Songs of the Doomed (Gonzo Papers, Vol. 3) [Paperback]

Hunter S. Thompson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1991

In this third and most extraordinary volume of the Gonzo Papers, Thompson recalls high and hideous moments in his 30 years in the Passing Lane. With insight and integrity, the prince of Gonzo journalism charts the long, strange trip from Kennedy to Quayle.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This third installment of the Gonzo Papers is a chronologically arranged selection of stories, letters, journals and reporting, allowing readers to see how Thompson's brand of "new journalism" has evolved over the years. (Nov.)no PW
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Washington Post Book World Songs of the Doomed allows us to track Thompson's evolution as a writer, and hence the evolution of the form he played such a major role in creating.

Tom Wolfe There are only two adjectives writers care about anymore..."brilliant" and "outrageous"...and Hunter Thompson has a freehold on both of them. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Pocket; First Edition. 1 in number line edition (November 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671743260
• ISBN-13: 978-0671743260
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,614,403 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hunter S. Thompson's books include Fear and Loathing in America, Screwjack, Hell's Angels, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, The Proud Highway, Better Than Sex, The Rum Diary, and Kingdom of Fear. He was contributor to various national and international publications, including a weekly sports column for ESPN Online. Thompson died February 2005.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Sampler, December 24, 2002

By 

Christopher Grattan (Brockport, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Songs of the Doomed : More Notes on the Death of the American Dream (Paperback)

This is an excellent introduction to the range of Thompson's writings though the early 1990's. It includes samples of his two early novels (Prince Jellyfish, The Rum Diary) and articles and excerpts from his later journalism and fiction ("Let The Trials Begin" is worth the price of the book).No duplication of material fromThe Great Shark Hunt, his earlier collection. An excellent audio version was realeased when the book was first published.
This book gives you some idea of what he was up to during the time covered by the two volumes of letters he's published and shows that his humor and sense of outrage have matured better than, say, Mark Twain's during a comparable stretch of his writing career.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars When the going gets weird, it's never any better than this, October 19, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Songs of the Doomed: More Notes on the Death of the American Dream Gonzo Papers (Hardcover)

HST never ceases to amaze me - since being introduced to the man's work by Warren Ellis' TRANSMETROPOLITAN I have eagerly devoured the good doctor's many works. Yet none of them can hold a candle to "Songs of the Doomed". If HST were a musician (and he is, on occasion, but I digress) then this book would be his greatest hits: an easily accessible compliation of the greatest "bits" of Gonzo from the past thirty years. Excerpts from "The Rum Diary", all the Fear and Loathing books, his short stories, his journalistic pieces from South America... even Hunter's fourth amendment battle with the sherrif of Pitkin County (which delayed "Better than Sex" for some time) is mentioned, showing that the Doctor has no shame, nothing to hide but a hell of a lot to tell anyone intelligent enough to listen.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Songs of the Doomed, February 8, 2000

By 

nate schwessinger (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Songs of the Doomed: More Notes on the Death of the American Dream Gonzo Papers (Hardcover)

Follow Dr. Hunter S. Thompson on his manic trail of drugs, degeneracy, and discovery through the sixties, seventies, and into the eighties, a decade he has labeled the "Generation of Swine." The good Doctor is at it once again, and no one is safe from his hilarious yet amazingly accurate social commentary. Relax and let Thompson fill your body and soul with horrible tales from the death of the American Dream and other demoralizing corners of modern life.

Songs of the Doomed contains Thompson's famous article about the Pulitzer divorce trial, "Bad Craziness in Palm Beach: I Told Her it Was Wrong," which is the summit of ths poignant book. Dr. Thompson delves into a life reserved for the seriously rich. A place where "price tags mean nothing and pampered animals are worshiped openly in churches...the rules are different here, and the people seem to like it that way...there are bizarre trials over money occasionally and hideous scandals like a half-mad 80 year-old heiress trying to marry her teenage Cuban butler."

So relax, enjoy and "Let the good times roll!"