This astonishing volume of private correspondence, a critically acclaimed follow-up to The Proud Highway, shows Hunter S. Thompson as brazen, incisive, and outrageous as ever. When that first book of letters appeared in 1997, Time pronounced it "deliriously entertaining," Rolling Stone called it "brilliant beyond description," and the New York Times celebrated its "wicked humor and bracing political conviction."
Spanning the years between 1968 and 1976, these never-before-published letters show Thompson building his legend: running for sheriff in Aspen, Colorado; creating the seminal road book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas; twisting political reporting to new heights for Rolling Stone; and making sense of it all in the landmark Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72. To read Thompson's dispatches from these years—addressed to the author's friends, enemies, editors, and creditors and such notables as Jimmy Carter, Tom Wolfe, and Kurt Vonnegut—is to read a raw, revolutionary eyewitness account of one of the most exciting and pivotal eras in American history.
Download and start listening now!
“Thompson altered permanently the nature of political journalism by
injecting into his reportage the personal and the pathological, and this
second volume of letters reads like rehearsals for his more public
utterances, almost every page ringing with the sound of gunfire, revving
motorcycle engines and partying that began at a level where most
partying ends. What may surprise readers is the sweetness of much of the
writing. While Thompson's correspondents include a virtual who's who of
the era, from Tom Wolfe and Kurt Vonnegut to Jimmy Carter and George
McGovern, he wrote to his fans like a kind if slightly deranged uncle,
trying to convince one not to join the Hell's Angels, offering a second
help with her term paper. Despite the occasional lollipop, however,
Thompson's strong suit is still invective, of which he remains the
unsurpassed master.”
—
Publishers Weekly (starred review)