The cover of The Frood says that this book is “the authorised and very official history of Douglas Adams and the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy including unseen extracts from Hitchhiker and ideas from the Adam’s archive”.
The author is Jem Roberts a comedy historian and it’s apparent that this history is very important to the author with the details being meticulous recorded.
I’m liking
Douglas Adams was a very big influence on me as a teenager, I passionately devoured the Hitchhikers books, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul, and Last Chance to See. So reading what inspired him and what lead to and assisted in developing his ideas is great. I loved the story (which apparently even Adams couldn’t remember if it was true or not) in which, while hitching through Europe and having spent his last money on beer, he was lying in a field staring up the stars thinking how cool it would be to hitch in space. Other parallels between his observing road development causing homes to be destroyed generated the concept that the earth could be destroyed for a similar reasons was also interesting (and provided a far more political insight that I had realised). I also thought it funny that his personal copy of the hitchhiker’s guide to Europe was stolen.
Things that made me go hmmmm
While the author’s attention to detail is impressive it makes reading the book hard work. There are some genuine gems recorded but they are often hidden amongst loads of information that I didn’t find that interesting.
The conclusion
Douglas Adams was a very funny man and managed to use words and ideas wonderfully. While the book has some genuinely interesting details and insights into what inspired Adams it is at times hard work to read.
