Summary | Author | Reviews | Discussion Questions


The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Douglas Adams, 1979
216 pp.

In Brief
Arthur Dent, mild-mannered, out-to-lunch kind of guy, is plucked from Earth just before it is demolished to make way for a hyperspace bypass. Towel in hand, he begins his journey through space qnd time with his rescuer Ford Perfect, a traveling researcher for the Guide. Together they begin a journey through the galaxy aided by quotes from "The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy," with the words "don’t panic" written on the front. (“A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have.”) This is the first in a series of six novellas. (From the publisher.)

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About the Author

• Birth—March 11, 1952
• Where—Cambridge, UK
• Death—May 11, 2001
• Where—Santa Barbara, California, USA
• Education—B.A., Cambridge University


Douglas Adams was born in Cambridge, England, in 1952. He wrote for radio, television, and theater and worked at various times as a hospital porter, barn builder, chicken shed cleaner, bodyguard, radio producer, and script editor for the notorious "Doctor Who" series, as well as both writer and performer for an occasional episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus. His other books include Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency and The Long Dark Tea-Times of the Soul. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, originally a 1978 radio show, contains six novellas in all, published between 1979 and 1992.

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Critics Say. . .
It's science fiction and it's extremely funny...inspired lunacy that leaves hardly a science fiction cliche alive.
Washington Post


The feckless protagonist, Arthur Dent, is reminiscent of Vonnegut heroes, and his travels afford a wild satire of present institutions.
Chicago Tribune


A whimsical odyssey...Characters frolic through the galaxy with infectious joy.
Publisher's Weekly


As parody, it's marvelous: It contains just about every science fiction cliche you can think of. As humor, it's, well, hysterical.
School Library Journal

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Book Club Discussion Questions

There's a hitch—the publisher has not provided questions for this book.

But don't despair. Use our LitLovers Book Club Resources; they can help with discussions for any book:

   • Generic Discussion Questions
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Also consider the following LitLovers discussion points:

1. Hitchhiker has been described as a parody of government, politics, and big business. You might want to talk about how it parodies those institutions? Or does that kind of question ruin the fun of a hilarious romp through space?

2. The two most famous icons from the series are the towel...and the phrase, "don't panic." I don't know...you want to comment on that?

3. A more fruitful discussion might revolve around the way Hitchhiker series has permeated our popular culture. Some refer to its impact as "hitchhiker-mania," a phenomenon that has spun off a movie, TV series (with Stephen Hawkins, no less), and merchandise (towels and action figures). There are frequent references in rock, videogames, websites, and even an online translation service called Babel Fish! What is it about the series that inspires that kind of...following?