The Curse of Lono, by Hunter S. Thompson & illustrated by Ralph Steadman

The Curse of Lono, by Hunter S. Thompson & illustrated by Ralph Steadman. 2005 massive Taschen hardcover. 208 pages, very nice condition.

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. First published in 1983, and only in print for a short while, The Curse of Lono is a gonzo masterwork, mixing Hunter S. Thompson’s hallucinogenic writing with the splattery illustration of Ralph Steadman. Long out of print and coveted by collectors, this zany amalgam of wordplay and wild draftsmanship is now resurrected in a TASCHEN Collector’s Edition: a full-color, massive large-scale (11.5”x15”) tome. A huge coffeetable book with quality prints, facsimiles of the Good Doctor's relevant letters, and interspersed excerpts from other books that fill in the Hawaiian history relevant to the story.

Hunter S. Thompson receives a letter from the editor of Running magazine, asking him to cover the 1980 Honolulu Marathon, which the editor says should be "a good chance for a vacation". Thompson asks the illustrator Ralph Steadman to accompany him. On the flight over, he meets a man named Ackerman, who seems to have connections to the drug trade in Hawaii. Thompson covers the marathon with his characteristic gonzo style, weaving his own experiences into the coverage of the story. After the marathon, Thompson along with Steadman and his family move to a rented beach side compound on Hawaii's Kona coast. The weather is miserable and they are trapped indoors, besieged by huge waves. Steadman and his family, upset about the terrible conditions of their vacation, return to England. Later, Thompson reunites with Ackerman to go fishing. Thompson eventually catches a huge Marlin, which he beats to death with a Samoan war club. The fishing boat returns to the dock, with Thompson screaming triumphantly, "I am Lono!", referring to the ancient Hawaiian god which upsets the locals, and he goes into hiding in the City of Refuge. The story frequently breaks away to excerpts from The Last Voyage of Captain James Cook by Richard Hough, which tells the story of the man the native Hawaiians thought was the reincarnation of Lono and was eventually killed by them when he overstayed his welcome on the island of Hawaii.