The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
by Douglas Adams · first published 1979
26% recommend73% neutral1% critical
Why HN recommends it
Hilarious, fast-moving sci-fi comedy with dry British humor and nerd appeal, also seen as quietly philosophical. Fun, easy reading for newcomers to books and rereaders; the author-read audiobook gets praise.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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.
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…at my non-CS shelves: * "Alice in Wonderland", Carroll * "Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid", Hofstadter * Either "His Dark Materials", Pullman; or "Illuminatus!", Shea and Wilson * "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", Adams (all of its sequels are also good) * "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" and "Lila", Pirsig * Either "Watchmen", Moore and Gibbons; or "1984" or "Animal Farm", Orwell * "Neuromancer"…
on “Ask HN: Which non-programming books are a beneficial read for programmers?” ↗…Vernor Vinge, and its kind of prequel "A Deepness in the Sky", they both contain some great ideas and I love the fact they have some very alien aliens! Oh and if you haven't read any Douglas Adams "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" is fantastic
on “Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?” ↗This reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from Douglas Adams in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. A man not just ahead of his time, but humorous about it too. > The machine was rather difficult to operate. For years radios had been operated by means of pressing buttons and turning dials; then as…
on “Amazon Echo, home alone with NPR on, got confused and hijacked a thermostat” ↗…Adventures in Wonderland" - Lewis Carroll "Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There" - Lewis Carroll "Dracula" - Bram Stoker "Frankenstein" - Mary Shelly "On Education" - Bertrand Russell "The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy" - Douglas Adams "Animal Farm" - George Orwell "1984" - George Orwell "Lord of The Flies" - William Golding "Brave New World" - Aldous Huxley "Gulliver's Travels" - Jonathan Swift "The Selfish Gene"…
on “Ask HN: What are some good books?” ↗If I was forced to only pick one, or at least one set of books it would be: The hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy. There are many better books I've read, but I grew up with these, and would want access to copies at all times in my life. Now... I'm off to make a Perfectly Normal Beast sandwich and ponder why Eddie…
on “Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?” ↗It's always fascinating to read people's takes on Stephenson's corpus. For me, Cryptonomicon to this day remains one of my most favorite books of all time. It harkens back to Douglas Adams and the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in that it meanders through what many would describe as filler. Some seem to dislike that. To me it helped paint such a great picture. I guess some people are more interested in the destination than…
on “We are all nerds: The literary works of Neal Stephenson” ↗…of it is (though its profundity depends on the reader's expectations or experience). But there is certainly great writing that shatters no expectations; conversely, there is bad writing that does so. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is brilliantly written, but it doesn't exert a profound and life-altering influence on most readers' worldviews. On the flipside, The Secret is horrendously written, but it has had a major and indellibile…
on “How writing creates value” ↗This is a reference to Douglas Adams' absurdist Sci Fi series, "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," which is amazing and I recommend everyone read! https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13.The_Ultimate_Hitchhik... (The first book is "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," there are 5 books, one of which…
on “Why is there a normal galaxy sitting at the edge of the Universe?” ↗…Dark Tower: Stephen King(actually tons of King books - I am a bit of a fanboy) * Factfulness: Hans Rosling * William Blake: selected poetry * Dostoevsky: The idiot * Captain Nemo: Jules Verne * The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Adams
on “Ask HN: What are some must read books?” ↗House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
on “Ask YC: favorite books” ↗Before anything, read the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series by Douglas Adams. Then try the Salmon of Doubt by him. Salmon of Doubt is a must, but it's made more accessible by reading Adams' fictional works first.
on “Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?” ↗…I'd also recommend "The Cyberiad" by Stanislaw Lem. It's an anthology of hilarious science fiction stories, many of which deal with deep philosophical themes. Also, along those lines is Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy trilogy, which is also hilarious and very philosophical. These aren't exactly the first books most people think of when asked for intro to philosophy books, but I think books like these are quite perfect…
on “Surprisingly undervalued books” ↗…listen to fiction audiobooks, preferring text for non-fiction since I read that sort of book differently. Might not fit with what you're asking for but I have to recommend the original five books in "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" trilogy, specifically the ones read by the author, Douglas Adams. It's one of the best narrated (and of course, written) books I've listened to. Because the author is a very proficient narrator, the…
on “Ask HN: What is your favorite audio book?” ↗…this at an angst-filled time; the way this book builds and reconciles the conflict between two personalities that goes on within the main dude's head was extremely cathartic to my own life Adams, the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy — introduced me to the inherent absurdity present in the modern world, technology, the scale of the universe, the condition of our own existence, etc, and how making light of it helps you grapple with…
on “Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?” ↗…Master of the Senate - Atlas Shrugged - Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed - Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap? - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics - The Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don't - Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans…
on “Ask HN: What book changed your life?” ↗