Hunter S. Thompson was not an author.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas : A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream is a novel by Hunter S. Thompson , illustrated by Ralph Steadman . Hunter Stockton Thompson ( July 18 , 1937 -- February 20 , 2005 ) was an American journalist and author , and the founder of the gonzo journalism movement . Thompson became internationally known with the publication of Hell 's Angels : The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs ( 1967 ) . The work he remains best known for , Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas : A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream ( 1971 ) , constitutes a rumination on the failure of the 1960s counterculture movement .