Neil Gaiman has a lot of respect for Douglas Adams' work and quirkiness, and therefore you can feel the endearment just from reading. The book is funny - mostly through footnotes - and I learnt a lot that I wouldn't say is essential to understand Adams, but it planted in me a willingness to read everything again. I even want to listen to the original radio series. This book is worth reading if you enjoy Douglas Adams the man, and not exactly for Hitchhiker's Guide even though it is a big chunk of him.

I am having such trouble finishing new books, I decided to choose from read books on my shelves. Probably I will make the same declaration at least monthly until I learn or until this very well precedented time. Putting aside such deadly epidemics as Zika 2015-ongoing and Ebola 2014-2016 within the really bloody recent past, I bring your attention to Swine Flu (H1N1) 2009-ongoing, the AIDs pandemic 1981-ongoing, Influenza 1957-58, Influenza 1889-90, Influenza 1918, the Russian Plague 1770-1772, the Plague of Marseilles 1720-1723, the Plague of London 1665-1666, American Plagues including smallpox the 16th century, The Black Death 1346-1353, the Bubonic Plague of Justinian 541-42, the Cyprian Plague 250-271, the Antonine Plague 165-180, etc. These times are precedented as hell. There are people alive now who survived the 1918 pandemic, so not only is it precedented, there is precedent in living memory. And a note of interest, many of these pandemics are now known by the ruler who's subjects suffered the highest death rates. So there's a strong probability than despite his worst efforts to blame others, this may go down in history as Trump's Plague.
I feel better now, but there's a risk that every future reference to "unprecedented times" will result in me screaming "ahistorical willfully-ignorant ignoramus" at the top of my lungs. You will hear me: I have a professionally-trained scream.
And also, you may have noticed that the flu shows up more than once. That's because novel strains are constantly emerging, and some of those are deadly as fuck. So none of this "it's no worse than the flu" bullshit. World War I only killed 40 million soldiers and civilians. The 1918 Influenza killed 100 million people in one year.

As the late great Douglas Adams wrote in Salmon of a Doubt “I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.” I'd always loved Adam's quotes but it was only after reading this book that I realised just how true that quote was to Adam's own writing life.

I got on to HHG2G in book form in about 84/85, it was a revelation. It was unlike anything I had ever read before. I was lucky enough to find my tribe when it came to fellow devotees. Except for Meaning of Liff which I have never been able to find a copy, all DNA's books have been read by me multiple times, as well as chasing down those Doctor Who episodes. As Neil Gaiman points out the special effects for the HHG2G TV series were primitive, comparing Pirate Planet's special effects with the current Dr Who series emphasised this.

In my teenage and young adult years, DNA was my guiding star. His writings enabled me to understand that I could be me - a little quirky, a little odd, a little different. I could see myself in Arthur. Adam's untimely death was heartbreaking, all that brilliance was no more.

I'd heard about this book, so put it on hold at my local library - their only copy was digital through Overdrive - how very HHG2G. It took forever for me to get to the top of the queue - I'd almost forgotten about it but there it was, the email that said I had 14 days to borrow and download the book. Reading the book took 2 days.

I can't say it was the best written book I have read this year, but I appreciated the facts and being able to relive some of those memories - such as changing my display name on the uni's computer messaging system to Trillian, such as playing Starship Titanic multiple times (whatever did I do with those disks?), such as persuading a friend that we needed to theme a group weekend away with a HHG2G theme, including decorating hand-towels with the words "Don't Panic" in fluro orange fabric paint. My friend 'got it', not sure about the other participants.

I think if you are a true DNA fan, then you'll appreciate the time and effort put in to writing this book and to relive some of your own memories.

Совершенно завораживает, когда волшебник от литературы рассказывает о другом маге. Я взял книгу Геймана об “Автостопе по Галактике” (а на самом деле вообще об Адамсе как писателе), чтобы скоротать время в очереди. Спустя три дня понял, что отложил всё и не остановлюсь, пока не дочитаю.
Чего я не знал до этого и знаю теперь? Связь “Автостопа” и “Доктора кто”, близость прозы Адамса и того, что делают “Пайтоны” и так выглядела очевидной. Что открыл для меня Нил Гейман - насколько тесно сосуществовали “Монти Пайтон” с Дугласом Адамсом (а настолько, что Дуглас чуть не попал к ним, точнее, попал, но на вторых ролях). Что Адамс практически сформировал направление “Доктора” с того момента, как стал писать для него. И очевидно, что перезапуск 2005-го года - это целиком наследие Адамса, роль Экклстона - прямиком из мира “Автостопа”, а не из прежнего “Кто”.
Ещё я узнал, что Адамса путали с Воннегутом, причём, влияние отмечалось в обе стороны. В русском переводе это явно не чувствуется.
Как я и подозревал, “Автостоп” - это идеальное отражение духа Европы-Америки (а в первую очередь - Англии”) 70-х. Настоящие хиппи ещё не умерли, космос манил романтикой, компьютеры и прочий хай-тек расцветали. Время безумной смеси технологий и свободы духа. Новый Свифт c Paranoid-Android’ом.
Открытие - что “Автостоп” начался не с книги, а с радиопостановки, а первый сериал делался практически параллельно и сюжеты во всех трех медиа разные. Сюжеты ещё и мигрировали из “Автостопа” в “Доктора” и обратно. Ещё было два мюзикла (в одном должен был играть Рик Уэйкман). Ещё есть фильм, который все вы смотрели и который меньше всего похож на историю “Путеводителя”. И только что вышел сериал “Дирк Джентли”, который очень, очень хорош, как минимум в первом сезоне.
С Дугласом Адамсом связан не только Уэйкман, но и сэр Клайв Синклер - “Spectrum” у всех в детстве был, кто до 80-го родился? Клайв купил первый экземпляр “So long” за 1000 фунтов, точнее, перечислил их на благотворительность. Ричард Докинз посвятил Адамсу свою книгу “Бог как иллюзия”. В книге этого нет, но я добавлю ещё пару друзей Адамса: Дэвид Гилмор (и название “Division Bell” выбрал Даг) и целый Procol Harum, с которыми он даже выступал.
Конечно, книга рассказывает и откуда взялся “Дирк”, и историю неоконченного “Лосося сомнения”. Но главное - она замыкает множество замечательных вещей в одну целую красивую картину.
Ну и я теперь знаю, какая именно песня у “Dire Straits” играла тогда.

A true fan book, concerning every form of the HGTTG, from radio series, books and many different adaptations, as well as the author's other work. It was a bit tiresome sometimes, especially regarding the visual adaptations, since I haven't seen any, but still quite entertaining and informative. Love the appendix part.

Gaiman writing a gran view of the life and work (more work than life to he honest) of Douglas Adams, can it get better than this?

It was good.

I just didn't find it that interesting.

I did enjoy some of the lore about The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, as I really love that book.

I would instead recommend that!

2.3/5

Don't Panic is mostly an overview of Douglas Adams' work from a "making of" standpoint, rather than looking into the works as texts, or being a biography of Adams. It's lively and interesting, and is a good overview of his creativity, his passions like computers and conservation... and his eccentricities that must have driven his co-workers nuts. It's less interesting after his passing, as various producers and writers try--and fail--to catch a spirit that has flown. The appendices are mostly skippable, but I did enjoy the character profiles and "How to Escape Earth," which was pieced together from Adams' wording on a marketing bonus item.

I'll have to track down Last Chance to See, which I was unfamiliar with before listening to this production.

Simon Jones' narration was fun to listen to. Jones himself is mentioned several times in the book, since his acting was a primary inspiration for the character of Arthur Dent, that he ended up playing on the radio and TV. Occasionally there was a hint of strangeness and lost time to it, since this is a 2020 production of a 2009 book, that in places calls back to Adams' work from over 40 years ago.

Listened to the audiobook via Borrowbox.

The details:
Read by: Simon Jones (the original Arthur Dent)
Unabridged.

the book
This book discussed everything Douglas Adams and the origins of Hitchhikers franchise. It's interjected with interviews, essays, snippets from Hitchhikers plays, books and TV Shows. Full of information and spans the timeline of everything Douglas. It was good to listen to and I'm glad I did because it is dull at times. Not everything interested me so I totally would have taken much longer than 2 days to read, had I not listened to it.
I love Neil Gaiman. This was his first book and you can definitely see how passionate he was and had so much respect for this franchise.

the narrator
Narrated by the first Arthur, probably gave a nostalgic full circle vibe for OG fans. He had a lovely voice and kept my ears peaked, even in the parts I felt were dull.

Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén

A very good insight on Douglas Adams' process of creating The Hitchhiker's universe as well as his other works (such as his contribution to Doctor Who, Last Chance to See etc), everything that encompasses that, but also on DA's own character, work process and relation to other significant people (that some readers might have heard of through other books/movies/radio programs/TV shows but weren't aware of any connection). Moreover, there are some great excerpts from the books/radio programs and some bits that never made it into any story.

Don't Panic: Douglas Adams & the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, as the 2009 updated edition is called, is a largely informative and well-balanced biography of one of my favourite authors. Neil Gaiman's original chapters are excellent, with an informative but genial style, and occasional humorous asides which feel apt and welcome. It's no hagiography - Adams' infamously unreliable nature is given due promenance, weaknesses in his work are examined fairly, and interview excerpts are included in which Adams admits his own dissatisfaction with his work.

Since its first publication in 1987, Don't Panic has been updated several times, not always by the original author. The chapters written by David K. Dickson or MJ Simpson lack Gaiman's touch, making for a slightly uneven read. One of the contributors actively irritated me, in fact. And the chapter covering Douglas Adams' untimely death is strangely unmoving, considering it concerns an event which broke my nerdy little heart as a teenager and still leaves me a bit wibbly when I think about it now.

But if you're looking for a mostly harmless overview of the life and work of Douglas Adams, you can't go far wrong with this.

Quite boring as it's just an unfunny narrative of how the radio series & books were written/made. Blitzed through after the first 50 pages. Could have spent the time reading H2G2 for real fun.