ADAMS, Douglas
 
The Illustrated Hitch Hiker’s Guide to The Galaxy; signed association copy. Published by George Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London in 1994.
 
Description
 
Large quarto. Original blue paper-backed pictorial boards, spine lettered in gilt, front board with ‘Don't Panic’ motif in yellow.
With the original silver holographic glitter foil dust jacket. Illustrated throughout with composite studio photography, and a double-page gatefold. A near-fine copy in a near-fine, unscratched dust jacket.
First illustrated edition, first printing
Presentation copy associated with the key figures in the British Classic Rock and Britpop inner circle.
Inscribed by the author on the decorated end paper: ‘To Roy, Best wishes + Don’t Panic! Douglas Adams.’
The recipient, Roy Fowler, was a long-standing personal studio assistant to the legendary record producer Chris Thomas. Thomas engineered Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), co-produced The Division Bell (1994), and helmed Pulp's defining Britpop albums, including Different Class (1995) and This Is Hardcore (1998).
Douglas Adams maintained a well-documented relationship with the members of Pink Floyd, notably naming their 1994 studio album The Division Bell and performing live on stage with the band at Earls Court during that same year.
Fowler’s integral status within this production environment is formally documented on the inner sleeve credits of Pulp’s seminal 1998 album This Is Hardcore, where he is explicitly thanked alongside Chris Thomas.
 
Exceptional primary source material accompanies this copy:
Original V96 backstage pass, explicitly issued to ‘ROY’, clearing full access to Stages 1, 2 and. 3.
The original album sleeve from the release of Pulp’s 1998 masterpiece This Is Hardcore. The fourth line of the primary thank you block explicitly credits Fowler's contribution to the production, placing his name alongside producer Chris Thomas, contemporary art dealer Sadie Coles, and the band's core inner circle.
A signed and dated note from Roy Fowler, details his physical contribution to the recording sessions of This Is Hardcore: ‘My contribution to the album was lending one of my guitars to Jarvis plus other things, he used it on the record. During making a record we are like a family, with Pulp even moreso. Regards, Roy.’
Printout of email correspondence from producer Chris Thomas to Fowler, showing their decades-long professional and personal relationship.
The 1994 folio edition is notoriously fragile due to the delicate nature of the reflective, holographic foil dust jacket, which is highly prone to surface scratching, chipping, and paper loss. Copies in this pristine condition are uncommon.