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

It's not often that I feel emotion at the passing of a person I never knew. For this reason, I was taken completely by surprise when I felt tears welling up shortly after hearing of the passing of Douglas Adams.

I was recently talking to some friends about "Last chance to see", about how Douglas was able to approach this sensitive topic with a combination of genuine caring and a good dose of laughter. It never occurred to me to thank him, but his ideas and the way he was able to communicate them allowed me to see the world differently. I feel a deep sense of loss, a feeling that is slightly comforted by the knowledge that his books, and his memory, will live on for many years (and in many parts of the universe).

My thoughts are with the Adams Family (and didn't that sound strange). If Douglas was half the man in real life that his books led me to believe he was, your loss must be great.

Sincerely,

Jason Doller

He gave us so much enjoyment over the years. What can I say but thanks for all the good times. We will miss him greatly...

Anytime I started dating somebody, one of the first things I would ask them (well, probably not THE first thing, but close) would be whether they had read the Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. If not, I would as soon as possible hand them my copy and insist that they read it, quizzing them occasionally on plot points and monitoring their progress through the books. Until one person I dated broke up with me before finishing my copy of the More than Complete Guide and I haven't seen it since. But I still have all of the books...including the Dirk Gently series, and the complete 6 CD set of the BBC radio series...

This story serves as just one example of how DNA was and still is an integral part of my life, and how his sense of humor has transformed me into a wannabe sardonic satirist who always knows where his towel is. I will always be thankful that there was this one day in fifth grade when I was looking for a sci-fi book that I hadn't read and stumbled upon the HHGTG.

So, to you Douglas Adams's loved ones, I send my own pathetic little attempt at condolences and sympathy, as one of the legions of DNA fans who will always cherish their association with one of the greatest comedic fiction writers EVER, and who will mourn this day for years to come.

Sincerely--

Ethan Jones and his towel
Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA, Earth, ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha.

Douglas Adams made the world a better place.

For more than twenty years, since I was ten years old, he brightened my little corner of it with all he shared.

My deepest sympathies to the Adams family.

I already know as I begin to write that this is going to sound stupid, but I'm afraid I'm going to persist anyway.

Remember when Diana died? Remember the "outpouring of grief" that swept the nation? Well personally I never believed it. I saw it as mass hysteria encouraged by the media and refused to read any publication besides the suitably cynical Private Eye for the duration.

After all, how is it possible to feel palpable grief for a person one has neither known nor even met?

Well as I sit here, at work, with hot tears rolling down my cheeks & hoping no-one comes into my office, I suppose I now know.

I may never have known or met him, but through his work, Douglas Adams has been a part of my life for almost as long as I can remember. His books were a part of my family, we've all read them (more than once), and I even managed to write about Dirk Gently as part of my GCSE coursework - the one essay I actually enjoyed doing.

So the prospect of a world without DNA, today seems a rather empty one. I feel the need to tell everyone I see that he is dead. I think I want to seek out other fans in the same way that one wishes to be surrounded by family when a relation passes on. I think they're the only ones who might understand.

Or maybe I am just being stupid...

When I was six years old my parents bought me a radio for Christmas. I used to lay awake at night and listen to Liverpool playing exotically named teams in the European Cup, or Robbie Vincent insulting his late-night callers on LBC. Then one evening, quite my accident, I tuded into the strangest radio programme I had ever heard. Much stranger even than Robbie Vincent. I told all my friends at school about this wonderful programme but no one believed me. My parents thought I was deranged and threatened to take my precious radio away if I kept making up such stupid lies about what i was listening to. the way I reasoned it, Liverpool seemed to exist, so why shouldn't the guide? . I even called my goldfish "Zaphod Beeblebrox" so you might say Douglas' work had an big impact on my little mind.

I was 8 years old when the book of "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" was first released in paperback. It was the first book I ever bought, and the first book without pictures I ever read. I still remember feeling a little disappointed that the book was not the actual electronic guide to exploring the Universe. However it did open my eyes to the world of grown-up literature, and for that I will be forever in Douglas' debt.

Thank you for the gift of reading.

Although a thank you is always appreciated, in this case it is not needed.
I think we all feel a loss here and writing messages (talking I suppose), is a great help.
HHGTTG has had a big impact on my life. I think it's fair to say that it changed my way of looking at the world.
Because of it in my first forays on-line (in the deep dark world of early Compuserve), I stumbled into the Hitchhiker group in there.
Here we spent many a wild night, all minds alike but maybe not entirely altogether insane.
I remember talking to myself in there at one stage and then meeting many of those people in the 3D world. Oddly, we met in a Pub in London, which I had a map for. The oddest part of it is that the pub was on page 42
That was a time of my life filed with fun and Douglas Adams was at the very heart of that.
I also attended a few 'DougSoc' (Douglas Adams Society) in Oxford, meeting more and more weird and wonderful people.
These memories, I dedicate to DNA.
Infact, I have to say, that so long as I have these memories, he will never truly be gone.
Me and my old Cserve buddies are getting together on Saturday May 26th for a drink in his honour, so where ever you are on the 26th, remember to raise a glass with us, but don'tcha give me no more of that ol janx spirit.

Arthur Dent. Sandwhichmaker, Sandwhichmakers Hut, Lamuella.

Without wanting to start a stupid debate (that means don't start one, cause we have a sense of taste here ), Diana Princess of wales, did touch many people. But how many of them on the telly crying, in the papers ranting, actually knew her?
No, I didn't know DNA. Infact I spurned the chance to see him onec because the Oxford Douglas Adams Society and he, had, it seems, had a bit of a falling out years before (in perfect harmony with his writing I suppose), so i went along with that.
Anyway, I'm skirting skillfully around my point, without actually advancing upon it. I shall do better.
What I am trying to say is that in reading someones work, it gives you at least a small insight into the author. It makes them seem all the more real. Add to that the fact that most people who have read the guide, end up talking to like minded people in places like this, for the rest of their lives (well, it seems like that ), then you realise that he did touch every one of us in a very special way. He opened a door that can never be closed. It is his gift to us and that is why we cry.

Arthur Dent.

P.S. it seems that in a drunk chat over the net, I have stopped mourning and started evening (shakes head).

I didn't know him personally, but felt that I did from his work.
All our thoughts are with you.
See you at the resturant at the end of the universe Douglas. I'll be sat with Hotblack Desiato!

Having been bracing myself mentally for years for the death of my other hero, Spike Milligan, (who absolutely refuses to die) I am doubly shocked by Douglas' untimely death. He has been with me since childhood and I can't yet appreciate what it will be like waiting an eternity for his next book (although, during his lifetime, he gave us a pretty good approximation).

Like Milligan, Douglas' work has redefined comedy, given many a grant-round of geeks highly quotable material and will live on for many generations.

In addition, Douglas has done more to promote the excitement and wonder of science than any contemporary writer. As a scientist, my job has just become more difficult without Douglas there to fly the flag. Nevertheless, he has demonstrated how it can be done and it is now for us to take up the challenge.

So long Douglas,

LPN.

This may sound a bit odd, but I was driving home last night listening to HHGTTG (again) when the bit about Arthur and Ford escaping from the Hagunennon(sp.?) came on and Fords words (which I can't exactly remember but were something like this): "We Never mention those left along the way" were uttered in response to Arthurs "but what about the others?". They struck me as particularly apposite and I'm sure that DNA would not want us to mourn his passing too long.

That said I can't seem to shake this feeling.....

My deepest sympathies to Douglas’s family my thoughts are with you It is because of the HHTTG that I have made many of my long term friends after quoting a line from the books it has been recognised by someone and a conversation has sprung up around it. For this and all the laughs and insight I an truly grateful to DNA I will miss his humour and we are a poorer race at this time

so long .......

john

About 20 years ago I came across The Guide. It made me laugh like a lunatic, but more importantly, it made me rethink my way of living. The whacky humor got through to me in a way that shaped my life.

He taught me to fly.
He taught me to just DO it, whether I knew how or not.
And I developed a nutty sense of humor about the harder things in life that has made it possible for me to keep barreling along head first, even when I've run into a wall.

I'm deeply saddened that DNA has come to an end as a person, but the things he created and set in motion will continue to have far reaching and lasting impact. Such a mind! He was an inspiration to joy for a lot of us, I think. And that is a rare form of immortality indeed.

Like most people who've responded to this thread, I am deeply shocked, and I was moved to tears at the loss of a great part of my life. I cannot stress the influence I feel this man had on my life. Ironically, it was Douglas Adams who (along with Star Wars, Star Trek and Dr Who) sparked my interest in all things sci-fi and technological. I say ironically because I had read, years ago, that he wasn't big on the genre, and thus he created the satire.

When I was about ten, our primary school teacher would take us one day a week to our local library to listen to the radio series of the Guide. I bought the records, the books, and watched the TV series. No book has ever made me laugh out loud as much as his Guide series.

Not only that but aspects of my personality have been enhanced solely by his works. From sense of humour, to concepts of lateral thinking from an early age. I have made friendships with like-minded people by simply quoting from the book.

The number 42 has had silly signifigance to me, notably by the fact that it was the age at which my father died (of a heart attack).

To his family it may be small consolation, but please take heart in the number of lives he touched and the impact he continues to make. In a way, he lives on within each of us. I hope he continues to benefit your welfare, in memories, materially and through the large, global fanbase that he has, as evidenced by the sympathy and empathy shown in these discussion boards.

My deepest sympathies in your loss.

Can their be a more apt epitaph than "So long, and thanks for all the fish."?

I'm off to indulge in a really strong cup of brownian motion.

Mal.
Belfast, Northern Ireland.

To Douglas's family,

My girlfriend was at a party when she heard the news. A friend of hers announced that Douglas Adams had died, and everyone was quiet for a second; then someone said "don't panic," and everyone laughed. It seemed fitting.

-Brian

Mere words cannot express the deep sadness I feel at losing such a wonderfully talented and witty man. My sincerest condolences.

Tim Rainey, Crete, Greece.

Douglas will be truely missed, but his aim was always so much better than ours.

I found out on Saturday morning, "Heard the news about Douglas Adams?" read the SMS on my mobile phone. A question like that totally bypasses the brain and goes straight for the "sinking feeling in the stomach" gland.

"No, what's up?", I asked my brother in return, but I think I knew the answer.

"He's dead, heart attack"

Wonderful technology though mobile phones and SMS messaging is, it can be a cruelly blunt way to communicate... I watched the news through the day with a sort of stunned disbelief.

It's at least 21 years since I first read HHGTTG, back when paperback books cost less than a pound, and not surprisingly it profoundly shaped my sense of humour from that point on... of course, I had been quoting Monty Python since I was 7 or 8, so I think there was probably a natural progression there, and between the two (later joined by Dirk Gently) they provided an alternative way of looking at almost any situation.

I was returning to Belfast from Birmingham Airport on Monday night, and the flight was delayed for over two and a half hours. Sitting on the plane, silently fuming through yet another 45 minute delay, my mind strayed to Frogstar World B. Zaphod had escaped the Vortex and found the ship in the disused hangar. I grinned as I waited for the stewardess to announce that we were "awaiting loading of our complement of small lemon-soaked paper napkins for your comfort, refreshment and hygiene" and hoped the delay wouldn't stretch to quite the 900 years of those poor travellers. It certainly put the experience in 'total perspective' and cheered my foul mood. I stopped short of looking around, lest Zarniwoop was moving up the aisle toward me! If they had served a small piece of fairy cake with the in-flight meal it would have been just perfect. Unfortunately, I had to settle for cheesecake...

I wish (like many people) that I could have met him, although my brother passed him in the street on London once (or so he claimed - my brother, not Douglas!)

My deepest sympathy is with Douglas's family and friends at this time.

Geoff

it was raining here in portland when i received the news, pouring really. it was the most miserable day. i don't know what to say...the world lost its hoopiest frood and i lost my guide to the universe. i don't know why, but in a way his books are like a bible for me, in a completely non-religious way. everything that happens in my life somehow connects and they have given me a different perspective on the world, as well as many, many laughs. i wish i had gotten to know him or told him how much he meant to me, but now all i can hope for is that his family will know how very very sad we all are and that we will never forget him.
my sincerest condolences,
miranda fix
portland, or, usa

I am devastated. These tears may cause the keyboard to malfunction. I heard (via email) about Douglas' death only an hour ago; last week I bought the boxed sets of the Radio Series on CD and I've been listening to them instead of the radio/tv so I missed hearing the news.

I don't suppose he intended to, but Mr. Adams made a huge impact on my life. I have fond memories of listening to tapes of the original radio editions when I should have been revising for A levels, at University my mother knitted me a jumper that was a copy of the Restaurant's record cover, I can still quote from the Guide.
Throughout the 80s and 90s my friends were in 2 categories; those who could quote from the Guide, and the Others. The first group are getting fewer now (I ought to get out more), so I proposed marriage to the last one I met. THAT's the impact Mr. Adams made - I knew she was a soulmate simply from the fact that she regarded the Guide (and Dirk Gently, etc) as important enough to memorise. (We will be wed in July). We've had enormous pleasure from hearing the original Radio series' again.
My sorrow at the passing of this Great Mind will be no match for yours; nevertheless, it is enormous. There seems to be less to look forward to. My deepest condolences.

Dale Jones (I'll change my researcher nickname next time I logon)