Bestselling novelist, avid ecologist, inventor of words and leading technologist, Douglas Adams was one of the most influential thinkers of the late 20th century. His was an extraordinary life: he started his career as a struggling comedy sketch writer but then became an overnight success after his "Hitchhiker" series were first aired by the BBC in 1978. Arthur Dent's adventures through space with his friend Ford Prefect became a popular culture phenomenon, spawning bestselling novels by Adams, hit television and stage shows, a cult following and fan clubs all over the world. Brilliantly researched and packed with anecdotes from friends and colleagues, it is the definitive biography of this extraordinary man.