42: The Wildly Improbable Ideas of Douglas Adams

Douglas Adams left behind 60 boxes of notebooks, letters, scripts, jokes, speeches, and poems when he died in 2001. 42, compiled by Kevin Jon Davies, includes hundreds of these personal artefacts, revealing his deep fascination with technology and his ideas that were far ahead of their time. The book also features archival material charting his school days, collaborations with Graham Chapman, and early scribbles from the development of Doctor Who, Hitchhikers, and Dirk Gently.

Format: Hardback
Length: 336 pages
Publication date: 24 August 2023
Publisher: Unbound

Douglas Adams, the acclaimed author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, left behind a remarkable legacy when he passed away in 2001. Among his vast collection of personal belongings were 60 boxes filled with notebooks, letters, scripts, jokes, speeches, and even poems. Now, in a remarkable compilation curated by his long-time collaborator Kevin Jon Davies, hundreds of these intimate artifacts are being published for the first time.

Douglas was not just a writer but also a thinker, and his artifacts provide a fascinating glimpse into his mind. They reveal his deep fascination with technology, which led him to envision ideas that were far ahead of their time. For instance, in a convention speech, he imagined a smartphone that would hold all the information in the world at our fingertips. He also wrote extensively about the advent of electronic books and home computing, even purchasing the very first Mac in the UK. His musings on the internet's potential to disrupt the CD-Rom industry are particularly insightful.

In addition to his creative works, 42 also features archival material that charted Douglas's school days through Cambridge, his involvement with the Footlights, his collaborations with Graham Chapman, and the early scribblings that laid the foundation for his iconic series. The book also includes projects that never came to fruition, such as the pilot for a radio program and a space-inspired theme park ride.

Douglas's personal papers serve as a testament to the fact that the greatest ideas often arise from the fleeting thoughts that collide within our imagination. They offer a captivating insight into the mind of one of the twentieth century's greatest thinkers and most enduring storytellers. 42 is a must-read for fans of Douglas Adams and anyone who appreciates the power of creativity and imagination.

Weight: 1828g
Dimension: 218 x 307 x 31 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781800182684