On Friday, May 11, 2001, the world mourned the untimely passing of Douglas Adams, beloved creator of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, dead of a heart attack at age forty-nine. Thankfully, in addition to a magnificent literary legacy—which includes seven novels and three co-authored works of nonfiction—Douglas left us something more. The book you are about to enjoy was rescued from his four computers, culled from an archive of chapters from his long-awaited novel-in-progress, as well as his short stories, speeches, articles, interviews, and letters.

In a way that none of his previous books could, The Salmon of Doubt provides the full, dazzling, laugh-out-loud experience of a journey through the galaxy as perceived by Douglas Adams. From a boy’s first love letter (to his favorite science fiction magazine) to the distinction of possessing a nose of heroic proportions; from climbing Kilimanjaro in a rhino costume to explaining why Americans can’t make a decent cup of tea; from lyrical tributes to the sublime pleasures found in music by Procol Harum, the Beatles, and Bach to the follies of his hopeless infatuation with technology; from fantastic, fictional forays into the private life of Genghis Khan to extended visits with Dirk Gently and Zaphod Beeblebrox: this is the vista from the elevated perch of one of the tallest, funniest, most brilliant, and most penetrating social critics and thinkers of our time.

Welcome to the wonderful mind of Douglas Adams.

道格拉斯·亚当斯（Douglas Adams，1952-2001）

英国著名科幻小说作家，以《银河系搭车客指南》系列闻名，这个系列被改编成电视剧和电影，科幻读者奉之为“科幻圣经”之一。

《全能侦探社》是他的另一经典系列，融合了科幻、侦探和喜剧元素，深受读者喜爱，被改编成广播剧、舞台剧、电视剧和漫画。

他也是非常受欢迎的演讲者、广播剧作家、音乐家以及环保活动家。

2001年5月9日，亚当斯去世的前两天，国际天文联合会将18610号小行星命名为“Arthurdent”，即《银河系搭车客指南》系列的主角，以此向道格拉斯·亚当斯致敬。