Peter Richardson has written critically acclaimed books about Hunter S. Thompson, the Grateful Dead, Ramparts magazine, and radical author and editor Carey McWilliams. Richardson's essays have appeared in The Nation, The New Republic, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and many other outlets. From 2006 to 2023, he 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, radio programs, and podcasts. A busy book reviewer, Richardson received the National Entertainment Journalism Award for Online Criticism in 2013. He holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of California, Berkeley, and a B.A. in economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He lives in Sonoma County.