It all started when Douglas Adams demolished planet Earth in order to make way for an intergalactic expressway-and then invited everyone to thumb a...
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Jun 18, 2008
Mia
rated it: 
Another thrift store find... and a fantastic one at that! Douglas Adams was a difficult genius and Nick Webb did a wonderful job of telling the story in a very even-handed manner. He admits Adams's shortcomings as well as some of his unpublicized triumphs. Webb's writing is also great. A biography has never been so fun! He has a quirky humor, much like Adams, that makes it an enjoyable read. The only bummer is that the book was published before the movie was released - I would have loved to hear
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Mar 20, 2007
Krissa
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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'm not much of a biographies person but this one is almost like hanging out with Adams, he's that well captured.
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Feb 26, 2009
Jason ("jcreed")
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A bit rambly but enjoyable.
Personally I find it extremely heartening that one of the funniest, most capable writers of the last few decades was beset by crippling self-doubt as to his abilities or chance of success in the world. Add to that the fact that are plenty of people who just as vastly overestimate their talents, and it just goes to show you never know.
The biography is quite tolerable until the omg-he's-the-greatest quality of it gets to you. It's not like the lev More...
Personally I find it extremely heartening that one of the funniest, most capable writers of the last few decades was beset by crippling self-doubt as to his abilities or chance of success in the world. Add to that the fact that are plenty of people who just as vastly overestimate their talents, and it just goes to show you never know.
The biography is quite tolerable until the omg-he's-the-greatest quality of it gets to you. It's not like the lev More...
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Jul 29, 2011
Astrid
rated it:
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 he cross it More...
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 he cross it More...
Aug 28, 2011
Michael
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Douglas Adams is one of my favorite writers, and I've been a fan of his books since I was about 12 or 13. Ironically, I was introduced to his first book (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) by my older brother, who has no sense of humor whatsoever.
I read this at the same time as reading another Douglas Adams biography, called "Hitchhiker", written by M.J. Simpson. The reason I did this is I wanted to get a more complete sense of the life of my favorite humorist from mor More...
I read this at the same time as reading another Douglas Adams biography, called "Hitchhiker", written by M.J. Simpson. The reason I did this is I wanted to get a more complete sense of the life of my favorite humorist from mor More...
Nov 17, 2007
Tracey
rated it:
It's more of a theme-based biography than strictly chronological & very British (I have got to start using the word "kipple"!). Mr. Webb was also an acquaintance of Douglas & as well as being the "official biographer", he was able to bring some of his personal insights to the work. I learned more about his family background that I remember reading in either the Gaiman or Simpson bios - the section of pictures (if a bit too small) was a lovely addition, as was the list of Doug
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Dec 20, 2008
Nick Webb is a fine writer. I can’t find anything else by him on Amazon, so I’m assuming this is his first book. He should do more biographies. I loved the observant and well-phrased asides he scatters throughout the book. He seems as genuinely fascinated by the natural world, literature, and technology as Adams was.
May 16, 2008
Elizabeth
rated it: 
Painstakingly researched, and affectionate. Webb acknowledges his seriously pro-Douglas bias, but he makes many excuses for Adams' personality challenges which are a bit grating to read after a while. The early parts of the book are the strongest, focusing on things that happened and anecdotes. I consider myself a great admirer of his work, but not a fanatic, so I was happy to learn about the childhood and adolescent circumstances that shaped one of the funniest English modern writers. The l
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Aug 25, 2010
Beth
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I still have the last 2 books of the trilogy in five parts to read and now that I've read this, I want to go back and re-read the first three consecutively before finishing out the series. Having some insight into how his writer brain worked wants me to not only refresh my brain on the H2G2 series but read everything else he's written!
Jan 09, 2012
Scott
rated it:
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 o
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Feb 15, 2009
Heather
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I loved learning everything I ever wanted/needed to know, or ever wondered about this wacky, charming and brilliant mind. As colorful a guy as one would expect from the author of the laugh out loud classic series.
Apr 26, 2010
Jeff
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Anybody who has to deal with me on any sort of basis, as in ever, should basically consider this book required reading. I also have about the same affinity for lunches, so, you know, buying me one wouldn't be bad for our relationship.
Sep 01, 2011
Bought a second hand copy for $1. Can't wait to read it! I will probably re-read all the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy books again after reading this book.
Sep 18, 2011
Kate
rated it:
Official biography and a fascinating read and insight to the man - would now like to read the other biography - don't panic
Apr 21, 2011
I made it through the introduction and the first chapter or so (about 50 pages in) before deciding that this wasn't going to work for me. Maybe if Douglas Adams had written it...
What I really wanted to hear was more of his stories, and this was, perhaps, too comprehensive. Let's go back in time and set up the family, talk about how who begat who and all of the myriad relationships. Skipping ahead might have served me better, but I'd already invested my hour or so, and I wasn't int More...
What I really wanted to hear was more of his stories, and this was, perhaps, too comprehensive. Let's go back in time and set up the family, talk about how who begat who and all of the myriad relationships. Skipping ahead might have served me better, but I'd already invested my hour or so, and I wasn't int More...
Jul 15, 2010
Iain
rated it:
Frankly, this was quite disappointing. The subject matter was certainly interesting, but the author's style is appalling - it reads like it was written by a schoolboy at times, with a plethora of completely pointless footnotes. It's also obvious that the author was not nearly detached enough from his subject, and it was more like someone regaling you with tales of an old friend, rather than a subjective biography.
Jan 18, 2012
Caryn
rated it:
I liked it. It did a good job of showing where the zaniness came from, but also told a lot about him that couldn't be inferred from his books. I hadn't realized he was such a bad procrastinator - it's a good measure of how valuable he was to his publisher that they'd go to the lengths they had to, to get him to write something! I'm glad they did, though, and I'll always be sorry he didn't get a chance to delay his way through more books.
Oct 19, 2008
Mark
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I miss Douglas Adams, though I preferred his earlier work to his later (I know, this is biography, sue me). He does seem to have been quite a character.
Aug 22, 2008
erika
rated it:
I borrowed this from the library based on Mia's recommendation. So far, I'm really enjoying it.
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