The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
This comedic science fiction novel follows the intergalactic adventures of an unwitting human, Arthur Dent, who is rescued just before Earth's destruction by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for a galactic travel guide. Together, they hitch a ride on a stolen spaceship, encountering a range of bizarre characters, including a depressed robot and a two-headed ex-president of the galaxy. Through a series of satirical and absurd escapades, the book explores themes of existentialism, bureaucracy, and the absurdity of life, all while poking fun at the science fiction genre and offering witty commentary on the human condition.
The 67th greatest book of all time
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This book is on the following lists:
- 2nd on Top 100 Science-Fiction, Fantasy Books (NPR)
- 3rd on Top 200 Science Fiction Books (Pre-2000) (Sci-Fi Lists)
- 4th on The Big Read (BBC)
- 8th on My Favourite Book - Australian Big Read (Australian Big Read)
- 10th on The 25 Best Science-Fiction Books of All Time (Spy.com)
- 11th on Big Read (Bulgarian) (Bulgaria)
- 24th on Waterstone's Books of the Century (LibraryThing)
- 30th on Our Users' Favorite Books of All Time (The Greatest Books Users)
- 30th on 50 Books to Read Before You Die (Complex)
- 39th on Big Read (German) (Germany)
- 40th on Harvard Book Store Staff's Favorite 100 Books (Harvard Book Store)
- 72nd on Radcliffe's 100 Best Novels (Radcliffe Publishing Course)
- 78th on Big Read (Hungarian) (Hungaria)
- 95th on The 100 Favorite Novels of Librarians (Bookman.com)
- 97th on The Telegraph’s 100 Novels Everyone Should Read (Telegraph)
- 99th on Entertainment Weekly's Top 100 Novels (Entertainment Weekly)
- 273rd on The Complete 500: OCLC (OCLC)
- As if You Don't Have Enough to Read, Fiction Edition (New York Times)
- From Zero to Well-Read in 100 Books (Jeff O'Neal at Bookriot.com)
- The Books You've Always Meant to Read (Waterstones)
- Powell's Essential List: 25 Essential Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books Isn't Enough: Our 25 Honorable Mentions (Powells' City of Books)
- The Booklist Century: 100 Books, 100 Years (BookList)
- A Hundred Novels to Change Your Life (The Daily Mail)
- The 50 Best Sci-Fi Books for Every Kind of Reader (Men's Health)
- 100 Main Fantasy and Science-Fiction Books (www.mirf.ru (Russian))
- 50 Sci-Fi/Fantasy Novels That Everyone Should Read (Flavor Wire)
- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read (The Guardian)
- The 100 Best Science Fiction Books of All Time (Tor)
- 110 Best Books: The Perfect Library (The Telegraph)
- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (The Book)
- The 75 Best Books of the Past 75 Years (Parade Magazine)
- 222 Best Books of All Time That Deserve a Spot on Your Bookshelf, With Picks from Bestselling Authors and Indie Booksellers (Parade)
- The Great American Read (PBS)
- 50 Best Cult Books (Telegraph)
- 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime (Amazon.com (UK))