The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Complete BBC Radio Series [Box set, Audiobook] [Audio CD]

Douglas Adams (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 14, 2008

Summer 2005 finally sees the release of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy movie from Touchstone Pictures. Stars include Martin Freeman as Arthur Dent, Sam Rockwell as Zaphod Beeblebrox, Bill Nighy as Slartibartfast, supercool hip-hop artist Mos Def as Ford Prefect and the gorgeous Zooey Deschanel as Trillian. Completely new characters were developed specially for the film by Douglas Adams before his death and will be played by John Malkovich and Anna Chancellor. Pans tie-in edition of this cult classic will include substantial extras from Executive Producer, Robbie Stamp: exclusive cast interviews, stories and photographs from the set.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

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. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Review

Don't panic! Here are words of praise for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy!

"It's science fiction and it's extremely funny...inspired lunacy that leaves hardly a science fiction cliche alive."

Washington Post

"The feckless protagonist, Arthur Dent, is reminiscent of Vonnegut heroes, and his travels afford a wild satire of present institutions."

Chicago Tribune

"Very simply, the book is one of the funniest SF spoofs ever written, with hyperbolic ideas folding in on themselves."

School Library Journal

"As parody, it's marvelous: It contains just about every science fiction cliche you can think of. As humor, it's, well, hysterical."


From the Hardcover edition. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: BBC Audiobooks America; Unabridged Edition edition (October 14, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1602834792
• ISBN-13: 978-1602834798
• Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 5 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #245,048 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally all together in one package, until H2G2 6 comes out next year!, December 10, 2008

By 

D. Hildebrand (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Complete BBC Radio Series (Audio CD)

Updated Info:

Upgrade to 5 stars!

After finally getting around to listening to Quandary and Quintessential CDs from this set I found both are actually extended versions that are a vast improvement over the original 30-minute radio broadcasts that I have heard previously.

Quandary and Quintessential phases in the original 30 minute radio format seem rushed and feel incomplete due to time constraints required to meet the 30 minute length. The extended versions of Quandary and Quintessential in this collection fill in all the missing gaps and make listening truly satisfying. The extra cut in Quandary alone add up to over 23 minutes!

A must have for any H2G2 fan.

Original Review:

I purchased this set to condense my own copies spread over Cd's, tape and MP3s. Packaging is all paper/paperboard so that aspect comes up short since it will deteriorate with use. Primary and Secondary phases have been remixed/edited so they are not the exact original radio show and some purists might not be happy. With cast and track listing for each phase but no other extras or info except the Douglass Adams interview. If you already own these on CD there is no reason to upgrade. If you have old tapes or low rez MP3s the Amazon price is well worth it and you should upgrade.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great series!, December 3, 2008

By 

J. Heys (Earth) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Complete BBC Radio Series (Audio CD)

I read Douglas Adams' books with a friend when we were teenagers over 20 year agos but I didn't realize how much better they were as they were originally broadcast on the BBC. The plot lines are so tangled and the allusions so quick, you can listen to them over and over again and still feel like you're catching more each time.

A friend of mine said that he had a hard time following the Quintessential Phase while he was driving. All I could say was - listen to it again! I've listened to some discs 2 or 3 times before I got even "most" of the jokes.

Unlike movies that you rarely want to see twice, never mind 3 or 4 times, the Hitchhiker Guides can be enjoyed over and over again and still not get old.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't Panic! Hear Douglas Adams at his best, December 9, 2010

By 

Joseph Norton - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Complete BBC Radio Series (Audio CD)

On Wednesday, March 8th, 1978, listeners to BBC Radio 4 first learned about what is perhaps the most remarkable, certainly the most successful book ever to come out of the great publishing corporations of Ursa Minor, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the galaxy.

Now, you can own the complete BBC Radio series and hear how it all started.

Much of the early material presented here comes before the books, before the TV series and definitely before the movie.

If you think you know it all, think again.

The primary and secondary phases of the radio series will be somewhat familiar, but, especially in the secondary phase, Arthur, Ford Prefect and the other characters are taken in a completely different direction from the books or the movie.

In the secondary phase, join Zaphod as he visits Wormhole Disco. Follow Arthur, Ford Prefect and the rest as they visit the planet Brontitol (not sure of the spelling), and hear Arthur's reaction as he sees a 15-mile high statue of himself.

See who else they meet up with on Brontitol.

You'll get to meet some characters that you won't find in the books, TV series or the movie.

Don't expect total continuity between the original radio series and the more modern continuation. There are differences which could not totally be reconciled.

However, don't let this stop you from enjoying the ride as you hitchhike the galaxy for less then30 Altairian Dollars a day. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy this romp through the galaxy that you'll never forget. Make sure you know where your towell is, and, above all, don't panic!