I read the Hitchhiker books long ago, but was not aware of this book until it popped up on BookBub and I downloaded for free. I found it to be almost a hagiography of Douglas and all I could think of was that if there wasn't a Douglas Adams, someone would have invented him. I understand what he brought to the world of sci-fi that was not there before, but he was certainly not alone!

Yes I think the Hitchiker books were fun, brilliant even, and I enjoyed Dirk Gently. With this book, after a while, if you were not totally tuned into to all things DNA, well....I was really hoping to get an understanding of how Adams thought, worked, produced..and what I seemed to get was Nick Webb's awe standing in the way. It was so obfuscated with Roget-type words I thought Mr. Webb had taken stock in a word company and had a certain amount to use or his contract would be null and void.

A bit to rambling, insufferably British and overwrought for my taste. Just me!

Well, that was an exhausting, I mean exhaustive, biography. The writing was fine, there was just so much detail, which I'm sure is great for reference books but less for casual purposes. I'm mostly glad I read it just to get a list of what other media I should put on my to-read/to-watch lists (which I probably also could have gotten from a wikipedia list). If you're a mega-fan and want to know, this will sate your appetite. If you picked it up on a whim, like I did, put it back and go read your favorite novels by Adams again.

Fantastic! It takes a little while to get going through some slightly dull plodding about at the start discussing Douglas Adams' family, but it really hits its stride once the great author gets into the picture. Very intelligent and often funny (maybe a bit too much America-bashing from author Webb, ironic as Douglas loved America), this book is straightforward for about half the pages and then goes off the rails in different directions about Adams' life. Appropriate, though, given how full of ideas and enthusiastic Adams was about everything. I really enjoyed it, recommended for Adams fans especially.

This was a very comprehensive book, and very entertaining to read. It made me like Douglas Adams all the more, and really makes me want to go back and reread everything he's written! It took me an unusually long time to read for some reason (not a quick read), but I enjoyed every minute of it.

Douglas Adams Hitchhikers Guide completely changed how I look at the world and is without a doubt my favourite book of all time , so I have always found DNA (Douglas Adam’s initials) fascinating and this book is written by the person that commissioned his first book , not only did he have the vision to see the potential in an obscure radio play but he got to know and understand the man behind the books , I feel I know and understand the brilliance and flaws of this truly exceptional man.
Thank you Nick Well for showing DNA as the man he was, I feel I know his personally after reading this book, just annoyed I never got to go to one of his house parties.

Although I enjoyed this book, I think it was because of Douglas Adams rather than Nick Webb’s writing. Although he does a reasonable job of DNA’s story, he both puts too much detail in parts and not nearly enough in others. Also he keeps quoting Neil Gaiman’s book about Douglas- which I ended up wishing I’d read instead of this one.

Douglas Adams, and his ideas, were so much more than just Hitchhiker's.

Lots of great stories about and insights into, Douglas Adams. Wasn't a fan of this authors writing however. He got bogged down in many spots with detail that slowed the pace down a bit but still a great read for any fans of Adams.

This isn't just a must-read for Adams fans, it's also a must-read for writers or any other creative type who enjoys the sweet torture of procrastination - Adams was a master of the genre.

I'm not much of a biographies person but this one is almost like hanging out with Adams, he's that well captured.

I thoroughly enjoyed this biography, and I may have to go back and reread Adams' books now.

Make sure your Biographer is a best friend

Read this book both as a biography about Douglas Adams and a series of love letters to him. The author conveys, on behalf of a huge fan base, for all the reasons in the multiverse, how much we wish Douglas Adams were here. A marvelous grounding in the facets of an important man’s life, fore, aft, and under.

Besides Humphrey Carpenter's Tolkien-biography this is without a doubt one of the best biographies I have ever read - if it isn't actually the best.
Nick Webb has caught the mood and mannerism of Douglas Adams to perfection, and anyone who's read Hitchhiker's or any of his other books will recognize the whimsical and charming humor inside this one.
Wish You Were Here toes the line between what is personal and what is too personal to tell in a biography, but never once does the author cross it and there's never an uncomfortable moment when you think he's overshared a bit. All the stories he tells, and the natural criticism any imperfect human will be subjected to when their lives are being retold, are treated with the utmost respect and affection for the people in them.
All I can say about this book is: read it. If you are familiar with Douglas Adams it will be like befriending him all over again with all his faults and virtues; if you don't know Douglas Adams read it anyway. This is the perfect example of how to write a biography that is truly in the spirit of its subject.
Douglas Adams did not like biographies. But I believe that if Douglas Adams had to write an autobiography, it would be exactly like Wish You Were Here.