Collection ID: LMC 2989
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Collection context

Summary

Creator:
Thompson, Hunter S.
Abstract:
The Thompson, Hunter S. mss., 1960-2019, consist of correspondence, writings, personal files, and administrative records of American Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, spanning from his early career when he was freelancing in San Juan, Puerto Rico and Big Sur, California to his later career and activities at his estate, Owl Farm, in Woody Creek, Colorado.
Extent:
6 Box (5 standard boxes, 1 OV-flat box.)
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

[Item], Thompson, Hunter S. mss., Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana

Background

Biographical / Historical:

Hunter S. Thompson (1937-2005) was an American journalist from Louisville, Kentucky. Credited as the founder of "Gonzo journalism," his writing is characterized by a high-energy, first-person narrative style that disregards traditional journalistic objectivity and blurs the line between fiction and nonfiction.

This collection includes material from Thompson's early career, after he had been honorably discharged from the Air Force and fired from the Middletown (New York) Daily Record, when he moved to San Juan, Puerto Rico to work for the magazine El Sportivo, a job which quickly fell through. Afterwards, he bounced between short-lived journalism gigs and odd jobs in the Caribbean, the United States, and South America. The turning point in Thompson's career came in 1965, when The Nation hired him to write about Hell's Angels; the material was published as a book, Hell's Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga, in 1966. His style reached its apotheosis with his 1971 novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, which was serialized in Rolling Stone under the byline Raoul Duke, with illustrations by Ralph Steadman. Blending fiction and autobiography, the book is a lurid and hallucinogenic narrative of illicit drug use and a meditation on the failures of 1960s counterculture and the death of the American Dream. Thompson's literary output dwindled in the mid-1970s due to the pressures of celebrity and his heavy drinking and drug use, though by that time he had already achieved cult status for his colorful journalistic persona.

The collection also includes material from the 1980s through 2019, most of which were collected and preserved by Thompson's live-in secretary, Deborah E. Fuller, who resided at his Colorado estate, Owl Farm, from 1985 until around 18 months before Thompson's death by suicide in 2005. These materials offer a view into Thompson's later life and career at Owl Farm, including material related to legal controversies and personal relationships with notable figures like Johnny Depp and Ralph Steadman.

Scope and Content:

The Thompson, Hunter S. mss. consist of correspondence, writings, personal files, and administrative records from 1960-2019. The majority of the collection materials offer a view into Thompson's personal and professional life from the perspective of his live-in secretary, Deborah E. Fuller, who resided at Thompson's Colorado estate, Owl Farm, from 1985 to 2004. Fuller herself collected and preserved records in this collection even after Thompson's death in 2005.

The Early correspondence and writings series contains materials created between 1960 and 1961, a period in which Thompson worked as a freelancer in Puerto Rico and Bermuda before moving to San Francisco and Big Sur, California. Collected by Joe Yasinski, the materials are housed in a custom enclosure decorated with red marbled paper. This correspondence consists of Thompson's pitches to various publications, including to his hometown The Courier Journal/The Louisville Times and to Playboy; also included are responses, frequently rejections, from the publications. Of particular interest may be Thompson's May 14, 1961 letter to Walter Goodman at Playboy describing a conversation with author Henry Miller, another resident of Big Sur, California. The series also includes about a dozen typescript drafts of articles by Thompson with minor revisions in pen. Topics of the articles are as follows:

"Hillbilly"
The Greenbriar Boys band and the bluegrass music scene in New York City
Outline
Serling
"Belafonte"
Musician Harry Belafonte
"Semonin"
Profile of Paul Semonin, a "vagrant artist" and Thompson's friend from Louisville
"Munoz"
The gubernatorial campaign of Luis Muñoz Marín (2 versions)
"Casals"
The Casals Festival, with performances by cellist Pablo Casals and the University of Maryland Chapel Choir (2 versions)
"San Juan to Barcelona"
How to travel from Puerto Rico to Spain (2 versions)
"Stranded"
Thompson's, his girlfriend Sandy's, and Semonin's failed attempt to travel from Bermuda to Spain
"Bermuda"
How Bermuda competes with other Caribbean islands for tourism dollars
"Mahoney"
John Mahoney, a golfer from Louisville who vacationed in the Caribbean
"Low Octane for the Long Haul"
Hitchhikers in California
"Big Sur"
2 versions of typescript draft, plus a clipping of the published article in the March 26, 1961 issue of the Chicago Sunday Tribune
"Wasted Breath"
Partial draft describing Mr. Kennedy as "a phony" and "a weak president"
"Baja"
Travel piece on Baja California, Mexico

The Correspondence series spans 1981-2009 and includes communications with various individuals, including Ralph Steadman, Earl Biss, Johnny Depp, and Paul Pascarella. These materials range from personal letters to annotated drafts and media clippings, highlighting Thompson's interactions with his contemporaries in both professional and personal contexts.

The Personal papers series spans 1984-2004, and includes administrative notes, correspondence, legal records, and subject files pertaining to Thompson's personal and professional dealings at Owl Farm. Many of these records were created by or addressed to Thompson's live-in assistant, Deborah Fuller.

The Writings and projects series contains typescript drafts of works by Hunter S. Thompson and other individuals, such as Margaret Harrell, Ralph Steadman, and Anita Thompson.

Acquisition information:
Gift: 2022 Gift: 2025
Processing information:

Processed by Kyra Triebold. Completed in 2023. Accrual processed and finding aid updated by Evan Brandon. Completed in 2025.

Arrangement:

This collection is organized into 4 series: Early correspondence and writings, Correspondence, Administrative files, and Writings and projects. Materials are arranged either alphabetically or chronologically.

Physical location:
ALF

Access

RESTRICTIONS:

This collection is open for research.

Many collections are housed offsite; retrieval requires advance notice. Please make an appointment a minimum of one week in advance of your visit.

TERMS OF ACCESS:

Photography and digitization may be restricted for some collections. Copyright restrictions may apply. Before publishing, researchers are responsible for securing permission from all applicable rights holders, then filling out the Permission to Publish form.

PREFERRED CITATION:

[Item], Thompson, Hunter S. mss., Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana

CAMPUS:
Indiana University Bloomington
LOCATION OF THIS COLLECTION:
1200 East Seventh Street
Bloomington, Indiana 47405-5500, USA
CAMPUS:
Indiana University Bloomington
CONTACT:
(812) 855-2452
liblilly@iu.edu