Hunter S Thompson: Fear and Loathing
On this day July 18th 1937, Hunter Stockton Thompson, creator of the highly involved reporting style known as Gonzo journalism was born. As the publisher of his own newspaper by age 10, Thompson quickly launched into a life of drinking, vandalism, drug use and pyromania that turned him into one of the most unusual bestselling authors of the past century.
Most of us know him best for his 1972 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, which was made into an acclaimed movie starring Johnny Depp and brought the eccentric and wild lifestyle Thompson lived to mainstream attention. Hunter S Thompson’s books are extremely collectible. His first book, Hells Angels, was an 1967 bestseller. A signed first edition copy of Hells Angels is available for $12,500.
After the success of Hells Angels and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Thompson followed up with Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail, a commentary on the Nixon-McGovern presidential election. The signed first edition of this book appears on Abebooks for $6,500.
Among the other notable books written by Hunter S Thompson are The Curse of Lono Memorial Package and Screwjack. A lifelong enthusiast and promoter of mind altering substances and firearms, Thompson died in 2005 from a self inflicted gunshot wound to the head. He would have been 71 today.
