The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

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The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

by Douglas Adams

Series: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1)

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14,647	202	43	(4.24)	440

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▾Recommendations

Member recommendations

andejons recommends Astrotruckers by Mikael Niemi, "Similarly absurd stories set in space, even if Niemi has more grime."
gandalf_grey recommends The Dirk Gently Omnibus by Douglas Adams
unlucky recommends Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett, "Both are comedic with insight and satirical in nature, making fun of conventions in their respective genres."
ut.tecum.loquerer recommends The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
girlunderglass recommends The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut, "before The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - more than 20 years before it - there was THIS book about space travel, time travel, and the "ultimate answer (see more) to Life, the Universe, and Everything". Adams certainly borrowed a lot from Vonnegut."
ShelfMonkey recommends The Toyminator by Robert Rankin
grizzly.anderson recommends The Automatic Detective by A. Lee Martinez, "A campy-SF 50's detective story that I think will appeal to the same sense of humor."
revolutionary_marcia recommends Lords and Ladies by Terry Pratchett

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▾Member reviews

English (189) Italian (4) German (2) Spanish (1) Polish (1) French (1) Danish (1) Portuguese (1) Dutch (1) All languages (201)

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Showing 1-5 of 189 (next | show all)

At this point in my life, I've read this book too late. As I read, I got the distinct impression that I would have found it absolutely hilarious in my grade school/teen years, and I think I'd definitely recommend this book (and most likely the entire series, though I won't be reading it myself) as a "gateway" to other science fiction, but would I recommend it to other adults? No. It's cute, and I enjoy the originality of the concept, but the high-ish rating I'm giving this book is only due to the fact that I probably would have loved it as a child. Right now, it's done nothing for me (besides raising my pop culture knowledge score just that tiny bit). (

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krysbrezinski | Nov 8, 2009 |

This book was a very easy, very fast read. Much more entertaining than the 2005 movie. It was very sci-fi and very different from anything I have ever read. Aliens aren't something I generally enjoy in my entertainment but I really enjoyed the humorous approach and casualness of the book. I was so blown away even though there were aliens and it mostly took place in outer space. (

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JennSicu | Oct 26, 2009 |

Outrageous and hilarious. Adams brought on a new meaning to fun with aliens and other worldly beings.

Normally these types of books are not my cup of tea but reading it, I was astound at how much laughter could come out of me. The characters were quirky and fun, saying the right things at the right moments.

It is so absurd it's amazing. Props to being hit when you think ! (

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emvuu | Oct 20, 2009 |

I've never managed to finish it & I've tried several times over the years. British humor, I guess. It either rolls me on the floor or leaves me cold. This definitely did the latter. I couldn't even watch the movie (or the BBC version) all the way through. Just found it dumb. I guess what I use as a sense of humor just doesn't plug in correctly to this. I feel about the same way for the Monty Python stuff, while I enjoyed the Benny Hill Show. (

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jimmaclachlan | Sep 25, 2009 |

I believe this to be Douglas Adam's greatest work of all time. He takes us on a crazy ride that starts with the earth being blown into bits so Ford Prefect and Arthur Dent hitch a ride on a spaceship and travel the galaxy. This is the 1st book of the 5 book trilogy, and it is a laugh-out-loud romp through time and space. I am not much of a sci-fi reader, but this stuff is worth the time. (

)

Ti99er | Sep 23, 2009 |

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▾Published reviews

1 review

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thingScore 75

Humorous science fiction novels have notoriously limited audiences; they tend to be full of ''in'' jokes understandable only to those who read everything from Jules Verne to Harlan Ellison. The ''Hitchhiker's Guide'' is a delightful exception, being written for anyone who can understand the thrill that might come to a crew of interstellar explorers who discover a mysterious planet, dead for five million years, and then hear on their ''sub etha'' radio a ghostly voice, hollow, reedy, insubstantial: ''Greetings to you. ... This is a recorded announcement, as I'm afraid we're all out at the moment. ...''

added by Shortride | editThe New York Times Book Review, Gerald Jonas (Jan 25, 1981)

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▾Common Knowledge

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Series (with order)

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1)

Canonical Title

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Original publication date

People/Characters

Marvin (the paranoid android)

Trillian (Tricia McMillan)

(show all 9 items)

Important places

Earth (harmless)

The Heart of Gold (spaceship)

Important events

Awards and honors

Ditmar Award (International Fiction, 1980)

Waterstones Books of the Century (1997, No 24)

BBC's Big Read (Best loved novel, 2003, No 04)

The Modern Library's 100 Best Novels (The Reader's List, 51)

Radcliffe Publishing Course Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century (72)

(show all 11 items)

Epigraph

Dedication

for

Johnny Brock and Clare Gorst

and all other Arlingtonians

for tea, sympathy, and a sofa

First words

Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the Western Spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun. Orbiting this at a distance of roughly ninety-eight million miles is an utterly insignificant little blue-green planet whose ape-descended life forms are so amazingly primitive that they still think digital watches are a pretty neat idea.

Quotations

Don't Panic

If there's anything more important than my ego around here, I want it caught and shot now.

Last words

(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

Disambiguation notice

[Book 1 Only] "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" is the title of the first in a series of novels (as well as the first in a series of radio dramas). The five works in the series are generally referred to as "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" or "The Hitchhiker Trilogy", as is the series of radio dramas. Though there are unabridged audio recordings of these works, the radio dramas are considerably different from the printed works. Eoin Colfer, of "Artemis Fowl" fame, contracted in 2008 to write the next volume of the "Trilogy."

Publisher's editors

Blurbers

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▾Common Knowledge (short form)

Canonical title	The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Original publication date	1979
Series	The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1)
People/Characters	Arthur Dent, Ford Prefect, Zaphod Beeblebrox, Marvin (the paranoid android), Trillian (Tricia McMillan), Prostetnic Vogon Jeltz (show all 9)
Important places	Earth (harmless), The Heart of Gold (spaceship), Magrathea, England, UK, ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha
Important events	Destruction of Earth
Awards and honors	Ditmar Award (International Fiction, 1980), Waterstones Books of the Century (1997, No 24), BBC's Big Read (Best loved novel, 2003, No 04), The Modern Library's 100 Best Novels (The Reader's List, 51), Radcliffe Publishing Course Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century (72), ALA Best Books for Young Adults (1979) (show all 11)
Dedication	for Johnny Brock and Clare Gorst and all other Arlingtonians for tea, sympathy, and a sofa
First words	Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the Western Spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun. Orbiting this at a distance of roughly ninety-eight million miles is an utterly insigni... (show all)
Quotations	Don't Panic, If there's anything more important than my ego around here, I want it caught and shot now.
Last words	(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

▾LibraryThing members' description

Book description

▾Book descriptions

Amazon.com (ISBN 0345391802, Mass Market Paperback)

Join Douglas Adams's hapless hero Arthur Dent as he travels the galaxy with his intrepid pal Ford Prefect, getting into horrible messes and generally wreaking hilarious havoc. Dent is grabbed from Earth moments before a cosmic construction team obliterates the planet to build a freeway. You'll never read funnier science fiction; Adams is a master of intelligent satire, barbed wit, and comedic dialogue. The Hitchhiker's Guide is rich in comedic detail and thought-provoking situations and stands up to multiple reads. Required reading for science fiction fans, this book (and its follow-ups) is also sure to please fans of Monty Python, Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, and British sitcoms.

(retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:23 -0400)

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