FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS

New York: Modern Library, 1996. First edition thus. Near fine in a near fine jacket.. Inscribed first printing of this anniversary Modern Library edition of book at the heart of the Hunter S. Thompson legend - boldly signed by both Thompson and Steadman. A drug-fueled experiment in 'gonzo' journalism, FEAR AND LOATHING was written during Thompson's stint as Washington Correspondent for ROLLING STONE, and first appeared in the magazine in serial installments. Straddling the hazy border between thinly veiled fiction and experimental journalism, first composed in feverish hotel-room notebook-scribbling sessions, the book remains HST's best-known and most influential work. Surreal, hallucinatory, endlessly quotable. Examples of Thompson's best known book, genuinely signed by both HST and Steadman, are increasingly uncommon. A vibrant copy. 8'' x 5''. Original full grey cloth. In original unclipped ($15.50) photographic jacket. Modern library logo endpapers. [xvii], 484, [2] pages. Boldly inscribed by Ralph Steadman across the half title: "For Jeff Weber / Ralph Steadman / 24 June 97." Steadman's distinctive drip/splatter drawing on opposite page. Additionally signed by Thompson in purple ink on half title page. Trace wear here and there. Else bright, sharp, and sound.