Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail 72

Fear & Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72 is a collection of articles covering the 1972 presidential campaign written by Hunter S. Thompson & illustrated by Ralph Steadman. The articles were 1st serialized in Rolling Stone magazine in '72 & later released as a book in early '73.
The book focuses on the Democratic Party's primaries & the breakdown of the party as it splits between candidates. Of particular focus is the manic maneuvering of the George McGovern campaign during the Miami convention as they sought to ensure the nomination despite attempts by the Hubert Humphrey campaign & other candidates to block McGovern.
Thompson began his coverage of the campaign in 12/71, just as the primaries were beginning, from a rented apartment in Washington, DC (a situation he compared to "living in an armed camp, a condition of constant fear"). Over the next 12 months, in voluminous detail, he covered every aspect of the campaign, from the smallest rally to the raucous conventions.
Because of the freewheeling nature of the campaign, a 1st-generation fax machine was procured at great expense by the magazine for Thompson. Dubbing it "the mojo wire", he used it to extend the writing process precariously close to printing deadlines, often haphazardly sending in notes mere hours before the magazine went to press. Fellow writers & editors would have to assemble the finished product with him over the phone.
Like his earlier Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas, Thompson employed a number of unique literary styles in On the Campaign Trail, including vulgarity & hyperbole. Despite his unconventional style, the book is considered a hallmark of campaign journalism & helped launch his role as a popular political observer.