So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish (1984, ISBN 0-345-39183-7) is the fourth book of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series written by Douglas Adams. Its title is the message left by the dolphins when they departed Planet Earth just before it was demolished to make way for a hyperspatial express route, as described in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It has since been adopted by some science fiction fans as a humorous way to say "goodbye". Image File history File links So_long,_and_thanks_for_all_the_fish. ... Douglas Noël Adams (March 11, 1952 – May 11, 2001) was a British author, comic radio dramatist, and amateur musician. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... The cover of the first novel in the Hitchhikers series, from a late 1990s printing. ... Some notable science fiction novels, in alphabetical order by title: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke 334 by Thomas M. Disch An Age by Brian Aldiss The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton The Atrocity Exhibition by J.G. Ballard... Life, The Universe and Everything cover Life, the Universe and Everything (1982, ISBN 0345391829) is the third book in the five-volume Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy science fiction series by Douglas Adams. ... The front cover of the US first hardcover edition of Mostly Harmless. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The cover of the first novel in the Hitchhikers series, from a late 1990s printing. ... Douglas Noël Adams (March 11, 1952 – May 11, 2001) was a British author, comic radio dramatist, and amateur musician. ... Genera See article below. ... The cover of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, from a late 1990s US printing. ...

Plot summary

The book begins with Arthur Dent, hitch-hiking randomly through the galaxy, arriving at (as the book's blurb describes it) "the last place in the Universe in which he would expect to find anything at all, but which 3,976,000,000 people will find oddly familiar" - namely Earth, continuing on exactly the same as before it was destroyed, except that the dolphins are gone. Simon Jones as an upset Arthur Dent, watching his home being demolished in the first episode of the BBC TV series. ... Genera See article below. ...

After getting dropped off on the planet by a spaceship, Arthur Dent walks along a road in the rain. While walking, he notices a Porsche driving by, and is deeply surprised. After all, Porsches only existed on Earth, and wasn't Earth destroyed by Vogons? After walking for awhile, he successfully hitchhikes in a car driven by Russell. In the backseat with him is Russell's sister, a beautiful woman who is unconscious. Arthur learns that this woman goes by the name "Fenny" even though her real name is Fenchurch (though Arthur doesn't learn her full name until much later in the novel). Not able to stay in the car much longer (the brother acts unpleasant), Arthur is dropped off at a pub, a pub which he knows pretty well. Dr. Ing. ... This is a list of races, fauna and flora featured in various incarnations of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. ...

At the pub he hears the voices of an obnoxiously annoying man, and his familiar dog. After this event, Arthur knows for sure he is on Earth, and ventures to find his home and see what had happened to it.

Returning to his miraculously undemolished home, Arthur finds that in his absence he has received an enormous pile of junk mail and a decorative fishbowl inscribed with the words "So Long, and Thanks." He wonders why the planet he is standing on still exists, seeing how it was blown up by the Vogons. Also for some reason only a few months have passed on Earth, even though he has been travelling for the equivalent of eight years. After cleaning himself up and shaving off his beard, Arthur returns to the village pub, and explains his absence of the last several months by having been away in California.

Arthur feels a strange connection with Fenchurch and tries to track her down through calling various hospitals (as she was obviously sick), but has no luck.

Later Arthur sees Fenchurch hitchhiking and picks her up. He offers to drive her to London but instead she makes him take her only to the nearby train station. He convinces her to talk with him in a pub in the station, and they talk uncomfortably, with bumbling Arthur unable to explain how he knows her already or why he wants to see her again. He is forced to buy charity raffle tickets from a woman who keeps interrupting their conversation, but in the end gets Fenchurch's phone number on the ticket before she leaves. He later realises that this was the winning ticket and so by giving it up in return for a very lame prize of a record of bagpipe music, he has lost the number. He falls into depression at having lost contact with Fenchurch again.

In the previous book, Life, the Universe and Everything, Arthur Dent found himself living in a cave for five years while marooned on prehistoric Earth. Because he doesn't have much else to do, he decides to try and find the exact coordinates of that cave. He buys a computer in Exeter, and without much skill guesses and articulates a set of coordinates which he thought might have been correct based on the view of the stars from the cave. The narrative informs us that as it happens the guess was exactly correct. Life, The Universe and Everything cover Life, the Universe and Everything (1982, ISBN 0345391829) is the third book in the five-volume Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy science fiction series by Douglas Adams. ...

When Arthur goes to the coordinates, in modern day Islington, he "knocked on the appropriate door," and is astonished to see Fenchurch standing before him. Fenchurch admonishes Arthur for not having phoned first, but invites him in and a relationship begins between the two.

In their conversations, they seem to notice that there is something weird about one another. They enjoy each other's company, and talk about their confusion about the world and their experiences. Arthur learns that Fenchurch also seems to think that the Earth had exploded. He also learns from her that all the dolphins in the world disappeared a few months previously.

After realizing that Fenchurch's feet do not actually touch the ground, Arthur shows her his ability to fly by diving out of her loft apartment. (In the previous book, he learned that he could defy the laws of physics by throwing oneself at the ground and missing. The trick is that as the person is ABOUT to hit the ground, the person must be absolutely and perfectly preoccupied with something else other than the ground, and the pain of hitting it. This way, physics will look the other way, and the person will float.) He helps Fenchurch fly as well and together they float over parts of London.

Arthur learns that Fenchurch, like him, has one of the engraved fishbowls, as does a man called Wonko the Sane, who long ago decided that the world had gone mad and built a wall around it with nothing outside except himself and a particularly nice beach in California. They discover this after they visit Wonko the Sane because he seems to be the only man on earth who can explain the absence of the dolphins. There are many minor characters in the various versions of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams. ... There are many minor characters in the various versions of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams. ... This article is becoming very long. ...

Meanwhile, Ford Prefect has discovered that his entry on "Earth" for the Hitchhiker's Guide has mysteriously re-appeared and sets off for the Planet. Ford then decides to use the inexplicable opportunity to (1) play an elaborate practical joke on a salesperson for the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation and (2) get some Earth movies which he hadn't seen the endings to because the planet was demolished. David Dixon as Ford Prefect in Episode One of the TV adaptation of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. ... Encyclopedia Galactica: the inept Sirius Cybernetics Corporation Marketing Division. ...

Arthur and Fenchurch together find out how the Earth came back by holding their fishbowls to their ear. It turns out that this new Earth is a "shadow" Earth, quite probably an Earth from an alternate timeline, brought into this universe by the dolphins' "Campaign to Save the Humans".

In the end Arthur leaves Earth again, this time accompanied by Fenchurch, and goes in search of God's Final Message to His Creation, the address of which he was given in the previous book in the series by Prak. When they arrive, they meet a dying Marvin (who, because of his extensive and usually unwilling time travel, is about 37 times older than the universe itself) and help him to read the message, which turns out to be "WE APOLOGIZE FOR THE INCONVENIENCE". Marvin, against all probability, then dies happily. There are many minor characters in the various versions of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams. ... In the BBC TV series, the marketing division of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation defines a robot [like Marvin] as Your plastic pal whos fun to be with. Marvin the Paranoid Android is a fictional character in The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy series by Douglas Adams. ... Time travel is a concept that has long fascinated humanity—whether it is Merlin experiencing time backwards, or religious traditions like Mohammeds trip to Jerusalem and ascent to heaven, returning before a glass knocked over had spilt its contents. ...

Discussion

The novel has a very different tone to the previous books in the series. Partly this is because it is a romance, and partly because the book jumps in time more than usual. Douglas Adams even humorously puts a side-story in it. Perhaps most notably, there is very little space-travel in the entire book, with Arthur only leaving the new Earth in the final chapters. Adams' editor Sonny Mehta moved in with the author to ensure that the book met its (extended) deadline. As a result, Adams later stated that he was not entirely happy with the book, which includes several jarring authorial intrusions, which fellow author Neil Gaiman described as "patronising and unfair". A romance novel is a novel from the genre currently known as romance. ... Sonny Mehta is a publisher and editor-in-chief of Alfred A Knopf. ... Neil Richard Gaiman () (born November 10, 1960, Portchester, Hampshire) is a British author of numerous science fiction and fantasy works, including many graphic novels. ...

The book also reflects a significant shift in Adams' view of computers. In the previous books, computers had been portrayed quite negatively, reflecting Adams' then views on the subject. However, between the writing of Life, The Universe and Everything and So Long and Thanks for all the Fish, his attitude toward technology changed considerably. Having been taken along to a computer fair, he became enamoured with the first model of the Apple Macintosh, the start of a long love-affair with the brand (he claimed to have bought the second Apple Macintosh in the UK - the first being bought by his friend Stephen Fry). In SLATFATF, Arthur Dent purchases a computer for the purpose of star mapping; Adams makes no disparaging comments about this decision at all. The first Macintosh computer, introduced in 1984, upgraded to a 512K Fat Mac. The Macintosh or Mac, is a line of personal computers designed, developed, manufactured, and marketed by Apple Computer. ... The first Macintosh computer, introduced in 1984, upgraded to a 512K Fat Mac. The Macintosh or Mac, is a line of personal computers designed, developed, manufactured, and marketed by Apple Computer. ... Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English comedian, author, actor and filmmaker. ...

Notes

• Chapter 21 is a comedic digression on journalism, cultural progress and sexuality. In it, Adams uses the example of Brequinda on the Forth of Avalars, home to the mythical Fuolornis Fire Dragon.

• During the story Arthur Dent recounts a story of something that once happened to him at a train station. He bought a packet of biscuits and sat down to wait for the train. Then a man, who was already sitting there at the opposite side of the table, opened the packet, took one biscuit and ate it. So Arthur took one, saying nothing, and they went through the whole packet like that. After the man had left, Arthur looks under his newspaper and discovers his packet of biscuits. Douglas Adams claimed this story actually happened to him, although a similar urban legend had been in circulation for years before the book was published. Adams' version of the tale is recounted in its original context in The Salmon of Doubt. The story was cut, because of length, from original radio transmissions of the fourth radio series, but can be heard on the "extended version" CDs.

• In May 2005, an adaptation of the book, called The Quandary Phase was broadcast as part of The Hitchhiker's Guide radio series.

• A song entitled "So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish" was written for the 2005 film version of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and is performed twice in the film -- during the opening credits by a chorus of dolphins and during the closing credits by Neil Hannon. A sing-along version of the full song can be heard on the official movie website [1]. A flash animation of the song is available at [2].

• If you include the prologue and epilogue, the book has 42 chapters.

This is a list of places featured in The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. ... This is a list of races, fauna and flora featured in various incarnations of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. ... Urban legends are a kind of modern folklore consisting of stories often thought to be factual by those circulating them (see rumor). ... The front cover of the UK first hardcover edition of The Salmon of Doubt. ... The terms Tertiary Phase, Quandary Phase and Quintessential Phase describe the radio adaptations of the books Life, the Universe and Everything, So Long, and Thanks For All the Fish and Mostly Harmless recorded in 2003 and 2004 by Above the Title Productions for BBC Radio 4. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The terms Tertiary Phase, Quandary Phase and Quintessential Phase describe the radio adaptations of the books Life, the Universe and Everything, So Long, and Thanks For All the Fish and Mostly Harmless recorded in 2003 and 2004 by Above the Title Productions for BBC Radio 4. ... The cover of the booklet included with the Collectors Edition CD set release of the first two Hitchhikers radio series. ... The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is a science-fiction comedy film based on the book of the same name by Douglas Adams. ... This article is about the dolphin mammal. ... Neil Hannon (born November 7, 1970[1]) is a singer and songwriter, best known as the creator and lead member of the orchestral pop group The Divine Comedy. ... The Answer to The Ultimate Question Of Life, the Universe and Everything is a concept taken from Douglas Adams science fiction series The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. ...

Audiobook adaptations

There have been three audiobook recordings of the novel. The first was an abridged edition, recorded in the mid-1980s by Stephen Moore, best known for playing the voice of Marvin the Paranoid Android in the radio series, LP adaptations and in the TV series. In 1990, Adams himself recorded an unabridged edition, later rereleased by New Millennium Audio in the United States and available from BBC Audiobooks in the United Kingdom. In 2006, actor Martin Freeman, who had played Arthur Dent in the 2005 movie, recorded a new unabridged edition of the audiobook. Stephen Moore (born December 11, 1937) is a British actor from Brixton, London. ... In the BBC TV series, the marketing division of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation defines a robot [like Marvin] as Your plastic pal whos fun to be with. Marvin the Paranoid Android is a fictional character in The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy series by Douglas Adams. ... Martin Freeman as Arthur Dent, waking up at the beginning of the Hitchhikers Guide. ... Simon Jones as an upset Arthur Dent, watching his home being demolished in the first episode of the BBC TV series. ...

External links

• The Stolen Biscuits at snopes.com
• Hear the song !

	The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy By Douglas Adams
Books:	The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy | The Restaurant at the End of the Universe | Life, the Universe and Everything | So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish | Mostly Harmless | Young Zaphod Plays it Safe | The Original Radio Scripts
Media:	Radio series (Phases 1 & 2, Phases 3, 4 & 5) | TV series | Movie | Computer game | Differences between versions
Characters:	Arthur Dent | Ford Prefect | Zaphod Beeblebrox | Marvin | Trillian |Slartibartfast | Minor characters
Places:	List of places | Total Perspective Vortex | Heart of Gold | Wikkit Gate | Starship Titanic | Galactic Empire | Whole Sort of General Mish Mash
Miscellanea:	Races and species | The Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything | Babel fish | Bistromathic drive | Cultural references | Infinidim Enterprises | Infinite Improbability Drive | International Phenomenon | Notable phrases | Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster | Point-of-view gun | Somebody Else's Problem field | Sirius Cybernetics Corporation | Vogon poetry | Other miscellanea
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