The 50th Anniversary Folio Society Edition of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas"
Hunter S. Thompson’s acid-laced counterculture classic, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, is given the ultimate collector’s makeover in this 50th anniversary Folio Society edition featuring Ralph Steadman’s original illustrations and an exclusive introduction by David Mamet.
The Folio Society put out a 50th anniversary edition of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. If you're the kind of person who buys fancy editions of books you already own, this one deserves your attention.
The packaging is aggressive in the best way. The slipcase is a bright orange that screams Vegas. The cover has a psychedelic illustration that looks like it crawled out of Thompson's brain. Open the book and the paper is thick and creamy, with typesetting that's easy to read despite all the madness on the page.
The illustrations are the main draw. Ralph Steadman's ink splatters and grotesque caricatures became inseparable from Thompson's work, and they're reproduced well here. The printing captures Steadman's chaotic energy without losing detail.
The introduction is by historian David Farber, who situates the book in its 1970s context. If you're unfamiliar with the political climate Thompson was responding to, this helps. The edition also includes a map of Thompson and Dr. Gonzo's route from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, which doubles as an illustration of their spiraling trajectory.
I bought this because I wanted a copy that matched the book's energy. Standard paperbacks feel wrong for Thompson. You want something that looks unhinged on your shelf. This delivers.
For collectors, this is the edition to own. For people who just want to read the book, any copy will do. But if you care about how a book looks and feels, and you already know you love this one, the Folio Society got it right.
