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9th out of 67 books
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7 voters
The Proud Highway: Saga of a Desperate Southern Gentleman, 1955-1967 (The Fear and Loathing Letters #1)
Here, for the first time, is the private and most intimate correspondence of one of America's most influential and incisive journalists--Hunter S. Thompson. In letters to a Who's Who of luminaries from Norman Mailer to Charles Kuralt, Tom Wolfe to Lyndon Johnson, William Styron to Joan Baez--not to mention his mother, the NRA, and a chain of newspaper editors--Thompson viv...more
Paperback, 720 pages
Published
April 7th 1998
by Ballantine Books
(first published 1997)
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Imagine having your dream job of writing, only to be fired 10 times in a row, to then squander in poverty for 10 years with your wife and child, following your dream.... only to become famous for putting yourself in the center of a true story about the Hells Angels where you were almost beaten to death. Hunter lived an extraordinary life, and this hilarious book gives a behind the scenes look from his own Letters. Incredibly, Hunter kept copies of over 10,000 letters he wrote - before photocopyi...more
I started reading this four or five years ago,got about a fifth of the way through it and put it on the shelf.I guess I was wanting drug addled ranting at the time which is not really what this book is made of.However on picking the book up again recently in a more open and mature state of mind I found it to be a thoroughly good insight into the mans character and sometimes dire (mostly self-inflicated) situations he faced as a young man learning his trade.
The book is well edited with notes be...more
The book is well edited with notes be...more
This is the book that reveals the free-spirited intellect, which through his letters, essays and short biography, provided a much needed prophetic voice. He represented powerful truth and insight into the early post-war military-industrial machine as well as the moral and ethical fabric of America itself into the Cold War. I was both surprised and delighted to immerse myself into this book while residing in a small apartment in Morningside Heights dealing with a not-so-minuscule cocaine addictio...more
This is a book for those who love literature, especially Hunter S Thompsons work. The hundreds of letters that make up this book show his many moods and his honesty.
Thompson was critical of himself and others, but not in a nasty way. Well, yes, he could be a complete pain in the arse, but he always seems to apologise for rudeness if it's to people he cares about. Those who are called to account without mercy are usually unimaginative dolts who lack creative ideas.
I'm biased, of course. Many wi...more
Thompson was critical of himself and others, but not in a nasty way. Well, yes, he could be a complete pain in the arse, but he always seems to apologise for rudeness if it's to people he cares about. Those who are called to account without mercy are usually unimaginative dolts who lack creative ideas.
I'm biased, of course. Many wi...more
Separate man from myth.
Understand dedication.
Understand destiny.
Understand Puerto Rico.
Understand dedication.
Understand destiny.
Understand Puerto Rico.
This is a truly unique autobiography, comprised of HST's self-archived letters and correspondences with the world (everyone: family, editors, landlords, lovers, colleagues, politicians, the Hell's Angels, etc.) early in his writing career. 300 or so pages of letters compiled in chronological order might make for a dry read if you're not seriously into the guy, but this is easily the most thorough and honest examination out there of HST the Human Being, as opposed to the caricature that became hi...more
The various biographies of Thompson and memoirs by friends are largely terribly written--sometimes attempting poorly to mimic his inimitable style--uninformative, or crassly pandering attempts to cash in on their brushes with fame. The first volume of Thompson's letters serves as a far more informative biography. In it, we see the young Thompson, full of brio and convinced that he has figured out the world, when he hasn't even found his voice or the calling to write. Slowly, after suffering the...more
Municipal Court Magistrate, Town Hall, West Milford, NJ November 6, 1959:
"Dear Sir,
Earlier today I was given a summons to appear before your court on November 9, on a charge of 'leaving the scene of an accident.' I shall have to decline this appearance, and I hope this letter will explain why. By November 9, I shall be well out of the state of New Jersey, but I don't want to leave without explaining my position..."
"So, faced with a choice of paying a minimum of $25 for falling off a motor scoo...more
"Dear Sir,
Earlier today I was given a summons to appear before your court on November 9, on a charge of 'leaving the scene of an accident.' I shall have to decline this appearance, and I hope this letter will explain why. By November 9, I shall be well out of the state of New Jersey, but I don't want to leave without explaining my position..."
"So, faced with a choice of paying a minimum of $25 for falling off a motor scoo...more
If you want to understand what it took to give birth to Gonzo journalism, read this book. Hunter S. Thompson, the man most people know as a drug crazed mad man who answers to no one, has to start somewhere. This book tells the story of a man trying to get his start as a writer and eventually succeeding in piecing together the beginnings of something beautiful. As a bonus, this book also reveals much about HST as a reader.
The letters of Hunter S. Thompson from his early years in the Military, to his time in the Carribean and beyond. This compilation is a wonderful reflection by Thompson of his early life. One can see the effect the author he was reading at any given time had on his writing. If you love HST, you must pick up this book. Very long, but a wonderful bathroom book. Read a few letters at a time.
track's Thompson's prodigious correspondence from his early days in Louisville to his time in the military and his early career prior to his big break when he wrote "Hell's Angel's." gives great insight into his brilliant mind and outrageous approach to the world. if you are a fan of hunter thompson and his work, this is required reading. might be less compelling if you're not.
I loved this book of letters, but primary because I know and have read more of his work that just Fear in Loathing in Las Vegas. If you are looking for a series of mind bending letters from a wild, drug addled abortive journalist, then this is not the book for you. If however, you are interested in Thompson, and how he came to be, then you should read this before you read any biography on him out there. Nobody expresses his journey quite like he does to friends, relatives, editors and others.
Exc...more
Exc...more
This is my first (albeit short) review that I have written on this site: I cannot more highly recommend any book or collection of Hunter S. Thompson's papers, ephemera, etc. If you have read any of his work read this-- every letter that they have found of his, including return correspondence, is collected in this rather massive collection.
If theres only one thing youre ever going to read by this man, make it this. Its his life biography, written in real time in prolific letters to everyone and anyone who would listen in his life. if you want to learn anything about hunter s. here is the best place to do it with the most accuracy. its amazing.
Feb 26, 2009
Dagney
marked it as to-read
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This may be my favorite Hunter Thompson book. It's a collection of letters (he saved carbons of everything he ever wrote) from a young writer, not yet proven, but cocksure and brash as they come. He reaches out to publishers, politicians, and friends as he begins to carve a niche as a journalist and novelist.
It's his most honest writing, and as all these letters were written before his legend had surpassed his talent, you don't get the 'Gonzo' treatment, or the lazy indignation that fueled his...more
It's his most honest writing, and as all these letters were written before his legend had surpassed his talent, you don't get the 'Gonzo' treatment, or the lazy indignation that fueled his...more
May 08, 2013
Claire Lafleur
added it
There are very few books I can say that have honestly impacted my worldview; this is one, and Hunter was better at truth than his quasi-fiction, but bless his heart if he wasn't always finding some cage to rattle. R.I.P. my literary god, you are sorely missed as the shoes are too large to fill...
Mar 04, 2010
De Facto
is currently reading it
Golly gee whiz, but this is wonderful. I am fond of collections of letters, and this collection is a wonderful showcase for HST's development as a young writer, particularly when he is mimicking styles (Menken, Fitzgerald, etc) in his letters. A must read for fans and students of writing style.
If nothing else this book is noteworthy for the "Midnight on the Coast Highway" epilogue, which comes about as close to perfection as anything I can imagine. Arguable, yeah - but there's no denying the talent Thompson exemplifies herein when it comes to sheer linguistic ability
This book is a very special book for me. Although it is not a work of fiction, in fact it is a collection of Thompson's letters, it is what stimulated my own desire to write which carries on today. I would heartily recommend this to anyone who enjoys words and phraseology.
I first picked up this book BEFORE reading Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (but after I had actually seen the movie). These letters are a treasure of watching one of America's most celebrated, outrageous authors develop from his very early days in high school through the air force to newspaper jobs and finally his jaunt out to San Francisco. I read these a while ago, but I laughed, I got angry, I vigorously agreed with sentiments, and I marveled at what an intense correspondent Hunter was with al...more
Hunter S. Thompson is the single most important political writer in my lifetime. His perspective is just as explosively wild as modern capitalistic Republican logic.
This early work exposes his art when he was still green.
This early work exposes his art when he was still green.
Fascinating look into Thompson's early career, giving you a clear view into the behind the scenes life. His letters are such a better read than the Rum Diary, it's hard to imagine they were written at the same time.
Thus far... fantastic coverage of the early years of one of the worlds greatest story tellers, truth revealers and life lovers.
The essay in the early pages of the book on security changed my life.
The essay in the early pages of the book on security changed my life.
I love me some Hunter S, but this book just doesn't read along like his novels. I didn't realize it is really a collection of letters, and I'm just not that fond of reading other people's correspondence.
I'm putting the book down because it is TOO LONG and too much random information: just the way Hunter would have liked it.
I'm putting the book down because it is TOO LONG and too much random information: just the way Hunter would have liked it.
Just finished today, well worth reading as a fan can see how his writing developed through correspondence from his earliest days to what most fans will recognize in his more famous books
This collection of Hunter S. Thompson's letters offers, perhaps, the best insight into his genius. His letters, even at a young age, were literate, exotic, interesting and wildly amusing.
Thompson's correspondence scrapes away the mythos he so carefully crafted around himself & shows the real man beneath: brilliant (both as a writer & self-promoter); energetic (yet often lazy to the point of sloth); incredibly intelligent (yet oddly naive); angry (many times justifiably but often for its own sake); self-destructive; petulant (but a student of life); supremely insightful (but easily distracted); egomaniacal (to the bone); jealous of and a complete bastard to almost anyone...more
My last exposure to Hunter S. Thompson was in high school, when I read the Rum Diary and of course Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas; it's not to say I wasn't impressed, but after reading the Proud Highway I am completed..enamored..? by Thompson's writing. Nothing can be more insightful than this amazing collection of his correspondences, and of course his letters are incredibly well-written, politically charged at times and there are even a couple of love letters thrown in the mix. so good!
This is one of my favorite and most cherished books. You don't get more honest writing from Hunter than his letters. You know someone is important when you read an entire book simply of letters they've written and you can't put it down....and you make notes in the margins. You get to peak into Hunter's personal life and the struggles of this professional life and follow him from the non-existence of his career into the very beginning of his fame. He is an undescribable genius. And I never unders...more
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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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“A man who procrastinates in his choosing will inevitably have his choice made for him by circumstance.”
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“We are all alone, born alone, die alone, and -- in spite of True Romance magazines -- we shall all someday look back on our lives and see that, in spite of our company, we were alone the whole way. I do not say lonely -- at least, not all the time -- but essentially, and finally, alone. This is what makes your self-respect so important, and I don't see how you can respect yourself if you must look in the hearts and minds of others for your happiness.”
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