The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy movie (which I didn’t care for all that much, as I previously wrote), prompted me to pick up a copy of “Don’t Panic”, Neil Gaiman’s guide to the guide. The original version came out in the late 80s, but it has been updated several times since then to keep up with all additions to the increasingly inaccurately named trilogy, as well as the unfinished work that Douglas Adams left behind after his death in 2001. “Don’t Panic” does an amazing job of covering the background behind (and the major differences between) the various incarnations of the Guide, including the radio series, the books, the BBC TV series, the audio books, etc. There are many interesting facts, such as the fact that the whole Krikkitmen story from “Life, the Universe, and Everything” was originally conceived as a script for Doctor Who that never made it. An excerpt of the script is also contained in “Don’t Panic”. The book also provides a great insight into the mind and personality of Douglas Adams.
If you’re a fan of the Hitchhiker’s Guide and Douglas Adams and want to find out more about both, I strongly encourage you to pick up both “Don’t Panic” and “The Salmon Of Doubt” , which contains many previously unpublished items such as essays, speeches, and of course the unfinished story Douglas was last working on.
On that note: It’s been a few years, I think it may be time to re-read the Hitchhiker’s Guide books again… :)