I must admit that, with the exception of Dr. Who, I really haven't given much thought to UK television sci-fi. In fact, it was not until the death of Douglas Adams on May 11th of this year that I recalled the humorously quirky "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." (Quick! What is the answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything? You'll find the answer at the end.)
Adams was the author of the hugely successful book upon which the television series was based. (Actually, it was Hitchhiker's success first as a BBC radio series in 1978 that led to the novel and its four sequels.* The TV series premiered in 1981.) A prolific sci-fi humorist, Adams was also the creator, among other things, of two books about Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency and of Starship Titanic, a CD-ROM game released in 1998.
Adams' universe generated a limited number of collectibles--primarily books, tapes, and games--and these are all selling briskly on the Internet. (Of 429 completed eBay auctions on 06.14.01, over 95% had sold.) Of special interest are signed first edition hardback books (naturally) and, most surprisingly, first edition British paperbacks, with some of the latter selling for up to $50+ depending on condition!
Other sought-after items include a box of trading cards that went for $23.63, an LP that sold for $34, and a set of four Hitchhiker's audio-book CD's read by Adams himself that garnered a final bid of $91.
So, what would Adams' answer be to all of this? Why, 42, of course. It's the answer to everything!
*The sequels were The Restaurant at the End of the Universe; Life, the Universe and Everything; So Long, and Thanks For All the Fish; and Mostly Harmless.
Related Web Sites:
GREAT sci-fi bibliographic resource!
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Lot/2976/SF2-intro.html
The Official Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Appreciation Society. Membership, news, merchandise, more!
http://www.zz9.org
Douglas Adams' site
http://www.douglasadams.com
Official BBC Web site
http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide
In their report on Adams' death, ABC News mentions that a motion picture version of Hitchhiker's Guide is presently in development at Disney.
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/scitech/DailyNews/adams010514.html
Books:
Clute, John and Peter Nicholls. The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction.
New York: St. Martin's Press, 1995.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/031213486X/auctionbytescom
Clute, John and John Grant. The Encyclopedia of Fantasy.
New York: St. Martin's Press, 1999.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0312198698/auctionbytescom
Gerani, Gary and Paul H. Schulman. Fantastic Television.
New York: Harmony Books, 1977.
Out of print, but available on the secondary market.
