Don't Panic: Douglas Adams & The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy [Paperback]

Neil Gaiman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 2009

“It’s all devastatingly true — except the bits that are lies” — Douglas Adams

Upon publication, Don’t Panic quickly established itself as the definitive companion to Adams and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. This edition comes up to date, covering the movie, And Another Thing by Eoin Colfer and the build up to the 30th anniversary of the first novel.

Acclaimed author Neil Gaiman celebrates the life and work of Douglas Adams who, in a field in Innsbruck in 1971, had an idea that became The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. The radio series that started it all, the five — soon to be six — book ‘trilogy’, the TV series, almost-film and actual film, and everything in between.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"It's all devastatingly true - except the bits that are lies" - Douglas Adams * "Hilarious fun... a source of much delightful trivia" - Publisher's Weekly"

About the Author

Neil Gaiman is a New York Times best-selling author and one of the most critically acclaimed living comics writers. There have been two recent movie adaptations of his work, Stardust and Coraline.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Titan Books; 5 Rev Upd edition (September 15, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1848564961
• ISBN-13: 978-1848564961
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.8 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #517,904 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I make things up and write them down. Which takes us from comics (like SANDMAN) to novels (like ANANSI BOYS and AMERICAN GODS) to short stories (some are collected in SMOKE AND MIRRORS) and to occasionally movies (like Dave McKean's MIRRORMASK or the NEVERWHERE TV series, or my own short film A SHORT FILM ABOUT JOHN BOLTON).

In my spare time I read and sleep and eat and try to keep the blog at www.neilgaiman.com more or less up to date.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great tribute to a great man, February 11, 2005

By 

isala "Isabel and Lars" (London, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Don't Panic: Douglas Adams & The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Hardcover)

This is part a biography of Douglas Adams, and part a description of how the different versions of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy came to be. Douglas Adams was a very interesting and intelligent man whose life was cut tragically short. The story of how his most famous work was created is almost as funny and capticating as the Hitchiker's Guide itself. We get some examples of his early work, which can be incredibly funny ("How many kamikaze missions have you flown?" "Fourteen Sir!" "Shouldn't it be just one?"). He was involved with the Monty Python group, and wrote some material for them.
I think the book should be essential not only for Hitchhiker's buffs but also for wannabes in any creative profession.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Funny and Informative, November 10, 2004

By 

K. Lakas "scullystwin42" (Chicago) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Don't Panic: Douglas Adams & The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Hardcover)

Neil Gaiman does an excellent job of capturing the style and mood of Douglas Adams, and reveals the man behind the books revered by many. This book is enjoyable, and interesting, and a definite read for anyone who loves the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The only sad part is that it's a bit short - like Adams' life. So that's a bit depressing. Otherwise, a good read!

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's the bonus disc to the H2G2, June 30, 2005

By 

Rotten Arsenal (Burleson, Texas United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Don't Panic: Douglas Adams & The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Hardcover)

This is a neat little book. I found the 1st edition years ago by chance in my university bookstore and bought it. When this revised edition (with some new material) was released, I snapped that up as well and re-read it.
Basically, think of this as the book equivalent to a "Bonus Features" DVD. It's jam packed with odd little stories and insights into the making of the Hitchhiker's universe (all media: radio, records, books, & TV). Die-Hard Adams fans will enjoy this.
And the fact that this happens to be compiled by Neil Gaiman, one of my other favorite writers, is just an added bonus.