42, the crowdfunded The Wildly Improbable Ideas of Douglas Adams, is now ready for release — we bring you all the details you need

More than two years ago we brought details of Kevin Jon Davies project to explore some of the many (many) documents Douglas Adams left to his alma mater (St Johns, Cambridge). By the time we’d written the article, the exercise was already fully-funded, though there was still time for some of us at Cultbox to add our support. The good news is the book is now available to order.

Due for release August 24, and delayed due to the inevitable exigencies of working around pandemic restrictions, those of us who backed the project now have our electronic copies. Beginning with a heartfelt introduction by Stephen Fry, it covers topics as diverse as Douglas’s school days through Cambridge, Footlights, collaborations with Graham Chapman, and early scribbles from the development of Doctor Who, Hitchhiker’s and Dirk Gently. Add in essays from luminaries such as Neil Gaiman and Dirk Maggs (from a very long list) and this is a fascinating 330 page look at the contribution and insights of the legend that was Douglas Adams.

While we’re clearly biased (and have found our names in the vast list of supporters) we’d recommend this to anyone with an interest in Adams, and it demonstrates his breadth of talent beyond creating Hitchhikers (more than enough success for one lifetime on its own).

You can order your copy from the usual round of stores, including Amazon — here’s the UK link.