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

New York: Random House, 1972. First Edition Stated . Hard Back. Very Good/Good. 5 3/4" x 8 1/2. Steadman, Ralph - Drawings. 206 Pages. First Edition stated below number line 97532468 There is a hint of fading at the top and bottom of the gray boards and foxing predominately on top page edges. Dust jacket has spots and small (1/2") tear top spine . Dust jacket has been protected with Gaylord vinyl covering and 5.95 flap price is unclipped. Heralded as the best book on the dope decade, Hunter Thompson's documented drug orgy through Las Vegas would no doubt leave Nancy Reagan blushing. Under the pseudonym of Raoul Duke, Thompson travels with his Samoan attorney, Dr. Gonzo, in a souped-up convertible dubbed the Great Red Shark. In the trunk, they hide two bags of grass, seventy-five pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high-powered blotter acid, a salt shaker half-full of cocaine and a whole galaxy of multicolored uppers, downers, and screamers. A quart of tequila, a quart of rum, a case of Budweiser and a pint of raw ether which they manage to consume during their short tour. On assignment from a sports magazine to cover the fabulous Mint 400--a free-for-all biker's race in the heart of the Nevada desert--the drug-a-delic duo stumbles through Vegas in hallucinatory hopes of finding the American dream. Two truck-stop waitresses tell them it's nearby, but can't remember if it's on the right or the left. They of course never get the story, but they do commit the only sins in Vegas: burning the locals, abusing the tourists, terrifying the help. For Thompson to remember and pen his experiences with such clarity and wit is nothing short of a miracle; an impressive feat no matter how one feels about the subject matter. This book is a pop-culture classic, an icon of an era past and a nugget of pure comedic genius. First appeared in Rolling Stone magazine, issue 95, November 11, 1971 and 96, November 25, 1971. Illustrations appeared in same issues.