Peter Richardson has written critically acclaimed books about Hunter S. Thompson, the Grateful Dead, Ramparts magazine, and radical author and editor Carey McWilliams. He is currently writing a book about the first decade of Rolling Stone magazine. From 2006 to 2023, Richardson taught courses on California culture at San Francisco State University. His commentary has been featured in major newspapers and magazines in North America and abroad, and he has appeared in many documentary films as well as on television, radio programs, and podcasts. He received a Ph.D. in English from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1991.