Wish You Were Here: The Official Biography of Douglas Adams

It's a rare treat to find a book where every paragraph is a delight to read. And that's not counting the ones by Douglas Adams himself. "Wish You Were Here" is a testimony to a giant of a man - outsized in more ways than one. At over 196 centimetres, Adams was an intimidating figure. It's even more intimidating to encounter the breadth of his mentality. As Webb explains, Adams developed an incipient interest in science, became a proficient [if spendthrift] guitarist and learned just how final extinction is. He was a man attracted to new ideas, even to the extent of creating an Internet company that went beyond just being another dot.com. His personal interests were equally wide and intense. Given how soon after Adams' death this book was published, it's remarkably complete and sensitive to the survivors. If he'd done nothing but HHGG, Adams would be fondly remembered. As Webb notes often, Adams was too inventive and broad-minded to be limited to a single theme. Still, when you start off by considering the universe, you can only scale downward. Webb, who has a fine humorous style of his own, follows the life and tribulations of Adams with careful attention. He understands, as a flexible publisher should, that the craft of writing and production schedules are an uneasy liaison. The legends of Adams ability to procrastinate are common, but Webb points out that Adams' desire for perfection in his craft was at least as strong as his receptivity to diversion. His friends were nearly as important as his writing, and a long, liquidy lunch was both pleasurable and intellectually stimulating. Webb's own discussions with his subject were as often about deep philosophical questions as about the business of publishing. The author demonstrates how fervently Adams sought to have HHGG transposed into film. It's almost disappointing to note that no British firm was even approached to undertake the task. Given that the BBC-TV production was such a success, even though Adams himself felt disappointed in it, filming it there might have boosted the industry in the UK. Hollywood's special effects seemed to hold sway, even though BBC-TV's production was done with "old-fashioned" transparencies. That the film was made, even to mixed reviews, is one of the deep and tragic ironies of this account. Adams was unwilling or unable to perceive the vagaries of dealing with the Hollywood moguls. He wasn't a screenwriter - his first draft proved far too lengthy - and making the transition proved endlessly difficult. Adams' legacy is enduring, as Webb notes in his conclusion. Answer any question with "42" and you will almost certainly be granted a smile of recognition. The conversation will turn to favourite scenes or characters. Hitchhiker's [and the placement of the inverted comma remains a subject of discussion] was a phenomenon. Such things don't easily fade away. Webb is to be congratulated for helping perpetrate the marvel of Adams, even if th

It's such a shame that Douglas Adams left this world before his time. Perhaps he would have decided that an autobiography on his life would be a good idea. Because while, without one, we can get by on books like "Wish You Were Here" by Nick Webb, nothing quite replaces Adams' own voice. Webb writes the biography as well as can be under the circumstances. He has obviously gone to a lot of work interviewing and getting information from the people Adams worked with, was friends with, and knew growing up. Read "Last Chance To See" first, for a first hand account of some of Adams' adventures (plus, it may just be his best book!)... then pick this up to read. The breadth of the information is astonishing.

"Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the western spiral arm of the galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun"; there on a inconsequential rock revolving around this insignificant star, Douglas Adams used humor to place the importance of earthlings in the Einstein Universe. Nick Webb in turn provides insight into the life of Mr. Adams, the brain behind such classic tales as The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy; don't panic there is still time if you ignore your digital watch to read the amusing novel and its wacky sequels or catch the TV series. The well-written biography is parts irreverent (Mr. Adams must have provided divine guidance for that inclusion) and parts insightful especially on his subject's prim and proper British education and during the artistic period of starvation, overwork, and fame. Though obviously targeting Ford Prefect fans, Nick Webb does a masterful job giving insight into Adams during the time he wrote the Hitchhiker-Python-Who scripts in the late 1970s. Harriet Klausner