The Salmon of Doubt
Encyclopedia
The Salmon of Doubt: Hitchhiking the Galaxy One Last Time is a posthumous collection of previously published and unpublished material by Douglas Adams
. It consists largely of essays about technology and life experiences, but its major selling point is the inclusion of the incomplete novel on which Adams was working at the time of his death, The Salmon of Doubt (from which the collection gets its title, a reference to the Celtic myth of the Salmon of Wisdom
).
English editions of the book were published in the USA and UK
in May 2002, exactly one year after the author's death.
novel. The plot, set a few weeks after the events in The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul
, involves Dirk Gently refusing to help find the missing half of a cat, receiving large amounts of money from an unknown client, and then flying to the United States
. Dirk pays a visit to Kate Schechter (who had first appeared in The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul) and tells her that prior to the potential client, he had been so bored that he had started a habit of dialling his own phone number and discovered he'd answered his own calls.
A faxed summary reprinted before the text mentions travelling "through the nasal membranes of a rhinoceros, to a distant future dominated by estate agents and heavily armed kangaroos."
The version in the published book is the strongest content from several unfinished drafts that were written.
, saying "People have said, quite rightly, that Mostly Harmless is a very bleak book. And it was a bleak book. I would love to finish Hitchhiker on a slightly more upbeat note, so five seems to be a wrong kind of number; six is a better kind of number."
, and the US edition, instead, has an introduction by Christopher Cerf
. The audiobook edition consists of 7 CDs, mostly read by Simon Jones
, but also includes both of the introductions, read by their respective authors, as well as the tributes written and read by Richard Dawkins
. US paperback editions have yet another introduction, written by Terry Jones
, and omit some material due to issues with copyright.
The fourteenth printing of the UK/Canadian paperback, ISBN 978-0-330-32312-3, differs in content from the ninth printing of the US hardcover edition, ISBN 1-4000-4508-8, in the following ways. The paperback contains a foreword written by Stephen Fry; the hardcover contains an introduction by Christopher Cerf. Douglas's letter to David Vogel on page 168 has Douglas's London address at the top in the hardcover, but it is missing from the paperback. "The Private Life of Genghis Khan
" has been omitted from the paperback.
The US mass market paperback edition ISBN 0-345-45529-0 contains everything in the US hardcover edition, and adds "An Introducton to the Introduction to the New Edition" and an "Introduction to the New Edition", both by Terry Jones. The material that was omitted from the UK/Canadian paperback edition is intact in the US mass market paperback edition.
had commissioned a third Dirk Gently six-part radio series for broadcast in mid-2010, based on the uncompleted chapters of The Salmon of Doubt, and written by Spice World
writer Kim Fuller
. These plans have been dropped in favour of creating a television adaption of the two complete novels.
Douglas Adams
Douglas Noel Adams was an English writer and dramatist. He is best known as the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which started life in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy before developing into a "trilogy" of five books that sold over 15 million copies in his lifetime, a television...
. It consists largely of essays about technology and life experiences, but its major selling point is the inclusion of the incomplete novel on which Adams was working at the time of his death, The Salmon of Doubt (from which the collection gets its title, a reference to the Celtic myth of the Salmon of Wisdom
Salmon of Wisdom
The Salmon of Knowledge is a creature figuring in the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology. This salmon was sometimes called Fintan, or Finntan, in ancient times and is sometimes confused with Fintan mac Bóchra who was also known as, "The Wise" and once transformed into a salmon...
).
English editions of the book were published in the USA and UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in May 2002, exactly one year after the author's death.
Original intention
The original intention of The Salmon of Doubt was a Dirk GentlyDirk Gently
Dirk Gently is a fictional character created by Douglas Adams and featured in the books Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency and The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul...
novel. The plot, set a few weeks after the events in The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul
The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul
The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul is a 1988 humorous fantasy detective novel by Douglas Adams. It is the second book by Adams featuring private detective Dirk Gently, the first being Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency....
, involves Dirk Gently refusing to help find the missing half of a cat, receiving large amounts of money from an unknown client, and then flying to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Dirk pays a visit to Kate Schechter (who had first appeared in The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul) and tells her that prior to the potential client, he had been so bored that he had started a habit of dialling his own phone number and discovered he'd answered his own calls.
A faxed summary reprinted before the text mentions travelling "through the nasal membranes of a rhinoceros, to a distant future dominated by estate agents and heavily armed kangaroos."
The version in the published book is the strongest content from several unfinished drafts that were written.
Later intention
Adams admitted that while he originally planned on writing a third Dirk Gently book, the ideas he was having for it would have fitted better into another Hitchhiker's book: "A lot of the stuff which was originally in The Salmon of Doubt really wasn't working", and he planned on "salvaging some of the ideas that I couldn't make work in a Dirk Gently framework and putting them in a Hitchhiker framework... and for old time's sake I may call it The Salmon of Doubt." He had expressed dissatisfaction with the fifth Hitchhiker book, Mostly HarmlessMostly Harmless
Mostly Harmless is a novel by Douglas Adams and the fifth book in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. It is described on the cover of the first editions as "The fifth book in the increasingly inaccurately named Hitchhikers Trilogy"...
, saying "People have said, quite rightly, that Mostly Harmless is a very bleak book. And it was a bleak book. I would love to finish Hitchhiker on a slightly more upbeat note, so five seems to be a wrong kind of number; six is a better kind of number."
Versions
There are slight differences in varying editions of the book. The UK edition includes a foreword by Stephen FryStephen Fry
Stephen John Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter and film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club. He first came to attention in the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue presentation "The Cellar Tapes", which also...
, and the US edition, instead, has an introduction by Christopher Cerf
Christopher Cerf
Christopher Cerf is a U.S. author, composer-lyricist, voice actor, and record and television producer. He is known for his musical contributions to Sesame Street, for co-creating and co-producing the award-winning PBS literacy education television program Between the Lions, and for his humorous...
. The audiobook edition consists of 7 CDs, mostly read by Simon Jones
Simon Jones (actor)
Simon Jones is an English actor, most famous for his appearances in the television and radio series of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, in which he played the lead role of Arthur Dent from 1978 to 2005...
, but also includes both of the introductions, read by their respective authors, as well as the tributes written and read by Richard Dawkins
Richard Dawkins
Clinton Richard Dawkins, FRS, FRSL , known as Richard Dawkins, is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and author...
. US paperback editions have yet another introduction, written by Terry Jones
Terry Jones
Terence Graham Parry Jones is a Welsh comedian, screenwriter, actor, film director, children's author, popular historian, political commentator, and TV documentary host. He is best known as a member of the Monty Python comedy team....
, and omit some material due to issues with copyright.
The fourteenth printing of the UK/Canadian paperback, ISBN 978-0-330-32312-3, differs in content from the ninth printing of the US hardcover edition, ISBN 1-4000-4508-8, in the following ways. The paperback contains a foreword written by Stephen Fry; the hardcover contains an introduction by Christopher Cerf. Douglas's letter to David Vogel on page 168 has Douglas's London address at the top in the hardcover, but it is missing from the paperback. "The Private Life of Genghis Khan
The Private Life of Genghis Khan
The Private Life of Genghis Khan is a short story written by Douglas Adams and Graham Chapman. It is based in part on a sketch devised by Graham Chapman, and written by Chapman and Adams for the 1975 TV show pilot Out of the Trees. It appears in The Utterly Utterly Merry Comic Relief Christmas Book...
" has been omitted from the paperback.
The US mass market paperback edition ISBN 0-345-45529-0 contains everything in the US hardcover edition, and adds "An Introducton to the Introduction to the New Edition" and an "Introduction to the New Edition", both by Terry Jones. The material that was omitted from the UK/Canadian paperback edition is intact in the US mass market paperback edition.
Editions
- US Hardcover edition, published by Harmony: ISBN 1-4000-4508-8
- UK Hardcover edition, published by Macmillan: ISBN 0-333-76657-1
- US audiobook edition (CD), published by New Millennium Audio: ISBN 1-59007-151-4
- US trade paperback edition, published by Ballantine: ISBN 0-345-46095-2
- US mass paperback edition, published by Del Rey: ISBN 0-345-45529-0
- UK paperback edition, published by Pan: ISBN 0-330-41956-0
- Canadian paperback edition, published by Pan: ISBN 0-330-32312-1
- US audiobook edition (CD), published by Phoeniz Audio: ISBN 1-59777-006-X
Adaptation
BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
had commissioned a third Dirk Gently six-part radio series for broadcast in mid-2010, based on the uncompleted chapters of The Salmon of Doubt, and written by Spice World
Spice World
Spice World may refer to:*Spiceworld , second album by British pop group the Spice Girls, released in 1997*Spice World , the Spice Girls movie*Spiceworld , the sellout world tour of the Spice Girls...
writer Kim Fuller
Kim Fuller
Kim Fuller is a British writer for film, radio and television. His brother Simon Fuller is Britain's most successful music manager as manager of Annie Lennox and The Spice Girls amongst others and creator of the Idol Series...
. These plans have been dropped in favour of creating a television adaption of the two complete novels.