The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy
by Douglas Adams · first published 1989
31% recommend69% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Witty, lateral-thinking science fiction comedy built for rereading and pure enjoyment. Its humour has shaped how some writers communicate. Suits anyone wanting a light, funny read with sharp satire.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
Related books
Gospel of John
Trinitarian Bible
Recommended by 4 · mentioned by 44 recommend · 4 mention4 recommend · 44 recommend
2008–2022Mister God, This Is Anna
Fynn
Recommended by 2 · mentioned by 22 recommend · 2 mention2 recommend · 22 recommend
2010–2025Germinal
Émile Zola
Recommended by 5 · mentioned by 105 recommend · 10 mention5 recommend · 105 recommend
2007–2025Bible
Recommended by 24 · mentioned by 3224 recommend · 32 mention24 recommend · 3224 recommend
The Shadow of the Wind
Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Recommended by 11 · mentioned by 1411 recommend · 14 mention11 recommend · 1411 recommend
2011–2024I Am That
Nisargadatta Maharaj
Recommended by 13 · mentioned by 1613 recommend · 16 mention13 recommend · 1613 recommend
2008–2025Autobiography of Malcolm X (SparkNotes Literature Guide)
Alex Haley, Malcolm X
Recommended by 19 · mentioned by 3019 recommend · 30 mention19 recommend · 3019 recommend
2015–2025The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up
Marie Kondo, Yuko Uramoto
Recommended by 27 · mentioned by 3927 recommend · 39 mention27 recommend · 3927 recommend
Definitely the Hitch-Hiker's Guide to The Galaxy. I only read the rest of the series years later, but Douglas Adams' humour had a (very) lasting impression on me, and inspired me to write (and communicate, to this day) using a similar kind of humor…
on “Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?” ↗I treasure few objects more than my Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy box set, like this one: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Douglas-Adams-Hitch-Hikers-Guide-... I don’t even have the ability to play it anymore, and I’ve no doubt the CDs are scratched and unlistenable. But…
on “CD box sets are wonderful” ↗…should be required reading) Blink- Malcolm Gladwell Godel Escher, Bach - (Recursion, but not from a software perspective. Its a glorious book that will change the way you think about recursion.) Hitch Hiker's guide to the galaxy, - Douglas Adams (Glorious book that is a fun read, when you need a break pick this up and laugh hard) Foundation Series - Assimov (Great stories from one of the best sci-fi writers ever) -------------------Software…
on “Ask HN: Book Recommendations?” ↗Im not good in programming, but i love cats, i love monthy python and the hitch-hiker's guide to the galaxy and i love music and photography. I guess some of those stuff are just signs that you have some qualities that good hackers have. They don't make you good, practice and hard work makes you good. Something…
on “How to Hire a Programmer” ↗…satires of their own genre, in that they make save/restore part of the game mechanic, and when you hit an obstacle, the search space isn't just the four screens you can walk to now, but the game thus far. Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy played this up in a very fast and funny way -- where there's about eight things you need to do in quick succession to get the Babel Fish from the vending machine, and it keeps coming up with outlandish…
on “Deadly Sins of Graphic-Adventure Design” ↗…desktop in around 2007 failed: the IP that they claimed, the Windows 95 desktop look and feel -- Start menu, taskbar etc. -- is stuff that Microsoft 100% did invent, but 12 years later is... Well, _the Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy_ was published 42 years ago today, and it still rings true. To quote Chapter 3 of the Guide: "You've had plenty of time to lodge any formal complaint and it's far too late to start making a fuss about…
on “Jörg Schilling has died” ↗Definitely The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide To The Galaxy. If only so they would understand The Answer and the latent absurdity of our civilization. Although the bit about the plague from a dirty phone might be a little too close for comfort these days (but…
on “Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?” ↗The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy
on “What is the one book that helped you the most in your career?” ↗Speaking of tricky conversions, the Finnish translation of The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a heroic cultural treasure. "Ravenous bugblatter beast of Traal", a word soup that in English is mix of gaggy and absurd, has been transformed into "traalilainen sontiaismolottaja". It's a rarity,…
on “Asterix in Translation: The Genius of Anthea Bell and Derek Hockridge” ↗I can name - The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy (there is absolutely nothing quite like it, and it taught me to laugh - or at least giggle - at anything) - Dune (the notion of mental discipline, at least as idealized by Frank Herbert, made an impression…
on “Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?” ↗…condenses and throws away most information. The import thing really is to develop and capture the right abstractions. There are a few books I have gone back and read simply for enjoyment, for example Hitch Hiker's Guide to the galaxy was a pleasure to read. Some more dense materials that I know I will gain a lot from, I find it difficult to muster the motivation to re-read.
on “Rereading books” ↗And Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. V. Important
on “The Shipping Forecast” ↗…with new editions from 1971 through the mid-90s, and well enough known that Douglas Adams' readers would have got the joke. My parents had a copy. That's the original inspiration for the in-universe Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy and perhaps the better point of comparison for other guides that are named after it. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitch-hiker's_Guide_to_Europe
on “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Ethereum” ↗The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy already parodies Maths: http://hhgproject.org/entries/bistromathics.html Clearly, Douglas Adams spent a lot of time in Bistros, as the second review on this site echoes his sentiments about the odd…
on “Why there is no Hitchhiker’s Guide to Mathematics for Programmers” ↗Douglas Adams (author of The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy) was a best-selling author who was infamous for hating to write.
on “Do quests, not goals” ↗