NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Extremely funny . . . inspired lunacy . . . [and] over much too soon.”—The Washington Post Book World
SOON TO BE A HULU SERIES • Now celebrating the pivotal 42nd anniversary of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy!
Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read
It’s an ordinary Thursday morning for Arthur Dent . . . until his house gets demolished. The Earth follows shortly after to make way for a new hyperspace express route, and Arthur’s best friend has just announced that he’s an alien.
After that, things get much, much worse.
With just a towel, a small yellow fish, and a book, Arthur has to navigate through a very hostile universe in the company of a gang of unreliable aliens. Luckily the fish is quite good at languages. And the book is The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy . . . which helpfully has the words DON’T PANIC inscribed in large, friendly letters on its cover.
Douglas Adams’s mega-selling pop-culture classic sends logic into orbit, plays havoc with both time and physics, offers up pithy commentary on such things as ballpoint pens, potted plants, and digital watches . . . and, most important, reveals the ultimate answer to life, the universe, and everything.
Now, if you could only figure out the question. . . .
Download and start listening now!
"I read this book series about three or four times when I was a teenager and loved it then, it was a treat to be able to revisit it a few decades later with a much greater understanding of all of the subtle jokes and cultural references made throughout the story. Stephen Fry is also a fantastic narrator, and does a great job of adding emotional nuance as well as dramatic tonal effects to all of the places that most benefit from them. Looking forward to revisiting the rest of the books in the series!"
— eDudeson (5 out of 5 stars)
“Stephen Fry’s performance is priceless as the interstellar travelers tumble from one near disaster to another. His voice shifts are inspired bits, half schtick, half nonsense. Without editorial comment, Fry injects just the right touches of irony into Adams’s cheeky, always hilarious social satire…Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile“Irresistible!”
— Boston Globe“Extremely funny…[and] over much too soon.”
— Washington Post Book World“Douglas Adams understood that in moments of stress, what we all want to do is go on an adventure that gives us chances to discover new things about ourselves.”
— Gizmodo“A whimsical oddyssey…Characters frolic through the galaxy with infectious joy.”
— Publishers WeeklyIt'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."
" What an enchanting book! Listened with my 11 year old son as we traveled about and every time we got in the car he'd start saying "Hitchhiker! Hitchhiker!". Engaging, funny and very well read (performed). "
— Tim Wilson, 9/7/2016" The hitchhikers Guide is a must have in any library. The narration is excellent and the story line by Douglas Adams is a classic. This is the first in a series of five books that will amuse everyone. The important things to remember are Don't Panic and bring you towel. "
— Ron, 8/7/2016" Took out this one as I was hooked on the story years ago - seems dated all these years later, but a fun listen all the same. "
— M, 6/29/2016" Don't panic! You will laugh your feet (and socks) off with this book! "
— Donna, 2/17/2014" British humour and genuinely imaginative fiction after so long. If only I'd read it earlier in life.. "
— Sonia, 2/15/2014" Seminal is a word easily thrown around. Douglas Adams started a genre with Hitchhiker's Guide. Equal parts Monty Python and Star Trek characters that live on in memorial to an amazing talent. "
— Joshua, 2/13/2014" This is on of my favorite books ever! douglas adams does a good shop in crafting a funny and interesting. The story is about earth being destroyed and the only person who survived was a everyday english man who happen to be friends with a humanoid alien. As the main character named arthur goes and a anverture meeting many people on the way to find the meaning of life. "
— Sasha, 1/24/2014" Adams is hillarious and this BBC Radio play of the first book in the Hitchhiker's series does not dissappoint. Hearing the characters come to life as only the BBC can do makes for side-splitting laughter. "
— Jeff, 1/18/2014" Gets a little silly and stupid at times, but it a sci-fi classic. "
— Jake, 1/15/2014" Forced me into playing the interactive fiction experience...nuf said "
— Naterpotaters, 1/6/2014" This book was very popular and I expected it to be fantastic. I must admit I was disappointed. "
— Kevin, 1/3/2014" Enjoyable, and interestingly different from the books. It's fun to hear the behind the scenes information at the end as well. "
— Xa, 1/1/2014" Entertaining all the way through. A classic, and definitely one of my favorites! "
— Sarah, 12/10/2013" Humor. Absurdity. Philosophy. Fantasy. A classic. I didn't expect to like this as much as I did. Read by the author who was great as the reader. "
— Cindi, 12/8/2013" I could try to write a review of this book, or I could create a super computer to come up with the review for me. Truly an exciting read, though one is left with the niggling feeling of being an idiot. I quite loved it. "
— Nabiya, 11/30/2013" The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a fun book. "
— Shawn, 11/26/2013" I think this quote perfect describes Adams' writing style: "There is an art, it says, or rather, a knack to flying. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss." "
— Joe, 11/26/2013" If you have a silly bone on your body- then you will love this! The best book of the series. "
— Kitty, 8/8/2013" This was a great book. I can't believe it took me this long to read it. I read more like a comedy book, there were so many times when I just put the book down and laughed. "
— Adrienne, 5/20/2013" It really interesting and funny. Irony at its best. "
— Kandra, 5/2/2013" Very nicely done radio adventure :) "
— Jure, 4/28/2013" Fun but short original radio version of the book. Entertaining listening for about 3 hours for fans. "
— Rima, 4/4/2013" Didn't love it, didn't hate it, but it did make me laugh quite a bit. "
— Natasha, 12/27/2012" I've only seen the movie, haven't read the book, but here's the start of the original radio play. I love the cast! (I love Zooey as Trillian better in the movie, but I love the original-cast Zaphod much better than the movie version.) Can't wait to see what happens next.... "
— Laura, 8/13/2012" Infinitely better book than movie! Hahaha, see what I did there? "
— Kat, 7/26/2012" I listened to this every night for 10 years going to sleep. It is the greatest work of comedic sci-fi ever written, but also attains a much deeper philosophy than most give it credit for. Although the stories are similar, the radio series still stands as the best version of the HHGTTG. "
— Jason, 4/3/2012" Love it! A fabulous combination of Douglas Adams' great imagination and his dry British sense of humor. "
— Jennifer, 3/4/2012" So I got to this one WAY late. It's something I should have read ages ago but, for some reason, never picked up. It's a quick read and definitely worth picking up. "
— Bill, 2/10/2012" I had forgotten how funny this one was. "Life. Don't talk to me about life." :-) "
— Frances, 2/2/2012" If you enjoyed the books, buy this, the radio version. Brilliantly done, and SO much better than the rather amateurish job they did with putting it on the small screen. The guy playing Marvin is a pure joy! "
— Neil, 1/8/2012" This is so very funny! "
— Jennifer, 1/6/2012" Would more give this 4.5 stars, but oh well. Delightfully fun book. Has a bit of a slow start, but really gets going about half way through. Not my first time reading this so I don't have too much to say except that anyone who loves British humor should read this book. "
— Shane, 10/25/2011" One of the best books I have read. "
— Nikhil, 9/19/2011" Heard such great things about this book. Just not my style. "
— Leslie, 8/23/2011" Some dated material and lots that isn't in the books. The documentary at the end of the plays was great. "
— Rob, 8/21/2011" What can one say? A must read for anyone who enjoys laughing at themselves and at humanity. "
— Lisa, 7/13/2011" Outstanding piece of comic science fiction. "
— Tom, 5/29/2011" One of the funniest books of SciFi I ever read. Fall over laughing! "
— Sue, 5/23/2011" Must-read, at least once in your life. "
— Mikhail, 4/22/2011" I love that this audiobook is the original radio trascript. (not sure about cast) <br/> <br/>It is hard to follow some of the British humor, being a lowly American without being about to read it and think about the line. "
— Sarah, 4/6/2011" I love that this audiobook is the original radio trascript. (not sure about cast) <br/> <br/>It is hard to follow some of the British humor, being a lowly American without being about to read it and think about the line. "
— Sarah, 4/6/2011" Des Lebensrätsels Lösung ist . . . "
— Gortan, 1/18/2011" Des Lebensrätsels Lösung ist . . . "
— Gortan, 1/18/2011" I listened to this every night for 10 years going to sleep. It is the greatest work of comedic sci-fi ever written, but also attains a much deeper philosophy than most give it credit for. Although the stories are similar, the radio series still stands as the best version of the HHGTTG. "
— Jason, 5/16/2010" I listened to this every night for 10 years going to sleep. It is the greatest work of comedic sci-fi ever written, but also attains a much deeper philosophy than most give it credit for. Although the stories are similar, the radio series still stands as the best version of the HHGTTG. "
— Jason, 5/16/2010" Fun but short original radio version of the book. Entertaining listening for about 3 hours for fans. "
— Rima, 12/25/2009" Fun but short original radio version of the book. Entertaining listening for about 3 hours for fans. "
— Rima, 12/25/2009" Some dated material and lots that isn't in the books. The documentary at the end of the plays was great. "
— Rob, 7/31/2009" Some dated material and lots that isn't in the books. The documentary at the end of the plays was great. "
— Rob, 7/31/2009" It really interesting and funny. Irony at its best. "
— Kandra, 12/15/2008" It really interesting and funny. Irony at its best. "
— Kandra, 12/15/2008" Humor. Absurdity. Philosophy. Fantasy. A classic. I didn't expect to like this as much as I did. Read by the author who was great as the reader. "
— Cindi, 10/31/2008" Humor. Absurdity. Philosophy. Fantasy. A classic. I didn't expect to like this as much as I did. Read by the author who was great as the reader. "
— Cindi, 10/31/2008Douglas Adams (1952–2001) was the much-loved author of the Hitchhiker’s trilogy, including The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, which was later adapted as a feature film. Best known for his imaginative and comedy-rich science fiction series which sold more than 15 million copies worldwide, Adams also wrote extensively for television, stage, print media, and computer games, as well as working in acting and radio comedy.
Stephen Fry is a celebrated actor, novelist, journalist, presenter, intellectual, wit, and winner of several award for narration. He has produced four novels and two volumes of autobiography and has written for radio shows and television. His television credits include Jeeves and Wooster and Blackadder, and he hosted the BBC TV series QI.