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

thanks Jimster

(I'd have done the corrections by now but I was called into work to dress the shop window so I'm only just in)

Just shows you how much the film changed my memory of Fever Pitch, I'd completely forgotten that the source book was Hornby's factual account of being a fan. I'd still hesitate to call it an autobiography because it's not so much a biography as a journal. It's a pedantic difference I suppose, but only in the same way the Alan Clarke diaries aren't his autobiography.

What should I call it then?

Although it's not an autobiography, it does have autobiographical elements, but it's also in the style of what in magazines we call 'think pieces'; opinionated discussions around a topic.

Would 'autobiographical book' sound weird?

As an aside, I am completely baffled by what has just falled out of my copy of Fever Pitch. Why I was using signed photos of Alma Baldwin and Liz McDonald from Corrie as bookmarks, I just don't remember...

well when I opened up my copies of the three older books out of Fever PItch fell the packaging for a necklace I bought a few years back, out of High Fidelity fell a mini polaroid photo of my bedroom from last summer and out of About A Boy fell a Womble!

I'll put autobiographical book, I can always fight with the sub-eds later

Right then - rumble!

No, seriously, autobiographical book sounds good to me...

Hey I'm a sub-ed too you know

I know!

I've changed the things you've suggested and added a few links but I've got a couple of things I'd like a bit of advise on.

1) do you think I need to add sections about Big Night Out and My Favourite Year (A Collection of Football Writing)? They're both short story collections he's contributed to recently.

and

2) Do I italicise the film names in the headers?

Looking good... personally I wouldn't italicise anything in a header, I think it'd make it look too messy. But then I'm still quite new at this, so I may be over-ruled...

I think it's worth adding a little section each on Big Night Out and My Favourite Year - although I think My Favourite Year was a few years ago now, it's one of those things that I've been meaning to buy for ages but never have.

I still maintain there's one 'm' in 'Fleming', though

Yes indeed Fleming has only one m and I should have noticed I'd put a double in opps

see I thought it would look a little messy and I can't remember it saying anything about that in the editing english usage guide etc.

I've been trying to get my hands on Speaking with the Angels, but I haven't managed it yet...although my copy of How to be Good is signed

Will add those sections now

Have updated and considering a slight reorganisation so it's in Chronological order at teh end but will do that when I'm online later

Lovely stuff, Emily, and a certainty for the Edited Guide. I'm grateful to Mr Hornby for bringing my family closer together. My Mum said that reading 'Fever Pitch' helped her understand my obsession much better!

A couple of points: it's an Edited Guide convention that the claim to fame of people who are the subjects of entries is always included in the title, so this entry should probably be called 'Nick Hornby - the Author' or 'Nick Hornby - the Writer'.

The first paragraph about 'My Favourite Year' doesn't quite make sense, and you need to make it clearer that Hornby edited the book as well as contributing a chapter. Something like '"My Favourite Year (A Collection of Football Writing)" is an anthology of original football writing, edited by Hornby, in which different writers describe their favourite season following a football team' would do the job.

Finally, the bit about '31 Songs' is a bit close for comfort to the blurb about the book on the Penguin site, although the line about it being self-indulgent is presumably yours! I'd polish that part up a little if I was you.

Very well done, though - this is great stuff!

I must admit, I did use a lot of what the blurb said for 31 songs and because I hadn't really looked at it since I put it in I haven't had a chance to make it into my own kinda explanation...

Please let us know when you're happy for the entry to go forward to the Edited Guide - as it surely will!

I've just corrected the bits you've said, and I'll update in the next five minutes with the changes to 31Songs

great article Emily! I also have loved Nick Hornby since Fever Pitch, particularly as an Arsenal fan! just one quick typo is in the About a Boy section where Nirvana is called a 'grudge' band instead of 'grunge' (and incidentally I agree with you that they should have kept Nirvana in the film )

that;s what i liked about High Fidelity, most of the bands Hornby mentioned are still in there

I've made a few alteration