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Don't Panic: Douglas Adams & The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Hardcover – October 1, 2003

by Neil Gaiman (Author)

4.3 1,057 ratings

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Adds extra information to the Hitchhiker trilogy, including previously unpublished radio show excerpts and a profile of Douglas Adams.

Review

"...a complete fanboy's trawl through the history of the franchise." (5 stars) -- SFX Magazine Review 2004, by Steve O' Briens

Droll and informative ... indispensable -- American Library Association

Hilarious fun ... a source of much delightful trivia. -- Publishers Weekly

Indispensable ... a treasure trove of quotes and anecdotes. -- Locus

Probably the best book currently out there on Douglas Adams. -- SFX Magazine, December 2003

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is the most remarkable, certainly the most successful book ever to come out of the great publishing companies of Ursa Minor. It is about the size of a paperback book, but looks more like a large pocket calculator, having upon its face over a hundred flat press-buttons and a screen about four inches square, upon which any one of over six million pages can be summoned almost instantly. It comes in a durable plastic cover, upon which the words DON'T PANIC are printed in large, friendly letters.

There are no known copies of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy on this planet at this time.

This is not its story.

It is however the story of a book also called, at a very high level of improbability, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy; of the radio series that started it all; the six-book trilogy it comprises; the computer games, towel and television series that it, in turn, has spawned.

To tell the story of the book - and the radio series, and the towel - it is best to tell the story of some of the minds behind it. Foremost among these is an ape-descended human from the planet Earth, although at the time our story starts he no more knows his destiny (which will include international travel, computers, an almost infinite number of lunches, and becoming mindbogglingly rich) than an olive knows how to mix a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster.

His name is Douglas Adams, he is six foot five inches tall, and he is about to have an idea.

Print length

256 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Titan Books
Publication date

October 1, 2003
Dimensions

6.29 x 0.97 x 9.47 inches
ISBN-10

1840237422
ISBN-13

978-1840237429
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Popular Highlights in this book

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All of my life I’ve been attracted by the idea of being a writer, but like all writers I don’t so much like writing as having written.
Highlighted by 332 Kindle readers
“They could never work out at school whether I was terribly clever or terribly stupid. I always had to understand everything fully before I was prepared to say anything.”
Highlighted by 199 Kindle readers
Perhaps, it occurs to me now, at the end of the day, one of the most magical things about Douglas’s writing, as with that of his literary hero P. G. Wodehouse, was that you knew the person writing was on your side, that he was not laughing at you, but that you were in on the joke.
Highlighted by 194 Kindle readers

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Titan Books; First Edition (October 1, 2003)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1840237422
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1840237429
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.18 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.29 x 0.97 x 9.47 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,595,949 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #7,995 in Author Biographies
- #12,598 in Actor & Entertainer Biographies

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4.3 1,057 ratings

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Neil Gaiman

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Neil Gaiman is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty books, including Norse Mythology, Neverwhere, and The Graveyard Book. Among his numerous literary awards are the Newbery and Carnegie medals, and the Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, and Will Eisner awards. He is a Professor in the Arts at Bard College.

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4.3 out of 5

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Elisabeth Carey

Entertaining and interesting

Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2021

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Over thirty years ago, a young journalist named Neil Gaiman (you may have heard of him since in other contexts) was given access to Douglas Adams, his life, his files, his unpublished outtakes, and many of his friends and coworkers, to write a highly entertaining account of the creation of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy--the radio show, the six books of the "trilogy," the movie, the games. This is a fascinating look inside how Adams worked, and just how chaotic his creation process was at its best.

Because yes, all his most creative work was done in at atmosphere of chaos and looming deadlines.

And in a time when radio had already become largely a domain of music, news, and talk, he did his best work for radio, and drew in listeners as few if any other entertainment writers and creators could do for radio. This included, of course, not just Hitchhiker's Guide, but his wonderful nature program about endangered species, Last Chance to See.

This book is its own wild romp, while also giving due attention to Adams's struggles, depression, and frustrations. It's been updated several times since its origial publication, and access to Adams's files provides considerable insight into his working process. The unpublished outtakes and early versions also give us a view of how Hitchhiker's Guide developed, and the happy disregard for continuity and consistency that might have sunk many other creative works, but but gave life and vitality to the Guide in its many forms.

It's a wonderfully enjoyable and informative book, and I can't really do justice to it. Just read it, okay?

I bought this book.

15 people found this helpful

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Phred

Affectionately true to Douglas Adams' spirit but mostly about the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and its various iterations

Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2013

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Neil Gaiman's Don't Panic succeeds in so far as the author manages to capture the humor of the late Douglas Adams. It lacks depth as a biography but more than blankets the various aspects and versions of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (H2 G2 ) as well as the five book trilogy. It is correctly described in one of the other reviews as the hyperextended bonus feature that was too long to include on any of the CDs or DVD versions of the radio broadcasts, televisions shows and unfortunately the Disney movie.

If you have come looking for this book and have read this far my assumption is you are a Douglas Adams fan. H2 G2, Dirk Gently or possibly Dr. Who fans constitute the target readership for this book. Granted Douglas Adams had a very slight association with the Monty Python's crew; more of common friendships than creative participation but none of this qualifies Don't Panic for a general audience.

That portion of the book that is about Douglas Adams is clearly intended as a friends and family type biography. That is, one that is more affectionate than analytical or critical. A very large portion of the discussion of Adams the writer centers around his inability to meet any deadlines which is nothing new for people who know about Adams's history. Daiman does do a decent job of explaining Adamns and missed deadlines by providing the additional context of Adams; too often self-inflicted complex life.

Gaiman succeeds as an apologist for Douglas Adams and is someone who can speak in a voice very much like Douglas Adams. I have read as much of Adams published works as are available in America. I own and enjoy the original radio series and the original television series of H2 G2. So I was interested to get to read about the intimate background on most of what occurred in the making of -- to include electronic games and live performances.

My conclusion is that this is a fan's book. There may be some other audiences such as those who collect biographies of writers or who wish to know more about the creative / production process in any of several media. The ironic /humorous tone makes for easy reading but one can get somewhat bogged down in details.

31 people found this helpful

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Waialae Will

Don't Panic covers Douglas Adams work well

Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2011

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Neil Gaiman and the associated writers cover Douglas Adams and the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy well. First there is an explanation of how Adams came up with the title "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" in 1971, then a brief biography of Adams from childhood to the period just before he wrote Hitchhiker's Guide. He always wanted to write since the age of ten when he received a rare perfect score from his composition teacher. However, Adams had trouble keeping up with deadlines, so his papers were usually late. He appeared in school plays and developed a love for performing. After watching Graham Chapman on TV, Douglas decided that he was going to be a writer-performer like Chapman. Adams later attended Cambridge University after winning a writing contest, there he joined the legendary Footlights performing society. Unfortunately, he didn't fit in there because the ideas he submitted to the group were rejected as being not particularly funny. But he kept trying and formed a small troupe with two other students, one named Smith and the other Adams. They called themselves Adams, Smith and Adams and were known for putting on sketches like the educated railway brakeman who tied up the line trying link existentialism with the switching system. After that he gave performing to write. He wrote several sketches for radio shows after that, some memorable, others forgettable. But in 1977, Adams came up with the script that would make him famous. He took the title that he dreamed up in 1971 and paired with with the story of a man driven from his planet (which was destroyed for a better path for spaceships) and forced to wander the galaxy with a reporter for the Guide. Adams submitted the script outline to the BBC and they approved it in March. One month later Adams completed the first script and submitted that hoping for a quick production agreement (and payment). However, the BBC staff spent the summer on vacation and didn't get back to Adams until August. In desperation he also submitted the script to the Doctor Who show, hoping that they would buy it. They didn't, but asked him to write some scripts for them. So when the BBC approved the production of six episodes of The Hitchhiker's Guide, poor Douglas found himself drowning in work for two different shows (but now he was a known writer and after The Hitchhiker's Guide was broadcast he became famous).

11 people found this helpful

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Enrique Melgarejo

Marvelous!!!

Reviewed in Mexico on September 18, 2023

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Are you a Douglas fan? Are you a Neil fan? What are you waiting for to buy it???!!!

Katherine

Fun read

Reviewed in Canada on March 7, 2022

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Definitely for Hitchhiker fans, but if you are one, you'll enjoy this. Gives some very interesting and often hilarious background insights into the creation of this classic.

Gavin Jackson

A worthy guide to the literary world of Douglas Adams

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 11, 2023

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Gaiman proves to be an excellent tour guide through the labyrinthine literary world of the late, great Douglas Adams, the ultimate galactic hitchhiker. A good companion piece to Adams’s own posthumous works: “The Salmon of Doubt” and “42: The Wildly Improbably Ideas of Douglas Adams”.

One person found this helpful

Amazon Kunde

Englischer Hitch Hiker

Reviewed in Germany on September 17, 2023

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Meine Enkelin liest gerne englische Bücher und hat sich dieses gewünscht

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swissbaldo

Funny

Reviewed in Italy on December 22, 2018

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Funy

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