously obsessed with politics. I think he's simply trying to state his opinion in a broad, un-censored way. All in all a very good and fun read, for those of you who are cynical and critical of the world around you.
Customer Reviews:
Like a shotgun blast composed of LSD tabs and spicy adjectives.......2007-06-03
That so many people have tried to justify, make sense of and interpret Thompson's pseudo-fiction in literal terms only indicates how many asinine, clueless people have read this magnificently absurd book. All that's required when reading HST's drug-addled interpretation of his misadventures with Acosta is to simply ingest, and to set your inhibitive sense of reality aside while doing so.
In his correspondence, literature and journalism, HST ably explains how he rode the crest, slope and break of the most exciting, disheveled period in the history of American culture. His written discourse is invaluable for obtaining a clear understanding of a muddled and dynamic era, where dysfunction of many varieties constituted the norm and the freedom afforded by a permissive society and its' technological advances was exploited for enormous personal gain. In a time when America is descending into a sanitized quagmire of mediocrity and sedation, we could only hope for so much.
Fun fact: the second hardbound edition of "Fear And Loathing" included a sheet of stickers depicting numerous characters featured in the book as illustrated by the brilliant Ralph Steadman. People who have carefully planned their life priorities have either sold mint condition copies of these sheets for thousands of dollars on eBay or have affixed them to bottles used for target practice before blasting away at them with large, powerful handguns. To each their own.
"That Death of the American Dream Thing".......2007-03-08
This novel is a classic of American Literature in the same right as Moby Dick, The Scarlet Letter, The Catcher in the Rye, and countless others. True, it's not appreciated by everyone (as can be seen in the reviews below) but neither was and is Moby Dick. This is definitely a baroque classic too, and it was groundbreaking in its own time (which it may not be anymore, logically, but that's not all the book is about, far from that).
As some have said before me, it's indeed a great window open on an era now dead: the sad end of all the dreams of the 60's; and that is important to our own time because I am not sure we ever recovered from all those dead dreams. Even in my generation, I know a lot of people who still look back with major nostalgia even though they didn't even exist exist in the 60's. That was a very significant moment in time during the 20th century and it certainly set the setting for as far as today.
Some say there is no real plot to this book; much the same can be and was said about Moby Dick. I won't deny that, but I will point out that not all books are about "plots" and that there is ALWAYS a plot, no matter how minimal or nonsensical it gets. A trip to nowhere without any clear direction in search of the American Dream, what do you expect? A clear plot with obvious twists and the likes? Of course not.
That book is fun, disturbing, daring, and much deeper and serious than it may appear to the shallow reader. Definitely worth it, and definitely classic. Wandering around the still smoking embers of the Fallen Dream with Hunter S. Thompson is an experience you don't want to miss.
Living the Dream.......2006-03-25
No one does it like Dr. HST, may he RIP.
The savage pursuit of the American Dream . . . aaaaaaah love it!
This is a generational classic far superior to Catcher in the Rye, On the Road, Less than Zero . . . you name it.
It will change your life, even if it's "too late."
Live the dream, HST style.
try creative appreciation.......2006-01-04
Despite the excessive drug use in this piece, there is an undeniable window to an extremely fascinating era. Maybe you're right, maybe this novel isn't for kids. It needs to be appreciated on a mature level. One doesn't need to be a drug user to appreciate the intellectually stimulating imagery that mimics the effects of the aforementioned drugs. Dr. Thompson's words may be a little harsh at times, but the feelings they invoke are highly entertaining and priceless in their own accord. In short, if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.
Not for kids.......2005-10-20
This book is about a road trip across America for a couple of guys who are searching for the American dream. Even though it is a great adventure story with a lot of twists and turns to keep the reader interested, the characters use drugs and alcohol throughout the story, and that is a very big part of both of their lives. A lot of high school students like me probably have heard of the book because a movie was made about it, so they might pick it up to checkit out. I wouldn't recommend it for anyone under 18, because it promotes drug use and drug abuse. Good story, but bad ideas for the wrong readers.
Books:
- Guitar World Presents: Dimebag Darrell's Riffer Madness (Guitar World Presents)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- How Can I Help? / What Will Help Me? 12 things to do when someone you know suffers a loss / 12 things to remember when you have suffered a loss (two in one book)
- How to Say It For Women: Communicating with Confidence and Power Using the Language of Success
- Hugo L. Black and the Dilemma of American Liberalism (Library of American Biography Series) (Library of American Biography)
- I Thought We'd Never Speak Again: The Road from Estrangement to Reconciliation
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Mastering Value at Risk: A Step-by-Step Guide to Understanding and Applying VAR
- Design and Analysis of Clinical Trials: Concepts and Methodologies
- The Iowa Award: The Best Stories, 1991-2000
- The Wages of Destruction: The Making and Breaking of the Nazi Economy
- A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
- Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss what Matters Most
- Biomedical Telemetry
- Spaces of Capital: Towards a Critical Geography
- The Warren Buffett Way,: Investment Strategies of the World's Greatest Investor
- You Remind Me of Me: A Novel
