Incorrect series

[Martyn]

Could you please remove "Dirk Gently #3" from 'The Salmon of Doubt' by Douglas Adams.

Apart from being misleading, since the book is also an essay collection, it's not even strictly true. Douglas Adams has been quoted (including within the pages of TSOD!) as saying that the book would probably end up being #6 in the Hitchhiker series.

I would leave any series name off of this title as either one is as misleading as the other.

[rivka, Librarian Moderator]

Multiple sources state: the last third of the book contains the first eleven chapters of what was meant to be Adams' new Dirk Gently novel. So it seems like it does belong to the series.

I marked it as read in 2007, but I really have no recollection of the content.

[Scott]

It should actually be part of the Hitch-Hiker's series too as it contains "Young Zaphod Plays It Safe."

[rivka, Librarian Moderator]

Which would fall where in the Hitchhiker's series? Prequel, I guess? So maybe .5 on the series list?

[Martyn]

rivka wrote: "Multiple sources state: the last third of the book contains the first eleven chapters of what was meant to be Adams' new Dirk Gently novel. So it seems like it does belong to the series

Multiple sources may state whatever they wish, the author stated that it was probably, once finished, going to be book 6 in the HGTTG series. As TSOD is essentially an essay collection (fully the first half is given over to the non-fiction writings that Adams made for various news outlets) I think it's misleading to say it's a DG novel. IMO of course. And Douglas Adams'.

[rivka, Librarian Moderator]

Adams stated multiple contradictory things about what SoD would be. That was pretty consistent with his overall persona.

In any case, the book published as SoD and what he would have published as same had he lived long enough to do so are certainly not the same critter. The book that was actually published contains content that clearly continues the Dirk Gently plot (and I use that word advisedly).

[Cait]

I've changed the series listing to "Dirk Gently #3 included", which is our usual notation that the series story is not the entire content of the book. If there is any Dirk Gently fiction in the book it certainly belongs in the series.

[Martyn]

Thanks Cait, that sounds like a great compromise.