Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Other American Stories (Modern Library)

I've been a huge Hunter Thompson fan for a while, so it hurts like hell to say my first reading of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas was when I ordered this. I've damn near memorized the movie, read loads of his articles and listened to an audiobook of the Rum Diary, but never actually read his magnum opus in proper form. I'm glad to say that it's definitely the best way to experience this story. Hunter had a very vivid, descriptive style and it shines through all the time. The drugged-out hazy visions of a glimmering poolside in some faux-luxury Vegas joint are far more solid and effective as an imagined scene than in the movie where it was simply presented (albeit still very, very cool). The book has lots of moments that aren't in the film, though I'm sure that's expected. My copy also came with two other stories, both of which were highly enjoyable. "Strange Rumblings..." displays the evils of a certain place and time excellently, while "The Kentucky Derby..." does something similar but in a completely different way. HST wasn't a one-trick pony, that's for sure. This will always be among my favorite pieces of art.

Awsome and hilarious book

I haven’t read fear and losing over a decade, but wanted to get back into it, and wanted a nice copy to page. Covered did not disappoint. It’s a beautifully made book, well bound with a beautiful cover. Type is Clear, And easy to read.

I ordered this book new. It arrived in a day & in perfect shape! Thumbs up!

Legendary!!

When I was in college in the early 1970's a friend turned me on to Dr. Hunter S. Thompson and his Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas. Little did I know then that in 1979 I would be moving to Las Vegas because of a job. I had the book with me on the plane and I remember reading it, and people around me looking at the title and freaking out a bit. What were they, and I getting into? 32 years later, the views that Dr. Thompson expresses about Las Vegas hold mostly true. Yes we have gone from a mob run city to a corporate run city, but the reality is there is little difference. We just dress better now and can use credit cards. The population has gone up 200+%, but life is the same. The same characters are still here, just better dressed and slightly better educated. It's still hot and dusty and the use and availability of mind altering substances is still here. We just don't have the crazed attorneys and the Great Whale cars. We do have Hummers though. What was true in 1971 is true in 2010, "There is nothing in the world more helpless and irresponsible than a man in the depths of an ether binge." Thank you Hunter for a book that is as good now as it was 39 years ago. A classic.

Of course the book is great. There are some good bonus materials in this edition.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a story of the drug-induced delusions of a reporter while on assignment in Las Vegas, Nevada. The author arrives in Las Vegas in a red convertible, riding along with his lawyer, to cover a three-day car race in the desert. You'll have to take my word that he's covering a car race, because he doesn't really talk much about it in the book, except to mention that he went to it a couple of times. After the car race, the adventures continue, as he gets another assignment; this time to cover a police drug enforcement conference. He trades in the 'Gread Red Shark' for a white Cadillac, the 'White Whale' and sets out to find the American Dream. What that has to do with the drug conference, I'm not sure. In fact, I'm not sure of a lot of things, like is the lawyer really even there? Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is followed by two short stories. The first is the story of the death of Ruben Salazar, which I believe may have been included simply to prove that Hunter S. Thompson was capable of sane, real journalism. That is followed by a story of a trip to the Kentucky Derby, which falls somewhere between Fear and Loathing, and Strange Rumblings in Aztlan. I did notice that the phrase 'fear and loathing' was slipped somewhere into each of the short stories. That makes me want to read more of Thompson's old magazine articles to see if he did that in all of them. The Kentucky is Decadent and Depraved leaves me wondering, also, if Ralph Steadman is a real person and was he actually with Thompson at the Derby, or was he another delusion similar to the Samoan lawyer in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas? Easy to read; impossible to follow. But that's Hunter S. Thompson, right?

I purchased the Modern Library Hardback edition of Fear and Loathing, and was happy with the quality and print. However, it was quite expensive in my opinion. I was lucky to purchase it when the price drastically dropped, but full priced books in this edition can run between £15 - £20. I feel they are overpriced in that range and should be under £10. That being said - I loved Hunter S Thompson. He was an imaginative, gifted, brilliant writer. I recommend researching all he has written - both fiction and none fiction - you will rarely be disappointed with anything he wrote. It is crazy, manic fun; often absurd; usually brilliant.

With Hunter S Thompson at the wheel Fasten your seatbelt you’re in for a ride Always Honest and Principled in a unique way. Highly Recommended

Papers dont feel acid-free eventhough book feels like a genuine product..

Pungente satira della società americana da ino dei più grandi giornalisti della seconda metà del Novecento

Ok