Douglas Adams, the creator of the popular radio series
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which was later televised, novelised and filmed, had his first work published at the age of twelve, on the letters page in
EAGLE! His letter appeared in Volume 16 no. 4, dated 23rd January 1965. Douglas wrote:
"The sweat was dripping down my face and into my lap, making my clothes very wet and sticky. I sat there, waiting, watching. I was trembling violently as I sat, looking at the small slot, waiting - ever waiting. My nails dug into my flesh as I clenched my hands. I passed my arm over my hot, wet face, down which sweat was pouring. The suspense was unbearable. I bit my lip in an attempt to stop trembling with the terrible burden of anxiety. Suddenly, the slot opened and in dropped the mail. I grabbed at my
EAGLE and ripped off the wrapping paper. My ordeal was over for another week!"
Another reader later to become famous, whose first published work appeared in
EAGLE, was the cartoonist Gerald Scarfe. His drawing of
EAGLE characters in the wrong clothes appeared in Volume 3 no.31, dated 7th November 1952, when he was sixteen. Entitled '
EAGLE Artist's Nightmare', his picture surely inspired Frank Hampson's strip '
The Editor's Christmas Nightmare', which appeared in the Christmas issue in 1954. Gerald also won a competition to design an advertisement for Ingersoll
Dan Dare watches, which appeared in Volume 3 no. 37, dated 19th December 1952. Listed among the runners up in the same competition was David Hockney of Bradford, who went on to become one of Britain's foremost painters!
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