UKC

I've read Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and The Rum Diary and enjoyed them a great deal.

Someone (who clearly isn't Hunter S Thompson because he is dead) tweets extracts of his works and their weird astuteness is amplified and crystallised by the lack of context brought on by the 280 character limit; this is an aside - it has left me needing to read more.

Which of his books shall I sample next?

Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail; I think his best book but I may be weird. An interest in US 70s politics might help. 

His book about the Hell's Angels is an interesting read.

A third for that ... the epilogue is the finest piece of writing on motorcycling ever written, by anyone, ever.

Yep, Hells Angels.

Extremely interesting glimpse into the outlaw world, even as someone without a clue about bikes or the history. 

Got more satisfaction out of the TV show Sons of Anarchy when I understood some of the habits and unwritten rules of the biker gangs. Felt like a scholar as well because the knowledge had come from a cracking piece of gonzo journalism rather than a netflix series. Great read.

Glad you got into The Rum Diary as well, a fantastic book that gets more relatable the closer I get to the lead character's age! The inertia.

Thanks for all the recommendations! That's one vote for Campaign Trail and four for Hell's Angels. In true Gonzo style I'll be ordering a copy of The Great Shark Hunt instead

"You will be flogged for being right and flogged for being wrong, and it hurts both ways--but it doesn't hurt as much when you're right."

The Hell's Angels is excellent, as others have said.

I'd add to your list 'The New Journalism' by Tom Wolfe - a compendium of the best of America's so called new journalism in the 70s. Essentially journalism using the techniques of novel writing. Thompson feature in the book amongst others that you might like just as much.

Happy reading - Thompson is a star.

julian

The Great White Shark Hunt is good, and HST demolishes Nixon and his dirty tricks and deals. It has flashes of his absolute brilliance but also it gets really deep into the nitty gritty of the political mire of the era... So just as a warning, I found it a bit dry in parts. Don't let that put you off. It's definitely worth persevering with. 

I'd agree that Tom Wolfe's writing compliments Hunter Thompson. Possibly the similar space and time with weird "cross over episodes".

The Electric Cool Aid Acid Test covers the Hippy invite the Hell's Angles to an acid party in more detail.

I remember The Great Shark Hunt being an eye opener when I read it in the early 80s. An excerpt from a review summed things up: "He reported back that the paranoids were right, and they were."

both GWSH and F&LotCT, simply as a thought exercise for this coming November.

nearly everyday i wish HST were alive to comment on todays politicking. theres times it seems certain individuals in the US actually use HSTs reports as scripts for their behaviour. out-Gonzoing Gonzo. in a time where words fail for these things HST supplied the only vernacular that seems to describe how these people are.

PJ O'rourke is about the only one left of that ilk, tho hes a pale shadow of HST in his prime.

Thanks. I've just downloaded as my next read.