Hunter S. Thompson typed letter signed on original Time magazine letterhead, 57 Perry Street, New York, N.Y., dated October 22, 1958, addressed to his Louisville childhood friend and primary correspondent Paul Semonin, with an original charcoal sketch to the verso. Single page, measuring 8″ × 11″. Near fine condition, with light toning consistent with age; charcoal sketch well-preserved with minor smudging to lower margin.
Letters from this period on Time letterhead are exceptionally scarce, as Thompson’s tenure at the magazine lasted less than a year before his 1959 dismissal for insubordination. The combination of Time letterhead, dual signature, literary content of this quality, reference to Prince Jellyfish, named correspondence with Semonin, and an original sketch to the verso constitutes an essentially unrepeatable configuration of provenance and content from the most formative year of Thompson’s writing life.