The Great Shark Hunt: Strange Tales from a Strange Time

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The Great Shark Hunt: Strange Tales from a Strange Time (The Gonzo Papers #1)

4.04 of 5 stars 4.04 · rating details · 6,727 ratings · 215 reviews

Originally published in 1979, the first volume of the bestselling "Gonzo Papers" is now back in print. The Great Shark Hunt is Dr. Hunter S. Thompson's largest and, arguably, most important work, covering Nixon to napalm, Las Vegas to Watergate, Carter to cocaine. These essays offer brilliant commentary and outrageous humor, in signature Thompson style. Ranging in date fro...more

Paperback, 589 pages

Published November 4th 2003 by Simon & Schuster (first published 1979)

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Aug 30, 2007 Benjamin Church rated it 4 of 5 stars

I came into reading this really long Thompson collection somewhat accidentally, but it shows that he is an extraordiary journalist with a convincing desire to pursue greater truths - an impression that really outshines the whimsical, drug-obsessed icon that he has been reduced to by the culture at large. Most of this book is about his experiences covering Richard Nixon and, given that we are at the height of another excessively arrogant conservative regime on the verge of self-destruction result...more

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Mar 05, 2008 Bob rated it 5 of 5 stars

"If I followed my better instincts right now, I would put this typewriter in the Volvo and drive to the home of the nearest politician -- any politician -- and hurl the goddamn machine through his front window ... flush the bugger out with an act of lunatic violence then soak him down with mace and run him naked down Main Street in Aspen with a bell around his neck and black lumps all over his body from the jolts of a high powered "Ball Buster" cattle prod.

But old age has either mellowed me or b...more

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Aug 09, 2011 Ryan Milbrath added it

This collection of articles from Rolling Stone, Newsweek, and various excerpts from his books Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Fear and Loathing on the '72 Campagin Trail, and Hells Angels: a Strange and Mysterious Saga provide a wonderful overview of Thompson's work throughout the late '60s and '70s. Classic articles like "The Great Shark Hunt," "The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved," and "Freak Power in the Rockies," stand with transcribed interviews, and detailed minutes with presidents...more

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Jul 05, 2012 Ugh rated it 5 of 5 stars

I actually read this as part of 'The Gonzo Papers Anthology', but I've just discovered to my enormous disappointment that the two books that make up the second half of the anthology comprise stories of only 2 or 3 pages, which doesn't really give you enough time to wiggle yourself a nice little niche and settle down for some real enjoyment, so I don't think I'm going to work my way through those anything like as quickly as I did The Great Shark Hunt.

Anyway, I loved most of TGSH. Not all of it ad...more I actually read this as part of 'The Gonzo Papers Anthology', but I've just discovered to my enormous disappointment that the two books that make up the second half of the anthology comprise stories of only 2 or 3 pages, which doesn't really give you enough time to wiggle yourself a nice little niche and settle down for some real enjoyment, so I don't think I'm going to work my way through those anything like as quickly as I did The Great Shark Hunt.

Anyway, I loved most of TGSH. Not all of it admittedly - there's a chunk of a good 80 or 100 or so pages that are too of-their-time to be of that much interest to someone who wasn't going to be born for another 10 years - but most of it is pure class. I had to keep annoying the missus by reading parts aloud to her, before I was forced to stop by her insisting on reading parts of what she was reading back at me. You don't need me to tell you that Hunter S was a one-of-a-kind, and the sheer craziness of some of the antics he committed to paper at times had me snorting with mirth almost every other paragraph. And it's not all substance abuse and maid harassment, as you might expect if you only know HST through Fear and Loathing. It's late-night motorcycle runs, naked porch-dwelling, shark hunting, running for mayor, and on and on all summer long.

If I were allowing my head to rule my heart I might be tempted to knock off one of those five stars because of the occassional slow periods that someone didn't trim from the anthology, but on the other hand completeness has its own virtues, and I loved the hijinks so much I would feel lousy for not recommending this with full force. Five it is.

Favourite quote: 'Before the cabbie could answer, the trooper smacked the flat of his hand down on the hood so hard the whole cab rattled. "You! Shut this engine!" Then he pointed at me: "You! Out of the cab. Let's see some identification." He reached for my wallet and motioned for me to follow him into the gatehouse. The cabbie started to follow, but the trooper waved him back. "Stay right where you are, good buddy, I'll get to you." The look on my driver's face said we were both going to jail and it was my fault. "It wasn't my idea to come out here," he whined. "This guy told me he was invited for breakfast with the governor."
The trooper was looking at the press cards in my wallet. I was already pouring sweat and just as he looked over at me I realized I was holding a can of beer in my hand. "You always bring your own beer when you have breakfast with the governor?" he asked.'

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Aug 02, 2011 Vikram added it

Hunter S Thompson pioneered 'gonzo' journalism, where the journalist is never a passive observer in the story, but indeed appears in the thick of it, oftentimes as a provocateur. The Great Shark Hunt is a collection of such 'gonzo' stories, from the early 1960's to the late 1970's. Included in this volume is 'The Kentucky Derby is decadent and depraved', the first story where the term made its first appearance.
Chronologically, the earlier writings in the book deal predominantly with cultures we...more

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Jul 26, 2011 Matti Karjalainen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: kotikirjasto, journalismi

Hunter S. Thompsonin "Suuri hainmetsästys" (Sammakko, 2010) sisältää valikoiman gonzo-journalismin isän kirjallisia trippejä 1960- ja 1970-luvulta. Thompsonin persoonallisia tekstejä julkaistiin mm. Rolling Stonessa ja Playboyssa, ja niiden aiheet käsittelevät mm. ammattilaisurheilua, Yhdysvaltain poliittista kuohuntaa, hippiliikettä ja erilaisia päihteitä. Presidentti Richard Nixon joutuu erityisesti Dr. Gonzon hampaisiin, ja Watergate-skandaalin käsittely kattaakin "Suuren hainmetsästyksen" se...more

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Jun 06, 2010 Asaucier rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: drug-culture, gonzo, journalism, politics, semi-autobiographical, new-journalism

THE GREAT SHARK HUNT: Gonzo Papers, Volume 1, Strange Tales from a Strange Time by Hunter S. Thompson

One of the best. An absolute must for every American, let alone Thompson fan - or journalist for that matter.

The following are a list of the articles from it that I have read, along with commentary and favorite quotes.

ARTICLES
The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved

A Southern City with Northern Problems

Fear and Loathing at the Super Bowl

Jacket Copy for Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savag...more

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Mar 08, 2013 Mikko added it

Gonzon mestarin moninaisia juttuja sisältävä jytäkkä lukupaketti. Ostin Sammakon alueelta parillakympillä kirjamessuilla 2012 ja lueskelin tätä jo kesällä, mutta vasta nyt sain loppuun. Luin tämän oikeastaan kahdella pidemmällä kertarykäisyllä.

Hunterin proosakiihdyttely on hienoimmillaan kirjaan sisällytetyssä, laajassa Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 -osiossa, joka toivottavasti joskus julkaistaan suomeksi kokonaan. Tässä pitkässä, katastrofaaliseksi osoittautunutta Nixonin uudellee...more Gonzon mestarin moninaisia juttuja sisältävä jytäkkä lukupaketti. Ostin Sammakon alueelta parillakympillä kirjamessuilla 2012 ja lueskelin tätä jo kesällä, mutta vasta nyt sain loppuun. Luin tämän oikeastaan kahdella pidemmällä kertarykäisyllä.

Hunterin proosakiihdyttely on hienoimmillaan kirjaan sisällytetyssä, laajassa Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 -osiossa, joka toivottavasti joskus julkaistaan suomeksi kokonaan. Tässä pitkässä, katastrofaaliseksi osoittautunutta Nixonin uudelleenvalintaa ja sen jälkipyykkiä setvivässä osiossa arvon kuminaamapressa saa helvetin vihaisen lehtimiehen kädestä vuosisadan löylytyksen.

Tohtorin raflaava tyyli pistää pohtimaan omaa suhtautumistaan nykyjournalismiin. Thompsonin juttuja on kiva lukea näin kirjamuodossa, mutta miten suhtautuisin, jos Hesarissa alkaisi paukkua samanlaista tavaraa vallanpitäjistä? Tulisiko nieltyä parikin kertaa tyhjää ja kuuluisiko Risto Uimosen pelihousujen repeäminen Inariin asti? Itse olen sitä mieltä, että jos ei (mieluiten) Hunterin tyylistä (koska gonzo tyylinä on todella vaikea), niin hänen silmittömästä rohkeudestaan voisi ottaakin useampi oppia. Suomalainen laatujournalismi tarvitsisi hitaiden juttujen rinnalle myös Thompsonin esimerkin mukaisesti häpeämättömän räävitöntä, mutta laadukasta tavaraa.

Takaisin itse kirjaan: Ajoittain isompien kokonaisuuksien väliin ripotellut, ns. astetta normaalimmat (vaikkakin jo vastavirtakulttuurin ihannointia tapailevat) artikkelit ovat kiehtovia välipaloja ja jotkut (kuten Hunterin ystävästä, Oscar Acostasta tai kolmatta kertaa maailmanmestariksi yrittävästä Muhammad Alista kertovat jutut) taas ovat ihan mielenkiintoisia kuriositeetteja, vaikkeivät parasta tekstiä. Yleisesti voisi sanoa, että kirjan taso valitettavasti hieman laskee loppua kohden.

Onneksi pääosa jutuista on viihdyttäviä. Esimerkiksi kokoelman nimikkoartikkeli - vai pitäisikö puhua jo novellista - on Pelkoa ja inhoa Las Vegasissa -teoksesta muistuttavaa hupailua, jossa Hunterin pitäisi apurinsa kera tehdä ökyrikkaiden urheilukalastuskisoista juttua. Lopputuloksena on, että arvon tohtorimme päätyy kirjoittamaan muutamalla rivillä kisojen olevan tylsää paskaa ja kaikkien siihen osallistuvien olevan korruptoituneita idiootteja. Suurin osa stoorista kuluu sen kuvailuun millaisilla eri tavoilla päänsä voi pistää sekaisin, kun on tylsää.

Vaikka yleensä Thompsonin huumori on minulle vähän liiankin mustaa ja kärjistettyä, nauroin useaan otteeseen ääneen herrojen happopäistä ja alati sekavammaksi muuttuvaa "lomareissua" lukiessani. Myös gonzon klassisena lähtölaukauksena pidetty Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved, amerikkalaisen jalkapallon tilaa käsittelevä Fear and Loathing in Super Bowl ja Hunterin kotikaupungin, Aspenin, Freak Power -puoleen aiheuttamista skandaaleista kertova Freak Power in the Rockies jäivät eri artikkelipoiminnoista mieleen, valtaosan nielevän Nixon -tykityksen rinnalla.

Sen perusteella mitä nyt olen Hunteria ehtinyt lukemaan, sanoisin tämän lukupaketin olevan se mihin pitää lisää gonzoilua halajavan tarttua, jos Pelkoa ja inhoa Las Vegasissa on tehnyt vaikutuksen - kunhan ei vain lähde sillä tapaa naurettavilla odotuksilla liikkeelle, että koko 700 sivua olisi puhdasta huumehörhöilyä vailla journalistisen Painavaa Asiaa. Ehdottomasti olennaisempi ja miellyttävämpi lukukokemus kuin vaikka Pelon valtakunta tai tylsistyttävän huono Rommipäiväkirja.(less)

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Dec 14, 2011 Ensiform rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

The Gonzo Papers, Volume One, apparently. Cazart! Six hundred and eighty pages of articles by the man himself on a variety of subjects is enough to make anyone believe that bad craziness is our only inheritance. A lot about Nixon. Some sports writing: hilarious observations on the Super Bowl, practically reverent analysis of Ali. A defense of Carter. The hippie movement in Haight-Ashbury at its inception. The McGovern "juggernaut." The horror that was Hubert Humphrey. Rough stuff in South Americ...more

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Jan 03, 2013 Chin Jian xiong rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013

Hunter S. Thompson defines everything good about journalism, despite extreme subjectivity, rampant decadence and pure mania. There's strange power in words, how Hunter seems more trustworthy than any other piece of longform work out there.

The last writer who had this impact on me was David Foster Wallace, due to how his extreme maximalism and constant introspection created the illusion that he was right there talking in your face. Well, while David Foster Wallace manifests himself as that philo...more

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Jan 11, 2010 David rated it 5 of 5 stars

Some of the best writing ever published by Doctor Gonzo can be found in Volume 1 of his Gonzo Papers, The Great Shark Hunt. This volume of work contains a wide variety of snippets from Thompson’s writing career, from the span of 1962 to 1978.

Let me begin by saying that Thompson is one of my favorite authors, and I have read nearly all of his books, including one of the other volumes in the Gonzo Papers collection. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a great piece of work, and is probably the most...more Some of the best writing ever published by Doctor Gonzo can be found in Volume 1 of his Gonzo Papers, The Great Shark Hunt. This volume of work contains a wide variety of snippets from Thompson’s writing career, from the span of 1962 to 1978.

Let me begin by saying that Thompson is one of my favorite authors, and I have read nearly all of his books, including one of the other volumes in the Gonzo Papers collection. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a great piece of work, and is probably the most recognizable for the average person. But this collection is so thorough and impressive that I would recommend anybody to give it a read, regardless of their knowledge of Thompson.

The Great Shark Hunt begins with coverage of the Kentucky Derby, including a piece that Ralph Steadman collaborated on - the first meeting of Thompson and Steadman, who became a unique illustrator for later works by Thompson. Both men essentially drank too much during the derby and made fools of themselves. But the writing is incredibly fresh - even today in 2010, nearly half a century after the original event took place.

The second portion of the book is a rehash of Thompson’s Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ’72, which I would recommend to anyone interested in politics. Most of the material in this second portion is simply a reprint of that book, but it was interesting to read it again after having just survived the first year of Obama’s presidential term.

Following that are some interesting thoughts on a variety of topics, including society in South America, the 1965 version of Haight-Ashbury, or “Hashbury,” and the nonstudent movements at America’s universities. I found the piece on Hashbury extremely enlightening for me personally, because it sheds light on what Haight-Ashbury was like before the Summer of Love. After absorbing so much information about 1967, it was interesting to see what the area was like beforehand.

The last section of the book covers shark hunting, Jimmy Carter, a reprint of some sections of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and coverage of Muhammed Ali. The shark hunting story was very interesting and raw. If even half of what Thompson writes actually happened, it’s amazing that he and his cohorts escaped alive. You’ll just have to read it to understand the gravity of the situation.

If you’ve liked any of Thompson’s work before, you should already know that this will be an enjoyable book for you to read. If you haven’t, I can honestly advise this as the first book you should read. It is a bit long, and not as accessible as Las Vegas or The Rum Diary, but it has more depth.(less)

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May 21, 2009 Stop added it

The STOP SMILING Downfall of American Publishing Issue dedicates 40 pages to an oral history of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, which includes interviews with collaborators and friends such as Ralph Steadman, Craig Vetter, wife Anita Thompson, PJ O'Rourke, and more.

About the issue, Slate media critic Jack Shafer wrote, "Stop Smiling's oral history of Hunter S. Thompson bested Rolling Stone's similarly constructed special issue about the Doctor in every way.

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Mar 17, 2012 Logan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Logan by: Matt Darnell

Shelves: damn-the-man, drugs, essays, joyous_nihilism, not-owned

Readers who only know of Hunter S. Thompson from his acid-washed hunt for the American Dream in one of this countries most deranged metropolitan wastes will find a different sort of Hunter here. Given the man's talent for spectacle, pomposity and grand acts of destruction, it's easy for people to forget that before he was a legend, Hunter S. Thompson was a talented and capable journalist- one of those rare souls who was perfectly able to capture the flavor of the 60s zeitgeist, both its rapturou...more Readers who only know of Hunter S. Thompson from his acid-washed hunt for the American Dream in one of this countries most deranged metropolitan wastes will find a different sort of Hunter here. Given the man's talent for spectacle, pomposity and grand acts of destruction, it's easy for people to forget that before he was a legend, Hunter S. Thompson was a talented and capable journalist- one of those rare souls who was perfectly able to capture the flavor of the 60s zeitgeist, both its rapturous highs and its naive faith that a better world could simply be visualized into existence. Before his image became a caricature to be bandied about by everyone from Doonesbury's Gary Trudeau to Johnny Depp's recent ham-fisted offerings (I take no umbrage with Fear & Loathing, that was Gilliam at his greatest, but rather the execrable adaptation of The Rum Diaries and the animated spoof of Rango) Thompson offered up some truly great pieces of journalism.

The Great Shark Hunt collects many of these lesser known writings of Thompson's. There are some definite retreads of what has been widely available elsewhere- the entirety of Part II was culled primarily from his Fear & Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72, which is an interesting snapshot of life on the campaign trail with the underdog George McGovern campaign that somehow found itself the Democratic nominee despite the Dem establishment's fiercest protests and then fell apart with supreme gusto, allowing Nixon a landslide re-election. The closest example I can think of from recent elections is how close Howard Dean came to upsetting the staid Democratic platform before an unfortunate moment of exuberance caused the nomination to be handed to John "Do I Have A Pulse?" Kerry.

For the most part, however, much of this material was new to me and featured many fine gems. The book is worth reading if only for Thompson's magnificent reporting from his hometown in "The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent & Depraved," which recounts the author's first meeting with his long-time illustrator Ralph Steadman and their liquor-fueled romps during the pinnacle event of white Southern gentry's year. Most interesting for me, Part III features political reports sent North during 1963 while Thompson was covering events in ever-turbulent South America. With his characteristic sneer for all those who would use their power to enrich rather than help, Thompson issues communiques from Puerto Estrella, a lawless city of Colombian smugglers, reports on the Peruvian military's overthrow of the popularly elected APRA party in order to maintain the same 40 family's grip on the nation, and recounts a showdown between the Brazilian military and a Rio nightclub which ends with bullets spraying and grenades being lobbed onto the bustling dance floor all to teach the owner a lesson in respect. All throughout Thompson never fails to shine a critical eye on the American expats and businessmen who never fail to embrace the inherent racism of former colonial masters, despairing about Peruvians inability to realize that the gringos are only trying to help and refusing to realize that riding in on a white horse to save them is just a rebranding of the same paternalism that South Americans have been dealing with since the Conquistadors decided to save by slaughter.

This is by no means a must-read, and I definitely found myself lagging through many of the articles, but for anyone who enjoys Thompson's personal brand of biting rhetoric it is an amusing and informative look at the works of a man who was never afraid to say exactly what he was thinking at a given time and who never failed to be shocked and appalled by the perversion of his American Dream by moneyed interests playing upon a populace's fears. In an era that seems so eerily reminiscent of the times in which Thompson was at the top of his game, reading the words of a man who was always willing to voice his outrage is a useful reminder.(less)

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May 28, 2010 Taylar rated it 5 of 5 stars

So....... how in love am I with HST after reading this??? Very, very much so! I learned a lot about him through these different pieces written from the early 1960's through 1978 for a variety of different publications. Very different. The evolution of his writing, and maturation, are evident throughout the sections of pieces, ranging from sports writing to early, early explorations through South America to covering Watergate to drug escapades and thorough investigative endeavors. I loved it, esp...more

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Mar 07, 2013 Markus Jevring rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book is very even. This is largely due to the fact that it isn't a book with an ongoing narrative, as much as it is a collection of letters and essays. Mostly it's covering things like the Nixon campaign, which, while occasionally funny and interesting, is mostly filler. The best parts of this book are the descriptions of experiences Thompson has. There is very little Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas in this book, but there is a little. If you came for that, you'll largely be disappointed.

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Aug 02, 2012 Jim rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people who feel they don't fit in

This is the visceral, beating heart of America dowsed in Wild Turkey and poked with a cigarette holder. This is pattern for the Hawaii shirt of irreverence and individualism which makes the USA the sometime greatest place in the world; a double-thumbed clenched fist in the face of conformity, conservatism, and complacency; a scream transformed into a laconic, booze-soaked, heliotropic acid flashback; Hendrix in print; a`smoking shotgun of cynicism; a suicide note for the Beat movement and a call...more

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Oct 31, 2012 Brohanu rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is raw, distilled Hunter S. Thompson. Thought-provoking, introspective journalism. I've heard he was criticized for re-using content, but I assumed that was because it was a compilation of seldom-seen articles never before in book print, but it actually does contain excerpts from Hell's Angels, Campaign Trail '72, and even Las Vegas. As a result it seems much more apt to be an introduction to Thompson's work more than a deep-digging work for hardcore fans. Needless to say, it's still great...more

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Dec 17, 2008 Brett rated it 5 of 5 stars

While this book is a collection of other writings, it is like a best of Hunter S Thompson. I have never read anything in my life where there was so few lulls and yet so many memorable stories of the shark hunt as the title says, going through customs with a ton of drugs, going to the Kentucky Derby, writing on the culture of the 70's change from the spirit of the 60's. Hunter was truly a wild journalist whose kind may never be witnessed again but whose writing is undeniably a spirit of great Ame...more

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Oct 09, 2012 Bill added it

It's election season, and although I have officially stopped giving a shit what any politician says, ever, it's nice to re-read this classic, just to remind myself why politicians belong at the bottom of the ocean with insurance salesmen and advertising people. And Red Sox fans.

How does anyone review Hunter Thompson? You just read, and enjoy, or not. If you don't, go read George Will, or Cal Thomas, or David Brooks, or Tom Friedman. Good luck to you.

For those who've never read this Thompson col...more

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Apr 23, 2012 Trevor rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: gonzo

From his adventures South of the Border, to his mind-numbing dealings with politics in the 60s and 70s, Thompson offers a viewpoint not often revisited in historical textbooks, biographies or journals. Hunter S. has a brilliant tendency to completely remove the reader from her time and place, and bring her along, right next to him, bumping and grinding through these historical events. You can almost taste the cigarette smoke and hear his teeth rattling.

My favorite article, by far, was about the...more

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May 11, 2013 Rich Meyer rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2013

This book of Hunter S. Thompson essays and articles covers most of his early career, especially the time period when he was writing Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Hell's Angels and the Watergate scandal. Many of these articles were incorporated into those other books, but a good portion of it hasn't been printed before outside of the original, now very-hard-to-find, periodicals.

This is vintage Thompson. He covers pop icons (Jean Claude Killy, Muhammad Ali) in a way that you wish even E! News co...more

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Jul 15, 2011 Adam rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: history

Here we have a crash-course in Thompson from the 1960s and '70s, including:
--The first "Gonzo Journalism" article, a piece on the Kentucky Derby that introduces the collaboration with Ralph Steadman and seems to hold the origins of the "Fear and Loathing" moniker.
--Excerpts from his famous books "Hell's Angels," "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," and "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72."
--The article recounting the events leading up to "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," explaining Thompso...more

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Sep 09, 2008 Phil rated it 4 of 5 stars

The book is a collection of his essays from the 70's. Thompson's writing style has changed the way I look at things now. He doesn't have a filter between his brain and fingers and that's where he shines. Yeah, although he uses caricatures to describe the filth, drunkenness and debauchery that happens on the infield of the Kentucky Derby (and thereby ruins the whole air of the event), it's a new way (back in the 70's) of journalism. so deal. Thompson hated Dick Nixon and he let the president and...more

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Jul 25, 2008 Jess rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

In this collection, I finally got to read a lot of his writing that I had previously read about him writing in the letters collections. It's pretty rare and amazing to get to see both sides. The letters he was writing were to friends and collaborators, editors and publishers, talking about what he wanted to write about, his ideas, his methods, what he was aiming for. Knowing those things made reading this collection all the more interesting because it was part of a process. I got to see the fini...more

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May 19, 2009 Heather rated it 5 of 5 stars

Again, I love HST. The book is a collecion of his early articles before he really started inserting himself into them, and you can still see his talent for exploring, understanding and relating the human condition to you the reader. He really is a master of this craft. His rants on politics are the most entertaining, especially since we get to enjoy them in hind sight, and know how everything unfolds as he is writing it and jut guessing at how it all will end. Ohh my. Another book I love.

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Sep 22, 2008 Adam rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: square journalists, punks, electoral junkies

Shelves: lefty

The most extraordinary thing I've ever read. I inhaled this book. It would keep me up way too late at night, drinking whiskey and chamomile tea. Truly hilarious. I would laugh aloud like an old man. Gonzo's writing consumed my thoughts for the two months it took me to finish the almost 700-page monster. Aside from Lester Bangs and various punk histories (to be reviewed soon), really the only thing I had read about America in the 70s. And the first thing I had read about electoral politics in the...more

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Oct 28, 2010 Hiten Samtani rated it 4 of 5 stars

Gonzo transformed the personal narrative into a violent mosaic of drug-distorted perception, rich imagery, and poetic metaphor, all laced with the strangeness of truth. The Great Shark Hunt is a collection of some of HST's finest articles, ranging from his scathing portrait of Nixon to his devastating description of Mohammad Ali's decline.

The Great Shark Hunt helped me understand a very important time, through the not-so-sane eyes, mind and quill of a gifted writer. A must-read.

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May 18, 2011 Comedian999 rated it 5 of 5 stars

If you have any urge to see how Thompson progressed from merely a talented journalist into the Fear and Loathing Gonzo writer of film and legend, this is invaluable. You can see a slow progression through his National Observer stories, with a quantum leap into his most famous style in the Scanlon Kentucky Derby story... and the beginning of the decline in his Mohammed Ali coverage in the later 70's. All the Gonzo Papers books are fun. This one, however, is essential.

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Feb 23, 2010 Josh rated it 4 of 5 stars

A mostly chronological collection of articles written by HST, sometimes punctuated by outsiders' reaction to or insights into the stories. As with any anthology, some are hits and other are misses but on the whole there are some incredible stories in this tome and just as many hilarious moments sure to liven your mood. If your a HST fan then this is a great addition to your library, as some of the stories are lesser referenced/told and their flavor is decidedly different from other things he's w...more

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Jun 14, 2009 Joshua rated it 4 of 5 stars

Hunter S. Thomson was one of those guys that took a really void form (Journalism)and turned it into something way more life-affirming and rich and interesting. Sometimes he lapses into bogusly playing up his persona, but his writing is so fucking sharp and he's funny. He really delivers what I want from a journalist: someone who actually ILLUMINATES a current-event situation. I'll never finish this book, it's something I flip through when I'm in the mood.

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About Hunter S. Thompson

Hunter Stockton Thompson was an American journalist and author, famous for his book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. He is credited as the creator of Gonzo journalism, a style of reporting where reporters involve themselves in the action to such a degree that they become the central figures of their stories. He is also known for his promotion and use of psychedelics and other mind-altering substanc...more

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Books by Hunter S. Thompson

Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72

Kingdom of Fear: Loathsome Secrets of a Star-Crossed Child in the Final Days of the American Century

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Quotes from The Great Shark Hunt: ...

“I've always considered writing the most hateful kind of work. I suspect it's a bit like fucking, which is only fun for amateurs. Old whores don't do much giggling.” — 185 people liked it

“In a nation run by swine, all pigs are upward-mobile and the rest of us are fucked until we can put our acts together: not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely.” — 128 people liked it

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The Great Shark Hunt: Strange Tales from a Strange Time (The Gonzo Papers #1)

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