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The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide Hardcover – January 17, 1996

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Douglas Adams (Author)
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Douglas Adams (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars 1,733 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 832 pages
  • Publisher: Wings; Unabridged edition (January 17, 1996)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0517149257
  • ISBN-13: 978-0517149256
  • Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 2.2 x 9.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1,733 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #286,532 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 starsBeware the American editions
By D. J. Rout on April 18, 2015
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
This Kindle edition is a compilation of the bowdlerised American editions of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. This proably won't affect or offend readers whose introduction to Adams' wrks was through what some editor though his work should be, but those of us who grew up with the UK editions might not like the changes in dialogue and language that affect the humour too damned often.

Nevertheless, the plot is there and the interference in Adams original text lessens as we get to the later books. The edition also contains a good introduction by Douglas Adams explaining the history of the radio series and the books and how they differed - and finally gives the definitive explanation of the origin of the idea in the first place. Neil Gaiman's introduction is effusive in its praise, but what else an it be when it's talking about one of the foremost popularisers of science in the 20th century?

Anyway, three stars because of reproducing the softened copy of the American editions.
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5.0 out of 5 starsBeautiful book and a great story
By Jeremy X Blair on August 25, 2016
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
Beautiful book and a great story. I recommend this to anyone. I originally read these books on my Kindle and enjoyed them so much I had to look for something worth displaying on my bookshelf. This is perfect. The design is great, it is sturdy, and the print is a nice size.
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4.0 out of 5 starsZarking good time.
By James B. on June 12, 2016
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
The Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy is one of the most famous pieces of science fiction in the English language. The story has been adapted into almost every medium, from radio to novels to tv to movies. And it's easy to see why it's so popular. This was one of the funniest books I've ever read.

Guide is primarily about the adventures of Arthur, an ordinary average guy forced to leave earth and go on a journey through the cosmos. He is joined by Ford Prefect, a writer for the Guide, Trillian, an astrophycist from Earth, Zaphod Beeblebrox, the President of the Galaxy, and Marvin, an extremely depressed robot. Over the course of five books, they encounter a wide array of aliens, planets, and towels.

The best element of these books is the humor. Adams is a master of satire, regularing stopping the plot to give a humorous take on everything he can think of. This book is almost impossible to put down it's so funny. The only downside is that he clearly had no idea where to go with the overall plot. After the second book, plots and characters would appear and disappear out of nowhere, and the ending fizzled out. That is the only reason I couldn't give this 5 stars.

This is one of the best pieces of YA literature out there. Have fun.
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5.0 out of 5 starsOne of your new favorite books
By Ben Gruber on August 15, 2016
Format: Leather Bound Verified Purchase
One of the best books of the past century, and easily one of my absolute favorites. Buy it immediately and plan to read it for a month straight, then reread it! Adams' humor and wit is perfectly channeled into an amazing series of stories, from the misadventures of Arthur Dent to the very creation of humanity - the HHGTTG is a book that will literally change the way you think about the meaning of life, the universe, and everything.This is one of the best editions I've ever seen, too - very nicely bound and professional-looking with gilt pages and a bookmark, not to mention ALL the unannotated books from the main HHGTTG cannon! I bought this edition in 2006 and I'm still rereading it and lending it out to friends.
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4.0 out of 5 starsGreat memories and new surprises for this reader
By Bill on May 17, 2016
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
Being a young Doctor Who fan, it is perhaps no surprise that I also gravitated towards other BBC Related science fiction. After all, Douglas Adams had even worked on the show as a script editor and he wrote the mysterious never-aired Shada episode. It has been a long time now though and I couldn’t tell you if I was first introduced to the BBC TV series for Hitchhikers or the books. I suspect it was the books because my parents already owned them before I was interested myself.

Recently, when deciding which book to read next I took a long look at the Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide. I knew for a fact that I hadn’t read the included short story ‘Young Zaphod plays it safe’ but I couldn’t tell you where I had stopped reading the novels. I dove in anyway.

‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’ was all familiar territory. I knew the story well from both the BBC TV show as well as the more recent movie. The Restaurant at the End of the Universe got instantly more fuzzy. The second half of that book was included in the BBC TV Show but the first half was all new to me. I remembered reading it sure but couldn’t have told you anything about it. It involved a conspiracy that even as an adult I found a little convoluted but the end was quite satisfying.

The Life, the Universe, and Everything included some interesting commentary on war, a piece of technology that saw some extensive use in some of the earlier episodes of the new Doctor Who, and a whole lot of references to the game of Cricket. I know very little about Cricket except that it is supposed to be similar to baseball but longer and more boring. The series could have ended very comfortably here.

For those in search of a happy ending, So Long and Thanks for All the Fish is the way to go.Read more ›
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3.0 out of 5 starsExpect Dry Humor With a Dash of Plot
By Jeremy Manuel on March 17, 2014
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
I don’t often let high expectations get the best of me. For whatever reason though I found myself going into The Ultimate Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy that contained five novels by Douglas Adams expecting to be very impressed. I’d heard people reference the series and had watched the movie adaptation of the first book and was rather curious about it.

Now admittedly, I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into. I thought it was going to be a science fiction adventure filled with humor. I was kind of right, but I felt that I also was wrong in my expectations at the same time.

Let’s start with what I liked about the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series. The books are funny. I laughed out loud a number of times, particularly in the first three books. I felt his humor was very satirical and he lampoons a plethora of subjects. Sometimes it is very obvious what he is poking fun at, while at other times I wasn’t entirely sure.

Another positive of the series is that Adam’s has a pretty interesting imagination. From aliens that demolish planets for hyperspace bypasses to concepts like bistromathics, and even the titular guide itself. These make interesting canvases for Adam’s humor and you never quite know what you’ll be coming across next.

Now I think these two things are the strongest points of the series, but there are also a number of weaknesses. The first is that the plot is somewhat lacking. I mean there are goals that are put forth in the books, but they are often never resolved at least in any positive way. Typically there a lot of random twists and turns that leave you spinning after awhile. The humor involved in these often helps, but the strength of these books is in the humor not necessarily the plot.Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 starsGood book

Good book overall, just didn't live up to all the hype that I expected from it.

Published 16 hours ago by Andrew Federo
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

For my grandson. He loves it.

Published 21 hours ago by Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 starsI really like these books

I really like these books, because this one book is a collection of short stories. I find the dry humor in the story to be hilarious. The book itself is pretty good. Read more

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5.0 out of 5 starsBetter than the movie!

This is an exceptional read. Loved it and couldn't put it down!

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Wonderful books, of course. My husband was thrilled to get this as a gift!

Published 3 days ago by Renelle
4.0 out of 5 starsVery different but good

This series Is all over the place but also very entertaining. Had Mr laughing and made me think, can't ask for more than that

Published 6 days ago by Nate Snyder
5.0 out of 5 starsThe first three books are more fun to read

What is there to say about the Hitchhiker's Guide that hasn't been said? The first three books are more fun to read, but quality is superb throughout. Read more

Published 7 days ago by S. Richardson
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Hysterical.

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One of the best collections of modern comic fiction.

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5.0 out of 5 starsThe Hitchiker's Trilogy books 1-5.

As the earth is destroyed to make a galactic freeway Arthur Dent is saved by his alien friend: Ford Prefect who hitchs a ride for them… That's the beginning of a great comedy... Read more

Published 10 days ago by Adam Kradel

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