Don't panic! Jean Menzies has everything you need to know about Douglas Adams’ intergalactic Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy science fiction series, including each of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy books in order and what to read next.
2021 marks 42 years sinceThe Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxybooks were published. So what? 42 years, you ask, what kind of anniversary is that? Well, allow me to tell you why this is the only anniversary that matters.
In 1978 comic genius Douglas Adams wrote the script for a new radio show. The story followed Arthur Dent, a perfectly ordinary human man whose best friend Ford Prefect is, unbeknownst to him, an alien. It’s a good thing they are friends though, because as Arthur soon finds out the earth is in the way of a hyperspace bypass and a fleet of Vogon spaceships is about to demolish the inconvenient planet. (If only humanity had paid a visit to the local galactic planning office, they might have had more warning.)
Arthur, however, is saved from certain death when Ford sticks out his thumb and hitches them a ride on the very ships about to destroy the Earth. Dragged into outer space by an intergalactic hitchhiker, Arthur is about to be faced with despondent robots, ear-splitting alien poetry and, perhaps most surprisingly of all, the woman who he had been kicking himself for not asking on a date at a party six months earlier. And during the course of their riotous adventures Arthur and co will learn the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything: 42.
How many The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy books are there?
After the radio show was originally broadcast in 1978, Douglas Adams adapted the story to novel format the following year. One book is never enough, not with this amount of imagination, however, and he continued to expand on The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy universe over the course of four successive novels.
All five books are available individually or bound up in what Douglas Adams dubbed his ‘trilogy in five’ (just go with it).
In addition to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy novels you can also read the original radio script itself; keep an eye out for small differences between the radio show and the books because there are a few . . .
Of course, you could also try listening to the stories instead. Either pick up the original radio show or check out the audiobooks narrated by Stephen Fry and, later, Martin Freeman (both of whom you might recognise from the 2005 film adaptation).
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy books in order
This gorgeous 42nd anniversary gift edition of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is stunningly illustrated throughout by Costa Award-winner Chris Riddell.
And if all of that weren’t enough, author Eoin Colfer contributed a sixth and final instalment to the series based on unpublished material from Douglas Adams himself, aptly entitledAnd Another Thing…
Is there a The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy film?
Over the years, the humour and creativity of Douglas Adams’ writing has garnered fans from every generation. This world-wide popularity has also inspired numerous adaptations of the stories that seep into every medium.The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxyhas been adapted into stage plays, TV series and a film.
In the immediate aftermath of the radio programme, various companies produced plays based on Arthur Dent’s adventures. Between 1979 and 1980 the Institute of Contemporary Arts, Theatr Clwyd, and Rainbow Theatre all put their hand to adaptingThe Hitchhiker’s Guide the Galaxyfor stage, while in 1981 a six-episode television series was produced for BBC Two.It featured many of the same actors who had voiced the original radio show, including Simon Jones as Arthur Dent.
Hitchhiker’s went from the small screen to big screen in 2005, which saw the first feature film adaptation of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy with Martin Freeman taking on the role of Arthur Dent. Douglas Adams co-wrote the screenplay with Karey Kirkpatrick, but sadly passed away before production began.
And there are even plans for a new series on streaming service Hulu in 2021.
Each iteration ofThe Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxyis slightly different from the last, even when Douglas Adams was responsible. This just makes the journey all the more exciting though, with new twists and turns around every corner.
All we need now is a West End musical (fingers crossed).
What is the answer to life, the universe and everything?
But what does the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything mean? Just like readers of the series had to, I’ve made you wait. And really, if you are planning to hop on in and discover the joys of Douglas Adams’ universe yourself you might want to stop reading here. If you’re a little on the impatient side, however, just be warned there are spoilers ahead.
When our reluctant band of adventurers first learn that the answer they sought was simply two digits they were as stumped as readers. What on earth did 42 mean? How could that be the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything? Well, as the supercomputer Deep Thought informs them, that isn’t a question at all, and until they know the question, they will never understand the answer. Deep.
The question itself is finally uncovered inThe Restaurant at the End of the Universewhen Arthur pulls a series of seemingly random scrabble tiles out of a bag to read: ‘what do you get when you multiply six by nine?’ Well, if you have a calculator handy then you’ll know you definitely don’t get 42. It’s all just one great big joke. The book, the story, the universe itself? You’ll have to be the judge of that.
What should I read after The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy?
It might take you a while but once you’ve read everythingHitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxywhy not check out thebest sci-fi books of 2021. Or try these:
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