The Curse of Lono

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, has been long out of print, prompting collectors to search high and low for an original copy.

The author: Self-declared "gonzo" journalist, Hunter S. Thompson (1939-2005) penned nearly a dozen books, including Hell's Angels, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, The Proud Highway, Generation of Swine, Songs for the Doomed, and The Great Shark Hunt. He was also contributor to various national and international publications, including a weekly sports column for ESPN.com. His acerbic, over-the-top style had a profound impact on journalism and influenced a generation of writers.

The illustrator: 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.

The editor: Steve Crist is the photography editor for TASCHEN, where he recently produced Marilyn by Andre de Dienes, Steve McQueen by William Claxton, and The Polaroid Book. He is currently working with Hugh Hefner on Hugh Hefner's Playboy, on William Claxton's forthcoming jazz opus Jazzlife, and a book of photographs created by Hunter S. Thompson. A California native, Steve is based at the TASCHEN America offices in Los Angeles.

The King of Gonzo's epic escapades in Hawaii with illustrations by Ralph Steadman.

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 have become known and loved. This curious book, considered an oddity among Hunter's oeuvre, has been long out of print, prompting collectors to search high and low for an original copy. Resurrected by TASCHEN in a bigger size with splendid, full-color illustrations and a foreword by Sean Penn, The Curse of Lono is now available in a special 1000-copy edition, numbered and hand-signed by Thompson and Steadman.

To summarize Hunter S. Thompson s career is nearly impossible. His writing covered sports, politics, personal letters, social commentary, and Gonzo Journalism -- his own brand of hyper-subjective observation of nearly everything that crosses his path. A welcomed troublemaker, the name Hunter S. Thompson conjures the image of a man bearing firearms and whiskey, daring his readers to question their realities.