Paperback
English language
Published May 1, 1988 by Pocket.
'It's all absolutely devastatingly true -- except the bits that are lies' Douglas Adams
Don't Panic celebrates the life of an ape-descended human called Douglas Adams who, in a field in Innsbruck in 1971, had an idea.
This is also the story of what that idea became: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy -- the original radio series which started it all, and the five book 'trilogy', the TV series, almost-film, computer game, towel and website that followed.
Acclaimed author Neil Gaiman also tells the whole story of Liff, the Universe of Dick Gently, and everything else Douglas ever worked on, including his posthumous collection The Salmon of Doubt. As Douglas himself said, it is 'certainly the most outstandingly brilliant book to have been written about The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy since this morning.'
Completely updated, with a new foreword by Neil Gaiman
This description comes from the …
'It's all absolutely devastatingly true -- except the bits that are lies' Douglas Adams
Don't Panic celebrates the life of an ape-descended human called Douglas Adams who, in a field in Innsbruck in 1971, had an idea.
This is also the story of what that idea became: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy -- the original radio series which started it all, and the five book 'trilogy', the TV series, almost-film, computer game, towel and website that followed.
Acclaimed author Neil Gaiman also tells the whole story of Liff, the Universe of Dick Gently, and everything else Douglas ever worked on, including his posthumous collection The Salmon of Doubt. As Douglas himself said, it is 'certainly the most outstandingly brilliant book to have been written about The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy since this morning.'
Completely updated, with a new foreword by Neil Gaiman
This description comes from the 2003 Titan Books edition.
A sweet and witty biography, assembled with clear affection for Douglas Adams. It’s eye-opening how much of his signature creation, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, was a matter of continually reworking prior material, and how unlikely any of it was to be carried off, considering Adams's deadline-averse writing style and the inflexibility of the production schedule.
Reddit personified.
Neil Gaiman has a lot of respect for Douglas Adams' work and quirkiness, and therefore you can feel the endearment just from reading. The book is funny - mostly through footnotes - and I learnt a lot that I wouldn't say is essential to understand Adams, but it planted a willingness in me to read everything again. I even want to listen to the original radio series. This book is worth reading if you enjoy Douglas Adams the man, and not exactly for Hitchhiker's Guide even though it is a big chunk of him.
Yep, this is totally silly and frivolous.
Still, still, still and probably forever a favorite. In terms of writing, in terms of style, in terms of character, in terms of original ideas: Love.
“Is that robot yours?” he said. “No,” came a thin metallic voice from the crater, “I’m mine.”
Since The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is deemed a classic I decided to read it. Pretty fun book I must say, but the story is rather flat. Sure, some stuff happens, but it's not that our main character had anything to do with it. He is just along for the ride, not making any impact at all. One of the most boring characters in any book I ever read. But that might have been the point of it anyway...
A comical Sc-Fi adventure like I never experienced before! Liked the various characters in the story and while reading the story, the different scenes vividly came to life. Never knew where the story was going, at any point. Probably its the Universe & "how, why & where would I know ?" (42) ;)
Witty
Humorous science fiction is not common, but it exists. This is perhaps the highest form of humorous SF, written by a an author for the Doctor Who television series. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (HTTG for short) began life as a radio series for the BBC, and then was taken to other media (including novels), where it began to mutate. Each time Adams adapted the work he made changes, though the basic plot does not change.
Arthur Dent, an Earthman, is protesting the destruction of house by the local council, who want to knock it down to construct a bypass. His friend Arthur Dent manages to pry him away long enough to to have a few drinks and reveal that the world is about to be destroyed. Dent knows this because he is in fact an alien, and the Earth is about to be destroyed to make way for …
Humorous science fiction is not common, but it exists. This is perhaps the highest form of humorous SF, written by a an author for the Doctor Who television series. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (HTTG for short) began life as a radio series for the BBC, and then was taken to other media (including novels), where it began to mutate. Each time Adams adapted the work he made changes, though the basic plot does not change.
Arthur Dent, an Earthman, is protesting the destruction of house by the local council, who want to knock it down to construct a bypass. His friend Arthur Dent manages to pry him away long enough to to have a few drinks and reveal that the world is about to be destroyed. Dent knows this because he is in fact an alien, and the Earth is about to be destroyed to make way for an interstellar bypass. Dent is also a writer for a publication known as The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and Dent knows knows to hitch a ride on passing starships, so they manage to get on the Vogon cruiser that is about to destroy the Earth for said bypass. And so the adventure begins. We learn very quickly that the Earth was initially constructed to be a giant supercomputer devoted to finding the ultimate answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything, which turns out to be 42.
This is just a few of the things that happen within the early pages of this book, which in turn is the first in a series. But it is hilarious, and you should read it. Note that is you have seen the movie, that has its charms, but is no substitute. The original BBC radio series, however, is wonderful.
Man sollte alle Bücher aus der Jugend mindestens noch einmal lesen :)
A moving tribute. It’s a biography with two subjects, Adams as well as the Hitchhiker’s canon, both much larger than life; Gaiman treats both with respect (but not adulation) and with warm humor. The other authors, well, they try. (The book is actually a 2009 update of a 1987 work, and it shows: the latter half feels hastily put together, its tone more checklist than paean).
Despite the wait-what-happened discomfort in the second half, it’s a very good book: informative, caring, with insights and context that I, a lower-case-eff fan, appreciate enough to make me want to reread the “trilogy”; and poignant enough to make me ache again over his death.
This book doesn't so much glorify pop-culture as it has become pop-culture. It's been at least 25 years since I read this weird tripping experience of a book. I don't think I was able to appreciate it the first time around but at least it made me want to read more SF.
My second reading was fascinating on a completely different level. "Did they really name Deep Thought after Deep Thought?" I had never realized.
This book has been ingrained so deeply on the shared consciousness we named "pop-culture" that it is so very satisfying to read this and realize where so much of it came from.
Despite all the fun I find it to be somewhat tedious to read with the meandering go-nowhere-quick plot and the weirdness that makes it somewhat hard to keep track of everything. In that it is like very dark chocolate which I can only …
This book doesn't so much glorify pop-culture as it has become pop-culture. It's been at least 25 years since I read this weird tripping experience of a book. I don't think I was able to appreciate it the first time around but at least it made me want to read more SF.
My second reading was fascinating on a completely different level. "Did they really name Deep Thought after Deep Thought?" I had never realized.
This book has been ingrained so deeply on the shared consciousness we named "pop-culture" that it is so very satisfying to read this and realize where so much of it came from.
Despite all the fun I find it to be somewhat tedious to read with the meandering go-nowhere-quick plot and the weirdness that makes it somewhat hard to keep track of everything. In that it is like very dark chocolate which I can only enjoy in small bites.
Wish I had read this during school days.
From my own experience I know this for sure.
If you are a curious being who enjoys science and if you know how to read and if you had picked this book up and not felt like reading it, then "You are depressed".
So funny. LOLed a lot.
Still holds up, 20 years later.
