The More Than Complete Hitchhiker's Guide

The edition of the Guide that replaced all others in my library, it contains an introduction by Douglas Adams that adds interesting details for fans of the series in his characteristic voice. Originally a radio series, it was produced by the BBC. "I think that the BBC's attitude toward the show while it was in production was very similar to that which Macbeth had toward murdering people--initial doubts, followed by cautious enthusiasm and then greater and greater alarm at the sheer scale of the [...]

The universe is a joke. Even before I was shown the meaning of life in a dream at 17 (then promptly forgot it because I thought I smelled pancakes), I knew this to be true--and yet, I have always felt a need to search for the truth, that nebulous, ill-treated creature. Adams has always been, to me, to be a welcome companion in that journey. Between the search for meaning and the recognition that it's all a joke in poor taste lies Douglas Adams, and, luckily for us, he doesn't seem to mind if you [...]

Brilliant. Just read it already. If you don't get it, wait a couple of years then read it again. Seriously. Oh, and don't panic!

This book is so cool you could keep a side of meat in it for a month. It is so hip it has difficulty seeing over it's own pelvis. You sass that hoopy Douglas Adams? There's a frood that really knows where his towel is. True story: This book is so awesome that when I first read it in seventh grade, I deliberately decided to memorize "Xanthic Restructron Destabilized Zenon Emitter." Oh, and the way in which Arthur Dent finally has pleasant things happen to him in "So Long and Thanks for All the Fi [...]

A re-read. Obviously.Read the entire thing aloud to Jefferson as bedtime story night after night. It took ages.In recognition of both my father reading the first book to me as a bedtime story when I was a wee lass, and Andrew's many, many readings of this book in grad school. Bedtime story often became a whole family affair.Thoughts on reading it all again: The first book and the fourth book are definitely my favorites. The second and third I could largely do without, except you'd miss the whole [...]

I wasn't too thrilled with this book. I think I expected a lot more of it due to its fame than it could deliver, and that's probably part of the reason. I don't regret reading this, but I doubt I'll read the fifth book in the series (which is not included in this collection, oddly enough). It was funny at times, but I got bored pretty quickly; that's why it took me so long to read it. It was, I am a bit ashamed to say, a relief to finally finish this book so that I could move on to the next one [...]

Entertainment-1 StarsEducation- 1 StarReadability- 1 starInnovation- 0 StarsInspiration- 1 StarsI loved this book. It was pretty easy to read and very funny. Comedy is difficult :)Marvin the robot captures my view of the world. I know this is most unfortunate. But it doesn't really matter anyway as we will all be dead and gone when the sun goes supernova in 5 billion years. We'll just mope along till then.The part where the aliens send their invasion force to earth and turns out they are about t [...]

When the first two words that popped into my mind to describe this series of books were "endearing" and "mind-opening", I realized how unique this book truly is. The characters are so human (even when they are decidedly NOT), vulnerable, and understandable even while the scenarios they are hurled into are bizarre, inexplicable, and inscrutable. This book made me laugh out loud while I was reading it and made me contemplate how we are tiny specks in the universe whenever I set it down.Don't feel [...]

Recently, a show on our NPR station replayed over several weeks the BBC radio series of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which prompted me to get out my copy and read it again. It still holds up, makes me laugh out loud and provides words of wisdom to live by. Today would have been Adam's 61 birthday and the Google Doodle is a fitting tribute. washingtonpost/blogs/c

i only give this 4 stars because of the 2 times i bought this version, the binding was terrible the book fell apart on me. still the best series, but just not my favorite edition

Douglas Adams signed my copy

My favorite compilation.

sometimes not exciting, a real mind bender though

I feel like I might just get stoned by my literary peers with this review, but here goes: 'The hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy' was just not my cup of tea.I'm glad to have read/experienced it for myself finally, as it is commonly accepted as a sci-fi/comedy standard of the 20th century western literature canon. And while it was definitely interesting, I think it was perhaps just a little too heavy into a zany or wacky comedy feel for my own personal tastes. That being said, and for the record, [...]

This is a funny and clever read. Adams takes everything we think we know and turns it all upside down. The comedy, especially in the first two books, is great. The characters are all wonderful. I am especially fond of Marvin and Fenchurch. There were times where I felt the story was dragging, especially in The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, but it's still entertaining enough. It's worth checking out at least once. I know I will be reading this again.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the galaxy is a crazy, hilarious, and overall great book. It blows all human logic out the window in a comedic fashion. Its absurdity feels surprisingly believable. The story is amazing and completely weird. I feel though, it could go over some peoples heads in its craziness. Overall, it is a great read.

Each of the books in the series had its own unique flavor; but, I have to admit that I found the last book in this series to be a bit anticlimactic and it left so many unanswered questions. Overall I like the series and the humor.

A hilarious search for the meaning of life, the universe, and everything and exactly what that means.

A very classic "trilogy." Worth more than one read to pick up all the subtleties.

Fun and easy to read, but not as much fun as I thought it was in the 90s.

Loved the first book, but I couldn't get through the second book, so I quit reading.

Awesome, long book!

Have saw the serial and the movies and read the books individually and as omnibus and different sets, hardback, still in my library, says a lot. Date wrong, just saw it to review.

I have previously read the full Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series, but felt like reading this again. This is an old publication, from before the fifth part, Mostly Harmless, but includes the first four books.The plot to the original Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is quite well-known with the story of Earth being demolished to make was for an international hyperspace bypass, so I won't say much about it except that it's an absolute classic, with hilarious moments that make me want to read [...]

The Hitchhikers Guide to the GalaxyCan you keep up with the plot?What would you do if your planet was spontaneously invaded by aliens and then blown up to make a pathway for an intergalactic highway? Well, probably nothing considering you would be dead… but Arthur isn’t! The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is an overly dramatic science fiction novel by Douglas Adams, set on different planets throughout the galaxy. In this story Arthur, Ford, Zaphod, Marvin, and Trillian travel through the wo [...]

If you're looking for a thrilling space adventure with loads of action, a veritable menagerie of wacky space critters and names from no earthly language, please look elsewhere. In spite of the science fiction trappings herein, Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker series is comic writing of the finest grade first and foremost. He has merely used the genre as a vehicle for his twisted sense of humour and perfect comedic phrasing.This edition collects what were at time of publication the entirety of the saga: [...]

After reading this I feel like I've overdosed on wit. The writing is extremely clever down to every line, and maybe that's why people are bonkers about the Hitchhiker books, but for me, the continuous droll/cutesy observations about everything got stale pretty quickly. These books aren't bad--they're smart and well-written and most likely meant to be "funny" in that quiet, smirking way. It just seemed to me that Douglas Adams was telling the same jokes over and over again.The plot is thin. Very [...]

My review of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is already included elsewhere on this site, so I’ll start with the second novel in the trilogy.The Restaurant at the End of the Universe is almost as good as the first novel in the trilogy, with a lot of wordplay, humor, and comic events. In this novel, there is time travel, loud music and a Lord of the Flies situation. One complaint: the storyline involving Zaphod, while it has some interesting incidents, does not really hold together.Life, [...]

The More Than Complete Hitchhiker's Guide, by Douglas Adams, is one of the best books I have ever read. Its contents contain the famous story, The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy, plus three more that continue the suspense, thrills, and humor. There is also an extra short story at the end. What I liked about The More Than Complete Hitchhiker's Guide, varied from the characters, like Ford Prefect, Zaphod Beeblebrox, and Marvin the Paranoid Android, to the pure obscure humor and scenes through-ou [...]

The Epitome of Awesomeness. All four of the original Hitchhiker's guide novels in one easy to carry volume, plus an additional short story that brings up a little extra background. If you've seen the movie…well, you need to read the books anyway, there was so much different between the stories as written, and as they were presented on screen. Hell, there were differences from the books to the radio scripts…all of this is more-or-less explained by Douglas in his introduction, which also conta [...]