Hunter S. Thompson Reading Order

10 books (2012–2012)

This ten-book collection presents notable Playboy interviews curated to celebrate five decades of the publication's signature interview series. Published in 2012, the series features conversations with influential figures spanning entertainment, business, literature, and culture, including interviews with Ayn Rand, Miles Davis, Ian Fleming, Jay-Z, George Clooney, and others. The books are best read in publication order, with Ayn Rand serving as the entry point. This complete series offers a retrospective look at how Playboy's interview format captured the voices and perspectives of major cultural personalities over fifty years.

Start with Ayn Rand(By: Ayn Rand), the first of 10 books in the 50 Years of the Playboy Interview series.

2 books (1999–2010)

This two-book anthology series by Hunter S. Thompson spans from 1999 to 2010 and collects selections of the author's writing and editorial work. The series is complete and should be read in publication order, beginning with Timothy Leary: Outside Looking In followed by the 2010 Exquisite Corpse Annual, No. 2. These non-fiction collections showcase Thompson's distinctive voice and perspective across various pieces.

Start with Timothy Leary: Outside Looking In and read in order.

#	Title
1	Timothy Leary: Outside Looking In 1999Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Exquisite Corpse Annual, No. 2, 2010 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

3 books (1971–2009)

Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing series consists of three complete nonfiction works published between 1971 and 2009, each examining different American landscapes through the author's distinctive gonzo journalism style. The series should be read in publication order, beginning with Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, followed by Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72, and concluding with Fear and Loathing at Rolling Stone. These works showcase Thompson's immersive reportage across varied subjects spanning nearly four decades.

Start with Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and read in order.

#	Title
1	Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas 1971Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 1973Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Fear and Loathing at Rolling Stone 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

3 books (1997–2012)

Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing Letters series presents a comprehensive collection of the author's correspondence across three volumes published between 1997 and 2012. This complete series should be read in publication order, beginning with The Proud Highway, followed by Fear and Loathing in America, and concluding with The Mutineer. The letters offer insight into Thompson's life, work, and perspectives through his own written words to friends, editors, and colleagues throughout his career.

Start with The Proud Highway and read in order.

#	Title
1	The Proud Highway 1997Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Fear and Loathing in America 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Mutineer 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

7 books (1979–2009)

The Gonzo Papers is a seven-book non-fiction series by Hunter S. Thompson spanning from 1979 to 2009. The series collects Thompson's essays, articles, and commentary across multiple decades, presenting his distinctive gonzo journalism style. Read the books in publication order, beginning with The Great Shark Hunt and concluding with Ancient Gonzo Wisdom, which Thompson co-authored with Anita Thompson. The complete series offers a comprehensive look at Thompson's work and perspective across three decades of American history and culture.

Start with The Great Shark Hunt, the first of 7 books in the Gonzo Papers series.

#	Title
1	The Great Shark Hunt 1979Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Generation of Swine 1988Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Songs of the Doomed 1990Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Better Than Sex 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Gonzo: An Oral History 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	The Gonzo Papers Anthology 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Ancient Gonzo Wisdom(With: Anita Thompson) 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

5 books (1966–2005)

Hunter S. Thompson's five-book non-fiction series spans nearly four decades, from Hell's Angels in 1966 through Happy Birthday, Jack Nicholson in 2005. These complete works should be read in publication order to follow the evolution of Thompson's distinctive gonzo journalism style and perspective over time. The series collects Thompson's reportage, essays, and observations on American culture, politics, and personalities across this transformative period.

Start with Hell's Angels, the first of 5 books in the Non-Fiction series.

#	Title
1	Hell's Angels 1966Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Curse of Lono 1983Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Kingdom of Fear 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Hey Rube 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Happy Birthday, Jack Nicholson 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

1 book (2000–2000)

#	Title
1	Screwjack 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

1 book (1998–1998)

#	Title
1	The Rum Diary 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

42 books (2005–2023)

The Last Interview is a 41-book non-fiction series that collects final or significant interviews with renowned writers, thinkers, musicians, and cultural figures, published between 2005 and 2023. The series spans luminaries including Jacques Derrida, Roberto Bolaño, Kurt Vonnegut, David Foster Wallace, James Baldwin, Ray Bradbury, Ernest Hemingway, Gabriel García Márquez, Lou Reed, David Bowie, and many others. Each volume focuses on a single subject and should be read in publication order, beginning with Learning To Live Finally featuring philosopher Jacques Derrida. The series appears to be complete as of 2023.

Start with Learning To Live Finally(By: Jacques Derrida), the first of 41 books in the The Last Interview series.

#	Title
1	Learning To Live Finally(By: Jacques Derrida) 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Roberto Bolaño(By: Roberto Bolaño) 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Kurt Vonnegut(By: Kurt Vonnegut Jr.) 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Jorge Luis Borges(By: Jorge Luis Borges) 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Hannah Arendt(By: Hannah Arendt) 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	David Foster Wallace: In His Own Words(By: David Foster Wallace) 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	James Baldwin(By: James Baldwin,Quincy Troupe) 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Ray Bradbury(By: Ray Bradbury,Sam Weller) 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Ernest Hemingway(By: Ernest Hemingway) 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	Gabriel García Márquez(By: Gabriel García Márquez) 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	Lou Reed(By: Lou Reed) 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	Nora Ephron(By: Nora Ephron) 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	Philip K. Dick(By: Philip K. Dick) 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	David Bowie(By: David Bowie) 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	J. D. Salinger(By: J.D. Salinger) 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	Jane Jacobs(By: Jane Jacobs) 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	Oliver Sacks(By: Oliver Sacks) 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
18	Christopher Hitchens(By: Christopher Hitchens) 2017Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
19	Martin Luther King, Jr.(By: Martin Luther King Jr.) 2017Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
20	Hunter S. Thompson 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
21	Julia Child(By: Julia Child) 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
22	Kathy Acker(By: Kathy Acker) 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
23	Anthony Bourdain(By: Anthony Bourdain,Helen Rosner) 2019Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
24	Anthony Bourdain(By: Melville House,Helen Rosner) 2019Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
25	Billie Holiday(By: Billie Holiday) 2019Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
26	Graham Greene(By: Graham Greene) 2019Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
27	Prince(By: Prince) 2019Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
28	Ursula K. Le Guin(By: Ursula K. Le Guin) 2019Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
29	Frida Kahlo(By: Frida Kahlo) 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
30	Marilyn Monroe(By: Melville House,Sady Doyle) 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
31	Ruth Bader Ginsburg(By: Melville House) 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
32	Toni Morrison(By: Toni Morrison) 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
33	Fred Rogers(By: Fred Rogers) 2021Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
34	John Lewis(By: Melville House) 2021Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
35	Johnny Cash(By: Johnny Cash) 2021Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
36	Shirley Chisholm(By: Shirley Chisholm) 2021Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
37	The Last Interview(By: Fred Rogers) 2021Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
38	Diego Maradona(By: Melville House) 2022Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
39	Janet Malcolm(By: Melville House) 2022Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
40	Kurt Cobain(By: Melville House) 2022Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
41	Bell Hooks(By: bell hooks) 2023Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
42	Octavia E. Butler(By: Melville House) 2023Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible