Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream

New York: Random House, (1972). First edition, 1st printing. 8vo. 204 pp. Original octavo black cloth over charcoal paper-covered embossed boards, stamped in silver, in original unclipped ($5.95) dust-jacket. Edge wear with trace browning to edges. Light curling to spine ends. Faint fading to spine. Light shelf and handling wear. Protected in archival mylar. Book is tight, square and firm. Light wear to edges with typical fading to panel edges, particular to top edge. Page edges with smudges and light vintage toning. Previous owner’s name in red pen to front free end paper top corner. Light curling to spine ends.

Dust Jacket: Very Good

Hardcover: Very Good

“Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream is a 1971 novel in the gonzo journalism style by Hunter S. Thompson. The book is a roman à clef, rooted in autobiographical incidents. The story follows its protagonist, Raoul Duke, and his attorney, Doctor Gonzo, as they descend on Las Vegas to chase the American Dream through a drug-induced haze, all the while ruminating on the failure of the 1960s countercultural movement. The work is Thompson's most famous book, and is noted for its lurid descriptions of illicit drug use and its early retrospective on the culture of the 1960s. Thompson's highly subjective blend of fact and fiction, which it popularized, became known as gonzo journalism. Illustrated by Ralph Steadman, the novel first appeared as a two-part series in Rolling Stone magazine in 1971 before being published in book form in 1972. It was later adapted into a film of the same title in 1998 by director Terry Gilliam, starring Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro, who portrayed Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo, respectively.”