For other uses, see Don't panic.
Towel with the words "Don't Panic" on Towel day

Don't Panic is a phrase written on the cover of the The Hitchhiker's Guide To the Galaxy.[19] The novel explains that this was partly because the device "looked insanely complicated" to operate, and partly to keep intergalactic travelers from, well, panicking.[20]

In the novel, it is said that despite its many glaring (and occasionally fatal) inaccuracies, the Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy itself has outsold the Encyclopedia Galactica because it is slightly cheaper, and because it has the words "Don't Panic" on the cover.[19]

In the novel's typography, the words "DON'T PANIC" are always typeset in upper-case.

On the cover of the novel (in early U.S. editions), the words are often accompanied by the image of a round green figure with skinny arms, sticking out a bright red tongue, who also appeared on the 2005 edition of The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. This text also appeared on the covers of the Illustrated Editions of the first novel.

Much like "42" and "knowing where your towel is",[21] the words are sometimes used among fans of the books and radio series to show that they have this passion in common.[citation needed]

Arthur C. Clarke said Douglas Adams' use of "don't panic" was perhaps the best advice that could be given to humanity.[22]

Mostly Harmless

The only entry about Earth in the Guide used to be "Harmless", but Ford Prefect managed to change it a little before getting stuck on Earth. "Mostly Harmless" provoked a very upset reaction from Arthur when heard. (Those two words are not what Ford submitted as a result of his research — merely all that was left after his editors were done with it.) Its popularity is such that it has become the definition of Earth in many standard works of sci-fi reference, like The Star Trek Encyclopedia. Additionally, "Harmless" and "Mostly Harmless" both feature as ranks in the seminal computer game Elite.

It is also the title of the fifth book, Mostly Harmless.

In the MMORPG RuneScape "Mos Le'Harmless" is a island in the eastern sea. It is, however, anything but harmless, containing a pirate town and a jungle filled with monsters.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d Douglas Adams (1 January 1980). The Restaurant at the End of the Universe. ISBN 0-345-39181-0. 
  2. ^ Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (TV series) Episode Six
  3. ^ Douglas Adams. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. ISBN 0-330-25864-8. 
  4. ^ a b c d The Original Hitchhiker Radio Scripts. Douglas Adams, edited by Geoffrey Perkins. Pan Books, London. 1985. ISBN 0-330-29288-9
  5. ^ a b Neil Gaiman (1987). DON'T PANIC - the official Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy Companion. Titan Books. ISBN 1852860138. 
  6. ^ Douglas Adams. Life, the Universe and Everything. ISBN 0-330-26738-8. 
  7. ^ "In Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, 42 is the number from which all meaning could be derived.". CIO (Chief Information Officer) Magazine (2007-04-03). Retrieved on 2008-03-03.
  8. ^ "Why 42 ? - alt.fan.douglas-adams - Google Groups". Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
  9. ^ "BBC - h2g2 - A Conversation Forum". Retrieved on 2007-09-04.
  10. ^ This interview is contained on Douglas Adams's Guide to The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy (BBC Cassette ISBN 0-563-55236-0) and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - The Collectors Edition (BBC CD ISBN 0-563-47702-4)
  11. ^ Several attempts by fans to find this particular video have been unsuccessful and it is possible it may never have been published or has since been deleted from use).
  12. ^ This is found on the Douglas Adams at the BBC CD set (ISBN 0-563-49404-2)
  13. ^ "BBC News - Magazine - What on earth is 42?". Retrieved on 2008-03-22.
  14. ^ John Lloyd speaking at the 30th Anniversary Hitchhiker's recording at Douglas Adams Memorial Lecture on Wednesday 12th March 2008 at The Royal Geographical Society
  15. ^ Vernon, Mark (7 March 2008). "What on earth is 42?". Retrieved on June 9, 2008.
  16. ^ "Cool questions and answers with Douglas Adams". Retrieved on 2007-08-19.
  17. ^ "4.8 Probable Solution to the Ill Guide Puzzle (Douglas Adams)". Retrieved on 2007-08-19.
  18. ^ http://www.catb.org/~esr/jargon/html/N/not-entirely-unlike-X.html
  19. ^ a b Adams, Douglas (1979). The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Pocket Books, 3. ISBN 0-671-46149-4. 
  20. ^ Adams, Douglas (1979). The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Pocket Books, 27. ISBN 0-671-46149-4. 
  21. ^ Adams, Douglas (1979). The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Pocket Books, 34. ISBN 0-671-46149-4. 
  22. ^ Zebrowski, George (2008-06-30). "Arthur C. Clarke looks back on the lifetime of influences that led him to become a science-fiction Grand Master". Sci Fi Weekly. SCI FI. Retrieved on 2008-07-24. "The best advice I think was given by Douglas Adams: "Don't panic.""

Further reading

Smith, Mol (2007). 42 - The Answer to Life, The Universe, and Everything. Maurice Smith, 178 pages. ISBN 978-0-9557-1370-5. 

External links

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By Douglas Adams
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Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notable_phrases_from_The_Hitchhiker%27s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy#Answer_to_Life.2C_the_Universe_and_Everything_.2842.29"


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