This book is thick as Hell, but the content in this collection of letters is hilarious, and also paints a unique picture of the time period in which they were written.

His take on Nixon and the Other politicians who where around at the time. Very interesting if you're a history buff like me and like the way he cuts through all the B.S. to tell what the people were all really about.

A must read for all Thompson fans. Through his personal correspondence, you see the beginnings and the growth of Gonzo journalism (he is assigned Ralph Steadman for the Derby only when Hunter's first choice is off on another job), all culminating in the Vegas book. Tracking the expansion of his skills and method is tedious at times, but an education in writing.

p.157 "The Great Scorer will like that story-and when he adds it in with the others, he will know that he is dealing with a warrior."
p.439 "But there is not much evidence in history of either God or Justice. The best we can hope for is Truth."

The letters of the good doctor were as wild, real, surreal, confrontational, rambling, and witty as Thompson himself and read like the best of his journalism or fiction.
These letters, addressed to everyone from the FCC to Jimmy Carter to George McGovern to Sue Grafton to newspapers to Tom Wolfe, and a plethora of friends, colleagues, family members, publishers, politicians, and enemies—and his enemies were legion—show that the public side of Thompson was the same as the private side.
Hunter was Hunter 24/7. Whether he was ranting at Jann Wenner or going off on tangents about the swine in public office, he was always himself and always sharp with a scathing remark.
Every facet of his life is on display here and numerous insights into the mind whirring behind the shades and cigarette holder. It’s like looking directly inside Hunter’s mind at what made him tick.
If you are as fascinated and reverent for Thompson as I am, this is essential reading. (I may not always have agreed with his views or actions but respect him for living life his way and his honesty at calling out the bullshit and I get the sense that who we are at our core is very similar).
If Hunter isn’t your scene, this will not persuade you. But to each their own. If Hunter himself were here, he’d understand.

You sometimes get the feeling from his published works that HST lived a carefree life of hedonism and financial success.These two volumes of correspondence counter that myth and paint a picture of a man in the throes of impending poverty,furiously burning the midnight oil in an attempt to extract fees and expense accounts to fend off the bailiff, and get credit at the local store.Its a hefty book and there's a few superfluous letters in there but on the whole its all compelling stuff if you want to know the truth behind the legend.Some will feel cheated and their perceptions shattered but I feel he doesn't come off that badly considering the pressures he puts himself under,trying to earn a crust freelancing and retaining his creative integrity as well as feeding his family at the same time.I'd rank this as a far better portrait of the man than any of the biographies that have been published and hope that a third volume will come around sometime in the future.

A bit too much

It's HST and I loved it. A great insight into a period of a man's life - from his point of view and at the time it happened. A man who said it like he saw it, and walked it like he talked it. Whether his views are for you (they are for me) or not, it's still an entertaining, open and honest read. One that I would imagine is impossible not to get anything out of. For example, on a writing level alone, 'witnessing' the thought processes that go into producing a text worthy of being read outside of one's significant others is worthy of the entrance fee alone.

Fine if you’ve read a ton of Hunter’s other works first but don’t start here.

This consists of a lot of letters and personal correspondences between Hunter and close friends, family, editors, and even a clothing company while he tried to return a jacket. It’s fine if you’ve exhausted all his other works but don’t start here. For a better collection of bite sized works check out “The Great Shark Hunt”.

I didn't love this one as much as the first volume of letters, I think mostly because it focuses so much on politics from the 1970s that I don't know much about. I was surprised to see how intimate Thompson was with people such as George McGovern and Jimmy Carter...the man never ceases to amaze.

I love this book & I love this author/journalist/all around fabulous entertainer! Enough said.

* I should have 'Better Than Sex' on my shelf, but it was stolen in 2001! :(

A great book about not compromising on your dreams. The book begins just before he met R. Steadman and ends just before he started to believe the myth he had created.There is no better way to get a view of a persons life as he saw it, through hi own eyes than by reading his letters, especially when the man is a prolific letter writer. The third book in this series has been delayed for a couple of years, probably because it is from '77-'05 that he began to sink himself into oblivion, it's sure to be a depressing read.
Cazart.

"Dark", "Brutal", "Savage", etc, etc.