First published in Rolling Stone magazine in 1971, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is Hunter S. Thompson's savagely comic account of what happened to this country in the 1960s. It is told through the writer's account of an assignment he undertook with his attorney to visit Las Vegas and "check it out." The book stands as the final word on the highs and lows of that decade, one of the defining works of our time, and a stylistic and journalistic tour de force. As Christopher Lehmann-Haupt wrote in The New York Times, it has "a kind of mad, corrosive prose poetry that picks up where Norman Mailer's An American Dream left off and explores what Tom Wolfe left out."
        This Modern Library edition features Ralph Steadman's original drawings and three companion pieces selected by Dr. Thompson: "Jacket Copy for Fear and Loath-
ing in Las Vegas," "Strange Rumblings in Aztlan," and "The Kentucky Derby Is Deca-
dent and Depraved."

Other books of interest: "Post Office," by Charles Bukowski, and "THe Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test," by Tom Wolfe.

7 of 8 found the following review helpful:


A classic made even better!  Dec 19, 2001 By buendia
Literary gem "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" repackaged with a movie cover to go with the Terry Gilliam film. This book includes the original itself, with Ralph Steadman's accompanying gonzo art, and adds a few happy surprises. Jacket copy for the book by Thompson is included, alongside "Strange Rumblings in Aztlan" and the hysterical tale of Thompson and Steadman's first dizzying encounter, "The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved".

These stories are laugh-out-loud funny, and this slim volume is a great addition to any collection.

9 of 11 found the following review helpful:


Origin of "Gonzo" matched with its seeds  Nov 20, 1998
When someone mentions Hunter S. Thompson, the almost immediate reponse is "Oh, yeh - the Fear and Loathing guy." To review that piece in 1998 is perhaps too little too late, but a glance at this volume, which matches the original with "Jacket Copy" and "The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved," is in order because of its complete vision of Thompson's style and purpose. What "Fear and Loathing" delivers is what was promised by "Kentucky Derby," and what it fails to tell you is what is filled-in by "Jacket Copy." For those interested in reading "Fear and Loathing," today, this package will give perspective on the times and reinforce the power of the original work.

See all 56 customer reviews on Amazon.com