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

Douglas Adams has had a very great positive influence on my life. I first encountered his books while I was in university and they have made those years somewhat more tolerable to me than they would otherwise have been! Ever since then I have read and re-read all his books. He was an amazing person and he will leave a huge legacy!

one of my favorite memories is of listening to the hitch hikers guide on the radio on a sunday lunch time with my mum and dad then there was the joy of the books and the tv series, only recently I re-read the books and laughed out loud all over again . When I heard the news over the weekend I was moved to tears it seems so unfiar that a great talent should be lost so soon what more can I say? God Bless.

This terrible, terrible event has made me realize something: never put off telling someone what an impact they have had on your life. I never met Mr. Adams, but the radio programme, books and TV show helped me through my formative years and gave me hope - somewhere, out there is someone else with an off-kilter sense of humour and intelligence with a successful career.

I never wrote a fan letter because I felt silly and childish and believed it wouldn't be read. Well, now I know better. I guess 20/20 hindsight does work.

His works affected my life in a most profound way. "Hitch-hiker-isms" crept inexorably into my everyday speech and I spent a lot of time creating converts. If I was depressed, he raised my spirits. When words failed me, he saved me. I discovered that a towel really does come in handy. And when I was bored all I had to do was remember the words of Ford Prefect, "You make your own action."

Truer words were never spoken.

It was a shock to read that Douglas Adams died on the weekend.

My deepest condolences to Douglas' family and friends for their sudden loss.
His works were shared by the world, but the family will miss the man, the father, husband, friend...

I saw him speak live at the Ontario Canada Science Center; a wonderful memory.

He talked about living in California and what he missed most:
"Clean air and irony"

To illustrate, he described a meeting with Ghostbusters producer Ivan Reitman;
the rights to one of the Hitchhiker's books had been optioned to make a movie:
when he tried to explain the joke behind "the ultimate answer to life, the universe, and everything",
Reitman just couldn't get it (The answer is "42"; do you know what the QUESTION is?)

(Gad, I shudder to think what Disney may do with this property...maybe if Tim Burton directs....?)

He was also famous among the geeks for writing "Dr. Who" scripts;
at the end of the reading he was mobbed, and being shy he fled as soon as he could;
I couldn't get an autograph or talk to him.

It's sad that the obits I have seen so far don't mention his work for
wildlife preservation and his book on endangered species "Last Chance To See"

I remember hearing "Hitchhiker's" for the first time on a speaker in the CKCU-FM lounge; it was the sequence
where the deadly nuclear missiles are transformed by the Improbability Drive into a bowl of petunias and a large sperm whale.

As it falls I heard the whale's ruminations on "Where am I?" and "What's that rushing sound?" before the large SPLAT.

I grew to love the books, the vinyl records, and the TV show, but the original 12 radio episodes are what you want on your desert island.

Doug's vision of a Norse God (in the Dirk Gently books) was a cranky old man in a hotel whose one joy to sleep in peace in crisp, white cotton sheets that are changed frequently.

Wherever you are, Doug, I hope you are resting comfortably on those crisp, white sheets.

Greg Kokko

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"life's what happens when you're making other plans" - Stan Lee 1970
********************************************************************

*very sad sigh*

Y'know how they say, "they died young" about the deceased. Well, If you still want to live, you're always to young to die, no matter your actual age.

I know that my words of deep condolence are just a few along many - but perhaps they will make a difference. Along with the thousands, I mourn for a man who made the world seem less scary. His life was not wasted.

Entity

I can only agree with McDuff above. I think he said it very well. You have lost so much more than we have. If it is a comfort, know that the entire Adams family is in our prayers. May you sense the presence of God in this difficult time.

Most sincerely,

D.J. Hoffman

B******s!



We know you're reading the site so wanted to let you know we're thinking of you. Our love to you all.

Piers, Lyds & Will

PS I contacted the traveller in the east.

I just wanted to add in my condolences on Douglas's passing..

He taught a lot of us to see the world in a humourous light, as well as to appreciate what we have around us.

With the words he wrote, he left a legacy that will be remembered and treasured

I do wish his family all the best in the years to come..you have the sympathies of many a hitch-hiker who always remembered where their towel was, and took the words "Don't Panic" to heart.

He was a cool frood...and shall be deeply missed in all our hearts.

I'm stunned. The first I learned of this was when I visited this site (for the first time) today[Mon. 14]. Friday, May 11 will be remembered. But maybe we should instead remember 1978, as the creation of possibly the best universe in science fiction. I can't help but feel that DNA would want us to further his work rather than let his demise let it lapse. I don't know much about DNA as a person, but I've experienced most of the works he created, and they are too valuable to lose with their author. The works which he was involved in should also be completed, both on this website and other works. I am planning to write to whoever has the screenplay optioned and tell him that he owes it to the memory of this great man to make the best movie he can. It is a great loss, but we must go on. All I can hope is that everyone who comes in contact with his works will grow a little closer to DNA. I thank all of you for your support; I can't express myself right now and I'm probably just saying the utterly obvious to exercise my fingers, as Ford would say. Arthur would say, "So this is it, we're going to die." But I think his story shows that this is not it, that we live on after death in the works we leave, and that's why we must carry his on. Sorry if anything I said here is weird. I can only claim temporary insanity. So long.

Mr. Adams,
Douglas,
DNA,

I'd like to congratulate you on a job well done! Though you have moved on, you leave behind an incredible legacy, laughter. The world is better for your efforts, imagination and obsession with the little mysteries of life. Thank you for the humor (even with an extra "u"and fresh perspective. Most of all I would personally like to thank you for two things:

The Pyrotechnics of Dawn - a phrase from HG2G that would make a perfect band name. Now I just need to learn and instrument and how to sing!

A Navigational Approach That Never Fails -Pick a car that looks like it knows where it is going and follow. - Dirk

I look forward to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Afterlife,

Liberty Lewis
San Luis Obispo, CA
[email protected]

It is very helpful to me, that so many people, even
from the other end of the world (the universe?),
share my feelings about the loss of DNA. May his
ideas and our ideas of a new community become true,
so that at least we don´t need an infinite improbabitlty
drive, to make h2g2 his and our inheritance to the
universe...

In deep depression,

Georg Howahl,
Oberhausen,
Germany

Thanks for letting us know.
It takes some of the weight off.

Thanks.

Tube

It has always been a joy to read Mr. Adams's writing. I never read a thing of his that didn't make me smile and laugh - even the columns he used to write for "Mac User"!

I will miss him.

-Jared Hertzberg
New Haven CT, USA

My most sincere condolences to the family. I had the privelege of meeting DNA only once in 1985, and I must say that I was completely in awe. So much so that I'm afraid I could only mutter a few unintelligible phrases as I walked him to his car in Philadelphia after a book signing. Still, I found him very gracious and understanding to my very shy 18 year old self. He inspired me to write, and I will always be thankful for his presence in this world however short. Mr. Adams - if you would, save me a seat at your table . . . I've got a few questions that my adult self is no longer too shy to ask.

This seems like as good a place as any to relate my DNA epiphany story. We all sound like 12-steppers who became addicted to a GOOD thing...

Sometime in 1981 (probably the summer between junior high and high school for me), my mother told me about a funny television show she'd seen on the PBS channel here in Los Angeles. She said that I would really like it, but I was doubtful, because it had the stupidest name I'd ever heard: "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy".

As often happens with PBS, the show was scheduled at a time when no 13 year-old boy with sober parents could possibly watch it, so I never caught an episode. But my older sister found out that there was a companion book, and purchased it. She, too, recommended it, and so couple of days later I borrowed her copy.

It was as if some British guy I didn't even know had said, "Hey, Kid! Yeah, YOU, the short one with the longish hair -- I wrote this book for you!" The book was MINE, and not because it was science-fiction and I was the target audience, but because this was the kind of humor at which I'd been waiting my whole life to laugh.

Of course, I quickly scooped up "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe", and later "Life, the Universe, and Everything" when it finally was published [my first hardcover!]. A few years after that, my mother came back from a trip to England with a box-set of the whole radio series on cassette, and just so I could follow along more easily, "The Original 'Hitchhiker' Radio Scripts" was published in 1986, complete with a grammatical error in Geoffrey Perkins' prologue. Perkins' and DNA's footnotes in that volume made me laugh as hard as anything in the actual show, no small feat.

As you can see, I suffer from what Stephen King has called "literary elephantitis", so I'll try to wrap this up. I never did see all of the episodes of that oddly-named TV series. But I still have that first copy of "Hitchhiker's" that my sister bought almost exactly 20 years ago. I also have all of the other DNA books I bought subsequently, including my single favorite book of all time, "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency".

I still have them because they are timeless, a vital, beating heart (yech) of all-important humor. Those books explained the Universe to me, by explaining that there is no explanation to the Universe. How neat is that?

Almost, but not quite, exactly neat enough. I'll miss you, Mr Adams.

-- Gregg D'Albert

Thanks for all the...

little can be said in words to express my sadness at your and our loss, here a few words of mine that I feel I nust express!
I purchased the first three books with a combination of a small amount of cash and a booktoken which was a prize giving present on prize giving day at school, I think it's the only thing that ever mad my mother proud and reminds me of ford and arthurs conversation in the airlock
"I wish I'd listen to what my mother said when I was little"
"why what did she say?"
"I don't know, I never listened!"
whoosh

I haven't seen my parents in a few years, I'm going to plan a visit very soon now!

May I also add that this site is his creative offspring and will grow into his dream, with all our thoughts of him and his towel getting smashed on Pan galactic gargle blasters at milliways cursing the nutrimatic for failing to produce something almost but not quite something completely unlike tea.
We all Share and Enjoy his creations and our thoughts are with you.
Z.

If this flood of messages shows nothing else, it demonstrates how much of an impact Douglas Adams made on our lives here at h2g2 - and most of us have never met the man! I burst into tears upon reading the news. I think no other author has affected the way I think about things like Douglas Adams has. I wish I'd gotten a chance to meet him, but his character shines through in his writing - one of whimsy, mischief, and a love of the earth and everything on it. He will be missed.

For the first time ever, I've actually been moved to tears by the death someone whom I've never officially met. That is how much of an influence Douglas Adams was to my life.

His writing kept me sane during those troublesome teenage years, and a not so happy homelife, and inspired me to be the creative, intelligent, caring, and slightly wacky person that I've become. He was truly a magnificent man. And will never be forgotten.

The universe definitely has a big hole in it now. For the sake of those of us who cared about Mr. Adams, I do hope that it doesn't cause existence to suddenly contract in upon itself or anything! With the vast amounts of his fans, friends, and family, I hope that we can do our best to fill that hole.

-Turil

For the first time ever, I've actually been moved to tears by the death someone whom I've never officially met. That is how much of an influence Douglas Adams was to my life.

His writing kept me sane during those troublesome teenage years, and a not so happy homelife, and inspired me to be the creative, intelligent, caring, and slightly wacky person that I've become. He was truly a magnificent man. And will never be forgotten.

The universe definitely has a big hole in it now. For the sake of those of us who cared about Mr. Adams, I do hope that it doesn't cause existence to suddenly contract in upon itself or anything! With the vast amounts of his fans, friends, and family, I hope that we can do our best to fill that hole.

-Turil

I was first exposed to the inspired lunacy of Douglas Adams by my father-in-law fifteen years ago. I've been an avid reader of anything I could get my hands on since I was seven, but Mr. Adams was the first author who ever surprised a laugh out of me. Then again. And again. And you know, everyone loves a person who makes them laugh. I fell in love with the humor, the insight, the bizarre "left turn while signalling right" techniques of this master craftsman.

Naturally, I purchased a copy of each of his books as soon as I knew they were available, and even after several hundred readings of THHGTTG, I still laugh out loud. How many authors create characters that live, that you feel you know personally, whose reaction to any given situation you could almost predict? They're not just characters in a book, they're friends who have unwittingly brought you along on their adventures.

So much has been given to us through the generosity of Mr. Adams that the world will always be in his debt. In spite of the sorrow brought by his death, I find that I envy his family for their knowledge of him, their conversations, their laughter and joy in each others company in day to day life.

Thank you, Mr. Adams, for everything. And to your family, my regrets and condolences, and also my thanks. Thank you for being his family, for giving him the love and stability that every shining star needs in order to shine their brightest and most brilliant. And thank you for so graciously sharing him with us.

--Nick
Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA

P.S. Was Mr. Adams a bricklayer at any point in his career? Bricks seem to figure so prominently in many of his books, it makes one wonder. ;o)