Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

First edition
Author	Hunter S. Thompson
Illustrator	Ralph Steadman
Country	United States
Language	English
Series	Gonzo Series
Genre	Gonzo journalism
Publisher	Random House
Publication date	November 11, 1971 (magazine) July 7, 1972 (book)
Media type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages	204 pp
ISBN	0-679-78589-2
OCLC	41049769
Dewey Decimal	070/.92 B 21
LC Class	PN4874.T444 A3 1998b

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream is a 1971 novel in the gonzo journalism style by Hunter S. Thompson. The book is a roman à clef, rooted in autobiographical incidents. The story follows its protagonist, Raoul Duke, and his attorney, Doctor Gonzo, as they descend on Las Vegas to chase the American Dream through a drug-induced haze, all the while ruminating on the failure of the 1960s countercultural movement. The work is Thompson's most famous book and is noted for its lurid descriptions of illicit drug use and its early retrospective on the culture of the 1960s. Thompson's highly subjective blend of fact and fiction, which it popularized, became known as gonzo journalism. Illustrated by Ralph Steadman, the novel first appeared as a two-part series in Rolling Stone magazine in 1971 before being published in book form in 1972. It was later adapted into a film of the same title in 1998 by director Terry Gilliam, starring Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro, who portrayed Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo, respectively.