The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

The Illustrated Edition
  • 4.5 (168 ratings)
  • 1,898 Want to read
  • 112 Currently reading
  • 384 Have read
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  • 4.5 (168 ratings)
  • 1,898 Want to read
  • 112 Currently reading
  • 384 Have read

Buy this book

Last edited by Melon Bread
September 12, 2025 | History

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

The Illustrated Edition
  • 4.5 (168 ratings)
  • 1,898 Want to read
  • 112 Currently reading
  • 384 Have read

This beautifully illustrated edition of the New York Times bestselling classic celebrates the 42nd anniversary of the original publication—with all-new art by award-winning illustrator Chris Riddell.

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. . . .

Publish Date
Language
English
Pages
208

Buy this book

Previews available in: Turkish English Chinese French

Edition Availability
Cover of: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
2021, Random House Publishing Group
E-book in English - The Illustrated Edition
Cover of: Otostopçunun Galaksi Rehberi
Otostopçunun Galaksi Rehberi
2018, Alfa Yayinlari
paperback in Turkish - 10. Bassim
Cover of: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
2017, Pan 70
Paperback in English - paperback edition (1)
Cover of: 银河系搭车客指南
银河系搭车客指南: The hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy
2016-06-12, Shanghai yi wen chu ban she
Paperback in Chinese - Di 1 ban
Cover of: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Volume One in The Trilogy of Five
2016, Pan Books
paperback in English - printing (1)
Cover of: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
2009, Pan Books
Paperback in English
Cover of: The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
2005, Pan Books
paperback in English - Film Tie-in edition (9)
Cover of: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
2002, New Millenium Audio
audio cd in English
Cover of: Le guide galactique
Le guide galactique
1997-10, Denoël
mass market paperback in French
Cover of: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
1981-10, Pocket Books
mass market paperback in English - First Pocket Books Printing (1)
Cover of: The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy
1980, Book Club Associates
Hardcover in English

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Book Details


First Sentence

"Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the Western Spiral Arm of the Galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun."

Table of Contents

Cover
Title Page
Copyright
A Guide to the Guide
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
Key to Characters
Dedication
Books by Douglas Adams
About the Author and the Illustrator

Edition Notes

Published in
New York
Series
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Copyright Date
1979

Contributors

Cover Art
Chris Riddell
Cover Design
Chris Riddell
Illustrator
Chris Riddell

The Physical Object

Format
E-book
Number of pages
208

Edition Identifiers

Open Library
OL24292970M
ISBN 13
9780307417138
OCLC/WorldCat
319587045
OverDrive
FA4158BA-E122-4936-A558-A31E35348C8B
Amazon ID (ASIN)
B000XUBC2C

Work Identifiers

Work ID
OL2163649W

Work Description

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is the first of six books in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy comedy science fiction "hexalogy" by Douglas Adams. The novel is an adaptation of the first four parts of Adams's radio series of the same name. The novel was first published in London on 12 October 1979. It sold 250,000 copies in the first three months.

The namesake of the novel is The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, a fictional guide book for hitchhikers (inspired by the Hitch-hiker's Guide to Europe) written in the form of an encyclopaedia.



Also contained in:

Excerpts

Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the Western Spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun.
added anonymously.
Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the Western Spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun.
added by Lisa.

first sentence

Links outside Open Library

Community Reviews (1)

Pace 1 Fast paced 100% Enjoyability 1 Exciting 50% Engaging 50% Clarity 1 Confusing 33% Disorganized 33% Effective explanations 33% Genres 1 Fiction 25% Sci-fi 25% Humor 25% Action 25% Mood 1 Whimsical 50% Humorous 50% Impressions 1 Quotable 50% Highly recommend 50% Credibility 1 Accurate 100% Content Warnings 1 Adult themes 100% Purpose 1 Entertainment 100%

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