The Curse of Lono [Hardcover]

Hunter S. Thompson (Author), Steve Crist (Editor), Ralph Steadman (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2005

A wild ride to the dark side of Americana The Curse of Lono is to Hawaii what Fear and Loathing was to Las Vegas: the crazy tales of a journalist's "coverage" of a news event that ends up being a wild ride to the dark side of Americana. Originally published in 1983, Curse features all of the zany, hallucinogenic wordplay and feral artwork for which the Hunter S. Thompson/Ralph Steadman duo became known and loved. This curious book, considered an oddity among Hunter's oeuvre, was long out of print, prompting collectors to search high and low for an original copy. TASCHEN's signed, limited edition sold out before the book even hit the stores, but this unlimited version, in a different, smaller format, makes The Curse of Lono accessible to everyone.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Originally published in 1983, Curse features all of the zany, hallucinogenic wordplay and feral artwork for which the Hunter S. Thompson/Ralph Steadman duo became known and loved. This curious book, considered an oddity among Hunter’s oeuvre, was long out of print, prompting collectors to search high and low for an original copy. TASCHEN’s signed, limited edition sold out before the book even hit the stores, but this unlimited version, in a different, smaller format, makes The Curse of Lono accessible to everyone.

About the Author

Legendary author Hunter S. Thompson (1937-2005) developed a style of writing about American life and politics that was so acerbic and over-the-top, it earned its own nickname: "gonzo journalism." His magazine articles and books—of which he penned nearly a dozen, including Hell’s Angels, The Rum Diary, Songs for the Doomed, The Great Shark Hunt, and the monumental Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - influenced a generation of writers and established his voice as an essential part of america’s socio-political fabric. Portrayed on the silver screen by Bill Murray (Where the Buffalo Roam, 1980) and Johnny Depp (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, 1998), Thompson was a wild character whose persona was inseparable from his often semi-autobiographical writing. True to his image, he once said, "I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they’ve always worked for me."

Ralph Steadman is best known for his collaborations with Hunter S. Thompson. He is also a printmaker (his prints include a series of etchings on writers from William Shakespeare to William Burroughs). His own books include the lives of Sigmund Freud and Leonardo da Vinci and The Big I Am, the story of God.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 205 pages
• Publisher: Taschen (October 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3822848972
• ISBN-13: 978-3822848975
• Product Dimensions: 15 x 11.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #77,188 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #49 in Books > Travel > Australia & South Pacific

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thompson-Steadman harmony at its best, April 30, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Curse of Lono (Paperback)

From the blue-armed freak, to the demonic fire-glowing night in The Land of Po, this is essential HST. Throw in the Honolulu Marathon, and the good doctor serves up a characteristic glimpse of his own weird Americana that calls for all other social critics to throw down their pens in reverence and futility. This book is Thompson-Steadman harmony unparalleled. Steadman's illustrations are hallucinogenic masterpieces that complement the fury of Thompson's writing. If you call yourself a devotee, don't leave a hole in your library where this book belongs. It is pure visceral madness. The final scene stakes its claim with any of his best works and is nothing short of what those of us who care have come to know as life-blood joy and the frenzied understanding of more than a few generations of enlightenment. Read it. Now

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An unknown classic, October 27, 2007

By 

Beau Christensen (Alberta CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Curse of Lono (Paperback)

This books is probably the least well-known of HST's books. But it was a very pleasant surprise upon reading it. It is classic Thompson, self-destructive, paranoid, and hilarious. If you take his word for it, you might never visit Hawaii yourself!

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Best description of marathon madness I have ever read., June 22, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Curse of Lono (Paperback)

Prior to reading this book, I had dismissed the author as someone who just got loaded and made up a bunch of stuff. However, the first few chapters of Lono represent the best description of marathon madness of those times that I have ever read (I finished 6th place at the 1983 Honolulu Marathon). His insightfulness into carbo-loading parties and the running divorce lead me to believe that he first did his research sober and then crawled off to finish the book.It has given me a lot of new respect for Gonzo Journalism.And Steadman's manic drawings of a perfect match.