Hunter S. Thompson Books

 Greetings, JR here. I make my meager living selling Hunter Thompson & Ralph Steadman books on the internet. In the last 3 years I’ve sent a little over 4000 books all over this planet. I have never sold a signed Hunter Thompson book on an auction site. Why? I could not afford to purchase a book with a known provenance, autographed by the Doc & attempt to re-sell it.  In book listing services autographed HSTs usually start at around $300. and go up, sometimes way up. If you are looking for autographed Hunter books on an auction site, BE SCARED, BE VERY SCARED.  You should assume there’s a very good possiblity it’s NOT authentic.  I’m not saying all autographed HSTs in auction sites are fakes. I will never make a claim to be an “expert” on HST autographs, I’m not. I do own a few books signed by the Doc.

I have heard time & again from several collectors, some of whom are experts on autographed Hunter material, state that the majority of his books sold as “signed” in auction sites are fakes, they are bogus.  Possibly as much as 90%. That’s 9 out of 10.
  I have purchased a few signed Doc books. The sellers satisfied my mind as to background & history. How could you maybe know if an autograph is real? Ask questions. Email sellers. Ask questions such as, “Do you have any background on this signature? Can you tell me anything that will help me to consider this real?”  There are cases where a seller may not have any information to share. It’s an unknown book. They could have found it anywhere & got lucky. Or? They could have faked a Hunter signature, signed it yesterday, and put it at auction today.

This is an HST autograph, (below) it’s not real. I signed this for Marty, it’s in a book that was published after the Doc died. no chance it could be real, it was just a joke.

  For me a seller saying “I guarantee this” is easy to say, sometimes means nothing & is much harder to back up.
If they can provide some background (like I got this signed on this date at this place, or it came from so & so’s well known collection, or I ran into the Doc in the Woody Creek Tavern in ‘92 & after he yelled at me, he signed my book) & appear to be an honest seller that’s a step in right direction. A seller saying “I bought this on a auction site” could mean anything. It does not mean the signature is valid. It’s not very helpful in trying to figure out if a signature might be real. I’m not saying that if ? A person selling a signed HST book cannot provide any answers that the book is faked. It just makes it much more difficult. I take people at face value, but without some kind of proof, or background, something logical, I am aware a seller could say anything. Would a person selling fake autographs say “Yeah it’s fake?” No.

  Here are a few guidelines, maybe say warning signs to look for. This is from my viewpoint as a seller. Be leery of an auction that runs only a short time, like 1 day or 3 days. WHY? would anyone who thought their “signed” HST book may sell well, rush it in a abbreviated auction? Normally speaking, less days at auction, means less exposure, means less chance for a better selling price. OR? here’s a thought. It’s fake, the seller is aware it’s fake & they hope to capitalize by selling it quick, for whatever. If you have a $10 book, add a fake signature and sell it for $100. That’s a pretty good way to make some cash. Over the last 3 years I have seen a few different sellers, on way too regular of a basis, keep offering at auction another “signed” copy. Like clockwork. It maybe once a month, maybe every few weeks. Too many alarm bells go off in my head. Where would any one person acquire 10 or 20 copies “signed’ of the same book & still be able to constantly sell them?  For instance, I see the Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas (movie tie in edition)  “signed’ and constantly offered at aution from the same person. How? could a seller have copies of a 10 year old book, supposedly “autographed” and still have stock of them to offer for sale 10 years later? Oh, yeah, they are probably fake. Anyone could “sign” HST’s autograph & have a life times supply of autographed books to sell. With a little practice, how hard could it be to fake 3 letters of the alphabet? That seems like one answer. Possibly an very accurate thought. How could any one seller constantly have lots of different Hunter titles “signed’ to offer for sale. Where did they come from?  If a seller cannot answer your questions & concerns about where this autograph book originated, cannot provide any logical answers to your questions, or says something like “It looks fine to me, I think it’s real”. Be Scared. Assume it may be fake.

Unfortunately it’s simply some what of a crap shoot. If you take the time to research known, real signatures of Hunter, maybe some of the more shaky scary “autographs” will be more apparent. Usually Hunter’s bookplates are safe. Do some research instead of going nuts bidding on unknown “signed” HSTs looking for a bargain. Photos of known signed books, such as the limited signed Taschen Curse of Lono, or the first issue of Screw Jack are out there. They crop up and usually include a scan of the autograph. Look around the Internet.  It’s still not an easy answer. I don’t have one. If a seller offering numerous autographed HST books is buying up numerous HST books. That’s not a good sign in my mind. Why would someone selling “signed” HST want a stock of Hunter books? Oh yeah, to sign them and resell. Ask lots of questions, keep an open mind but be very wary. Good Luck, real autographs are out there and sometimes can be found for reasonable costs.

I just received an email from a lady named Emily. She asked me if I know of any UK based fan sites dedicated to all things Gonzo or Hunter S. Thompson, or things of that ilk. So if you could post a comment here or let me know at hstbooks@gmail.com let’s see if we can help her out. Also, Emily if you see this, I tried to reply to your email but I am getting a delivery failure notice for some reason.

Pat left a comment on the questions and answers post…“Having never read any of Hunter Thompson’s books, I’d like to know why he’s revered as a great author. What sets him apart from other authors of his time period“?

Well Pat, Marty here, I think one of the things that sets him apart from other authors would have to be the fact that he created Gonzo Journalism. Although Hunter Thompson did not come up with the name “Gonzo” The man responsible for that was a chap by the name Bill Cardoso, who was an editor for the Boston Globe magazine. He referred to Thompson’s article Kentucky Derby in Scanlans magazine in 1970 as “Pure Gonzo Journalism” Although most will agree that Thompson’s first example of Gonzo Journalism was in his first book Hells Angels, written 4 years earlier in 1966 but it had started as an article titled “Losers and Outsiders” about the gang for the Nation, a periodical paper about culture and politics.

I guess a brief way to describe it would be to say that Gonzo Journalism is the art of reporting, where the journalist includes himself in the story, using sarcasm and exaggeration. Sometimes stretching the truth. Adopting a style over substance line could be another way to describe the Gonzo Journalists’ writing.

Other journalists who write, or have written in the Gonzo style include Tom Luffman or Alan Cabal. Although I’m not sure if they would appreciate this label.

So I think the main thing that sets him apart from any other author of the 60s, 70s, or even these days would be that he created Gonzo Journalism, he brought a freshness to writing and reporting. He wrote what he felt, thought and wanted with no consideration for what anyone else thought and the news papers, magazines etc bought it. Also the whole Hunter S. Thompson package, his personality, wit, temper, disregard for authority and abuse of drugs and alcohol played a part in his writing. [Although I don’t agree that one has to be a raging alcoholic and drug fiend to be a HST fan, I don’t drink or do drugs and enjoy his work more that any one else’s.]

His political commentating was second to none in my opinion, the Gonzo writing style while reporting politics was the most entertaining and informative I have ever seen.

Frank Mankowitz summed it up in his quote about Fear And Loathing Campaign Trail 72.

“It was the least factual and most accurate account of the 72 election”

I hope that was some help.

Marty.

Here are some thoughts from JR on Pat’s question.

One Thought on Gonzo Journalism. Hunter gives his readers an “in the moment” glimpse of whatever was happening while he wrote. He brings people into the story he created. Maybe not even intentionally, but that’s how it shakes out. He sat down and hit the type writer keys, many times under deadline pressure. And was able to capture what he himself had experienced, maybe some what blurry, distorted, out right embellished, possible under the influence of God only knows. But the words he wrote down let you peek in over his shoulder at the events he witnessed & recorded. He lived it, wrote it, twisted it, published it.

In the moment, in the flow, in the whirlwind, he wrote as he perceived events, as they were happening, accurate or not, twisted or not…Gonzo Journalism…

I have started a page (above) which I hope will be a place where folks can post their questions on anything related to books, Gonzo, Hunter Thompson, politics or whatever is in some way connected to HST, without having to email me. Some folks just don’t like emailing strangers and that’s understandable. Or if you do want to email me it’s hstbooks@gmail.com

The other side of the coin is that I also want folks to answer questions that are posted here. Call it a pool of Hunter S. Thompson Knowledge if you will.

There are at least 5 Folks I know that between them there is no Read the rest of this entry »

This article has been the subject of some debate between some Hunter Thompson fans (including me and Ron Mexico) If anyone has some information about this so called Gonzo Press Club let me know please at hstbooks@gmail.com The debate is about if the Gonzo Press Club exists or not. Some say it does, others say otherwise.

The only reference to the club i can find is from theonion.com which is where this article comes from. There is no official website that i can find. I am not very familiar with theonion.com but understand it is a news piss take of sorts. So if anyone can shed some light on this let me know. Thanks.

National Gonzo Press Club Vows To Carry On Thompson’s Work
March 23, 2005 | Issue 41•12

Zolonga warns gonzo journalists to remember their ethics “in the face of resistance from the pustulent pigs.”
 LAS VEGAS—During a Tuesday press conference at the National Gonzo Press Club, members of the nation’s foremost organization of gonzo journalists vowed to carry on the mission of its founder Hunter S. Thompson, who took his life last month.

 
Zolonga warns gonzo journalists to remember their ethics “in the face of resistance from the pustulent pigs.”
“Now that the whore-beasts and the scum-sucking degenerate rat bastards in Wall Street and the White House are hell-bent on turning us all into pliant, Scripture-mewling puppet-slaveys, we must take up Hunter’s fallen colors and charge into the fray,” said NGPC president Gene Zolonga, who is the National Affairs and Shark Hunting Editor for The Philadelphia Inquirer. “The next four years will be an unprecedented monument to bestial human ugliness, but I’d sooner let Yakuza thugs strap a rabid wolverine to my groin than shirk my responsibilities as a gonzo journalist.” Read the rest of this entry »

Many thanks to Steve (Again) for sending me a email with part of the interview in which HST says he was there when Nixon left the White House.

“MH: What were you doing that day? Do you remember?

HST: Absolutely, man. I was in the White House Rose Garden. I was at the end of a red carpet that stretched from the stairs to the helicopter which landed on the lawn. There were some Marines to my left, but I was the last human being in the line. Annie Liebowitz was right beside me. And yeah, just being there and watching him get on, it was — not total victory, but it gave me a sense of being very much a part of not just my reality but everybody else’s. There’s a big difference between railing against some oppressor for twenty years and then ending up in the Bastille, or fighting a twenty-year war and watching the enemy vanquished.”

http://www.theatlantic.com/unbound/graffiti/hunter.htm

The question was this. Was Hunter Thompson there when Richard Nixon boarded Marine 1 for the last time when he gave his trade mark V sign to the crowd? We all know the picture. Well he might have been there, (i do believe he said it himself during an interview, which i will find and post here) but was he in that famous picture? Here it is.

The picture above was posted on the net some time ago and speculation was rampant that it was HST. But it’s not. See below… Bottom right of the picture, It’s Gerald Ford. I am not saying Hunter was not there, but he was not in the Picture.

Well i got a email from a chap by the name of Steve, who tells me that the name of the chap who narrates the audio book Songs Of The Doomed is Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs fame. So i guess that wraps it up. Thanks for the info Steve.

I received two emails today about a youtube video titled Tales of the Swine Family by Hunter Thompson. They were asking about in which of his books was the story published. It is published in Songs Of The Doomed, Gonzo Papers Volume 3.

The full title is. SUGARLOAF KEY: TALES OF THE SWINE FAMILY Adventure in the Conch Republic . . . Raw and Primitive People, Living Their Lives Like Sharks . . . Today’s Pig is Tomorrow’s Victim.

It is one of my favorites but i have yet to figure out who is reading, but when i do i’ll let you know. What i can tell you though is on the audio book version of Songs of the Doomed, Hunter did start to read it but either got bored or drunk and they had to get an actor to do the reading. Here is the video, enjoy.