Description:

Hunter Thompson Writes an Angry Letter to a Friend

THOMPSON, Hunter. Typed Letter Signed, "H” in a circle, in red ink on a single sheet of bright orange paper, 8.5” x 11”, [Aspen], circa September 1969. Expected light wear, in near fine condition overall.

Thompson writes to his childhood friend, Paul Semonin, upset that Semonin visited Aspen without telling him. His letter, in part, "Dear Dilletante… / Thanx for the card, but who are you trying to kid? You came out here and pulled a bad echo of my NYC act -- but without my excuse. Which was at least valid, if not honorable. I got the quick impression that your head has turned to water, or maybe bile. The worst kind of dropout scene -- where the drop creates no noise, no circles in the water. / Which is more a calculated insult than a judgement, but I figured you'd at least come out some afternoon for a bit of fire talk -- for the purging of my own bad useless spirits, as well as yours…We are into different drifts -- and no doubt for different reasons -- but until last month it hadn't occurred to me that we might be heading in different directions. Which is worth talking about, if it's true. Maybe we need a neutral court: How about Chicago, Oct 8 - 11? I can get a double hotel-room and a car…”

Hunter S. Thompson (1937–2005) started writing at a young age, and after high school began his career in journalism while serving in the United States Air Force. Following his military service, Thompson traveled the country to cover a wide array of topics for numerous magazines and developed a highly personal style known as gonzo journalism. Thompson wrote several books, publishing from 1966 to the end of his life. His best-known works include “Hell's Angels: The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs”, “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”, “The Rum Diary”, “The Curse of Lono”, and “Screwjack”. Thompson’s fondness for substances contributed to several bouts of poor health, and in 2005, Thompson committed suicide at the age of 67.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Unless otherwise indicated, we do our own in-house worldwide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses who proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with signature required, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice. If any changes to the shipping address need to be made, you must inform us immediately.***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third Party Shipping Option: If a third party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third party Please copy and paste this following link into your browser: http://universityarchives.com/UserFiles/ShippingInfo.pdf. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third party shippers.

After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 10 business days following receipt of full payment for item.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

August 17, 2022 10:30 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000