h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

No, it's from the reissues that they did either last year or arlier this year, I'm not sure which, but it's apparently the original Pan edition

first things first.

1. the answer is The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. what greebo put is axactly what is there.
2. the theory is mentioned again in restaurant at the end of the universe like egon said, however, the text does not match up exactly, and there are quite a few differences.

the answer is definately The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. there can be no doubt of that now that i have compared using computer technology.

hope that clears everything up a bit for everyone.

spook

Just out of interest, where does it occur in Hitch Hikers Guide?

Because I've got an internet version up, and I can find "So this is it we're going to die" at the end of the vogon sequence, but no mention of the theory.

ok. in restaurant at the end of the universe, the section in question:

"Quiet," said Ford and Zaphod, "we're thinking."
"So this is it," said Arthur, "we're going to die."
"I wish you'd stop saying that," said Ford.
It is worth repeating at this point the theories that Ford had come up with, on his first encounter with human beings, to account for their peculiar habit of continually stating and restating the very very obvious, as it 'It's a nice day," or "You're very tall," or "So this is it, we're going to die."
His first theory was that if human beings didn't keep exercising their lips, their mouths probably seized up.
After a few months of observation he had come up with a second theory, which was this - "If human beings don't keep exercising their lips, their brains start working."
In fact, this second theory is more literally true of the Belcebron people of Kakrafoon.

fidn that in your internet version. it is in mine, but as i said, what is there is slightly difefrent to what greebo put.

spook

No, i was looking for the version in the FIRST book, which you said was in the vogon scene?

That'll be when they get beamed on board the Vogon ship by the Dentrassi, and Arthur says: "It's very dark" *only a guess*

B

..because= I've just read through the vogon scene here: http://userpage.fu-berlin.de/~thiekeju/hitch1.txt and can';t find it.

Sorry, simulpost, I'll nip off and check that.

OK, I've found it. Well done spook, you were right. Congratualations.

you see, I was assuming it was off "So this is it, we're going to die" like it was in the 2nd book, so I was looking too late in the scene

Thanks Egon! I was just lucky the particular passage greebo put was from the first book this time and not the second.

spook

*waits patiently for Greebo's first Pratchett quote*

B

I thought I was in luck whwn i happened to be online 9 minutes after greebo posted the question as well. Normally by the time I find it there's about 346 answers, some of which tend to be right.

same here. i'm usually in the middle of a lesson at school when he posts the question, and people answer pretty quickly.

spook

I'm usually in PR, or Sub-edding. Y'know, doing something useful

Good to see you've volunteered for subbing, btw Egon - I can confirm that A-Level English Language is immensely useful for the job

B

Well done spook... the quote was indeed Mister Adams' first Hiker book... The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy... a point to you... ~wink~... and you still get even though you think me a tom cat... ~big grin~