Why 42?

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/alt.fan.douglas-adams/595nPukE-Jo/koaAJ3tPBtEJ

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 | (dormant)
Currently in Santa Fe, NM | (current)