Author:Kevin Jon Davies
It’s been over twenty years now since Douglas Adams passed. As Stephen Fry points out in his introduction, it’s odd to think someone so invested in the technology of the future never saw a smartphone or a tablet, never used Facebook or Twitter and never even got to say Hi to Alexa. When I think of him, I think of the Hitchhiker books (oddly I never got into the TV and radio adaptations), the Dirk Gently novels, the book he did with naturalist Mark Carwardine and the Starship Titanic computer game that I played to death at the time. Happily all these aspects and more are covered in what is effectively a scrapbook complied from the treasure trove of notes, drafts, letters and memorabilia that was left behind after his untimely premature passing in 2001. These range from his earliest attempts at comedy sketches, his work on Dr Who, early drafts of Hitchhiker material and on to his later work on new technologies and The Digital Village. There’s a frustratingly brief section on Pink Floyd’s Division Bell album, comprising a letter to David Gilmour giving his reactions and suggestions after hearing an advance tape of the record – as a confirmed Floyd fan I really wish there was more on this but perhaps this is all there was. Scattered among these artefacts are contemporary letters to Adams written by friends and colleagues such as Neil Gaiman. All in all, this is a fascinating book, giving some insight into how Adams thought, created and worked. It’s presented on top quality art paper too, so all the items are beautifully and clearly reproduced, and its format makes it easy to pick up and dip in and out of as the mood takes you. To sum up, this is one that’s really worth looking out for if you’re a fan of the man and his extensive and wide ranging body of work.
Length of Read:Medium
Might appeal to people who enjoyed…
The work of Douglas Adams in the many areas his talents took him to.
One thing you’ve learned
He crammed a hell of a lot into his 49 years on the planet.
Point of order:
With The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, the books were an adaptation of the original radio series, until they took on a life of their own and spawned some further radio series.
This looks very interesting. To be read in conjunction with Neil Gaiman’s “Don’t Panic – Douglas Adams & The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy”, which is pretty good.
I didn’t know that – you learn something every day 😉
I loved HHGTTG and am fortunate enough to be a “good enough to have his phone number” acquaintance of Mr Carwardine, through our mutual love of wildlife/cetaceans, (and my love of giving him money for him to show me some) who speaks about Douglas in glowing terms. His “Great Lives” BBC Programme is well with a listen.
This book is on my Christmas list, but the wonderful Mrs B was already there before my very unsubtle hint in Waterstones on Saturday.