So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish

So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish

First Edition (UK)
Author	Douglas Adams
Cover artist	Gary Day-Ellison
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Series	The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Genre	Comedy, Science fiction novel
Publisher	Pan Books, UK; Harmony Books, US.
Publication date	November 1984
Media type	Paperback and hardcover
Pages	192, UK paperback; 224, US paperback
ISBN
OCLC	48363310
Preceded by	Life, the Universe and Everything
Followed by	Mostly Harmless

So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish is the fourth book of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy 'cycle' 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 hyperspace bypass, as described in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The phrase has since been adopted by some science fiction fans as a humorous way to say "goodbye" and a song of the same name was featured in the 2005 film adaptation of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

While hitchhiking through the galaxy, Arthur Dent is dropped off on a planet in a rainstorm. He appears to be in England on Earth, even though he saw the planet destroyed by the Vogons. He has been gone for several years, but only a few months have passed on Earth. He hitches a lift with a man named Russell and his sister Fenchurch (nicknamed "Fenny"). Russell explains that Fenny became delusional after worldwide mass hysteria, in which everyone hallucinated "big yellow spaceships" (the Vogon destructor ships that "demolished" the Earth). Arthur becomes curious about Fenchurch, but they reach his home before he can ask more questions. Inside his still-standing home, Arthur finds a gift-wrapped bowl inscribed with the words "So long and thanks", which he uses for his Babel Fish. Arthur considers that Fenchurch is somehow connected to him and to the Earth's destruction. He still has the ability to fly whenever he lets his thoughts wander.