Google Groups Home
Help | Sign in
Message from discussion Why 42 ?
The group you are posting to is a Usenet group. Messages posted to this group will make your email address visible to anyone on the Internet.
Your reply message has not been sent.
Your post was successful
Douglas Adams  
View profile
 More options Nov 2 1993, 9:01 am
Newsgroups: alt.fan.douglas-adams
From: ada...@nic.cerf.net (Douglas Adams)
Date: Wed, 3 Nov 93 07:51:46 GMT
Local: Wed, Nov 3 1993 2:51 am
Subject: Re: Why 42 ?
In Article <2b4asr$...@syzygy.socs.uts.edu.au>, mjche...@socs.uts.EDU.AU

(Mark J Cherkas) wrote:

>I am new to this group so bear with this beginners question:
>Why is the answer 42 ?
>Has Douglas Adams ever explained this ?

The answer to this is very simple. It was a joke. It had to be a number, an
ordinary, smallish number, and I chose that one. Binary representations,
base thirteen, Tibetan monks are all complete nonsense. I sat at my desk,
stared into the garden and thought '42 will do' I typed it out. End of story.

Best,

Douglas Adams
London, UK                     |   d...@dadams.demon.co.uk (dormant)
Currently in Santa Fe, NM      |   ada...@nic.cerf.net (current)


    Reply to author    Forward  
You must Sign in before you can post messages.
To post a message you must first join this group.
Please update your nickname on the subscription settings page before posting.
You do not have the permission required to post.

Create a group - Google Groups - Google Home - Terms of Service - Privacy Policy
©2008 Google