The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The first novel in Adams's best-known comic science-fiction sequence.
Author guide
Douglas Adams Books in Order
Douglas Adams (1952–2001) was an English author, humorist, screenwriter, and environmental writer. His published work includes the five Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy novels, the Dirk Gently novels, collaborative nonfiction, memoir, radio-script collections, graphic adaptations, edited anthologies, and the posthumous collection The Salmon of Doubt.
science fictioncomic science fictionhumorsatirefantasymysterynonfictionmemoirplaysgraphic novels
Catalog record updated .
Not sure where to begin?
Start with one of these
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
The first Dirk Gently novel and a distinct entry point into Adams's comic detective fiction.
Last Chance to See
Adams's major nonfiction collaboration with Mark Carwardine, combining travel writing, natural history, and humor.
Read in order
Books by series
novel series · complete
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The five-novel comic science-fiction sequence written by Douglas Adams.
- 1 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Book 1 · novel · 1979
Seconds before Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised edition of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy who, for the last…
- 2 The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
Book 2 · novel · 1980
Join the cosmically displaced Arthur Dent and his uncommon comrades in arms in their desperate search for a place to eat, as they hurtle across space powered by pure improbability. Among Arthur’s motley shipmates are Ford Prefect, a…
- 3 Life, the Universe and Everything
Book 3 · novel · 1982
The universe, that is. Now only five individuals stand between the killer robots of Krikkit and their goal of total annihilation. They are Arthur Dent, a mild-mannered space and time traveler who tries to learn how to fly by throwing…
- 4 So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish
Book 4 · novel · 1984
There is a knack to flying. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. It's not an easy thing to do, and Arthur Dent thinks he's the only human who's been able to master this nifty little trick – until he…
- 5 Mostly Harmless
Book 5 · novel · 1992
However, instead of being disheartened, Arthur Dent makes the terrible mistake of starting to enjoy life a bit—and immediately all hell breaks loose. Hell takes a number of forms: there’s the standard Ford Prefect version, in the shape of…
novel series · incomplete
Dirk Gently
Douglas Adams's comic detective-fiction series, including the posthumous collection containing the unfinished third novel.
- 1 Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
Book 1 · novel · 1987
What do a dead cat, a computer whiz-kid, an Electric Monk who believes the world is pink, quantum mechanics, a Chronologist over two hundred years old, Samuel Taylor Coleridge (poet), and pizza have in common? Apparently not much; until…
- 2 The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul
Book 2 · novel · 1988
When a passenger check-in desk at Terminal Two, Heathrow Airport, shot up through the roof engulfed in a ball of orange flame, the usual people tried to claim responsibility. First the IRA, then the PLO and the Gas Board. Even British…
- 3 The Salmon of Doubt: Hitchhiking the Galaxy One Last Time
Book 3 · essay_collection · 2002 Optional
radio script series · complete
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Radio Scripts
Standalone published collections of scripts from the original and later Hitchhiker's Guide radio phases.
- 1 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Original Radio Scripts
Book 1 · play_collection · 1985
March 1978 saw the first ever transmission of Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy on BBC Radio 4; the beginning of a cult phenomenon. March 2020 marks the 42nd anniversary of that first transmission – 42 being the answer,…
- 2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Radio Scripts: The Tertiary, Quandary and Quintessential Phases
Book 2 · play_collection · 2005
graphic novel series · complete
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Graphic Adaptations
Authorized comic-book adaptations of the first three Hitchhiker's Guide novels, adapted by John Carnell from Douglas Adams's original stories.
- 1 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Authorized Collection
Book 1 · graphic_novel · 1993
Just before the Earth is demolished, Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.
- 2 The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
Book 2 · graphic_novel · 1994
- 3 Life, the Universe and Everything
Book 3 · graphic_novel · 1996
Outside the series
Bibliography by category
Novels (2)
- The Meaning of Liff
nonfiction · 1983
- Last Chance to See
nonfiction · 1990
‘Descriptive writing of a high order... this is an extremely intelligent book’ The Times Join Douglas Adams, bestselling and beloved author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and zoologist Mark Carwardine on an adventure in search…
Nonfiction (1)
- A Liar's Autobiography: Volume VI
memoir · 1980
Edited works (1)
- The Utterly Utterly Merry Comic Relief Christmas Book
edited_anthology · 1986
The Utterly Utterly Merry Comic Relief Christmas Book was a fundraising book issued on behalf of Comic Relief in 1986.
Frequently asked questions about Douglas Adams
Who was Douglas Adams?
Douglas Adams was an English author and humorist, born in Cambridge in March 1952. He became internationally known for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and died in 2001 at age 49.
What did Douglas Adams study, and how did he begin his writing career?
He studied English literature at St John's College, Cambridge, graduating in 1974. He developed his comic-writing career through Cambridge's Footlights and later worked in radio and television, including Doctor Who.
Sources: douglasadams.com (opens in a new tab)joh.cam.ac.uk (opens in a new tab)
What influenced Douglas Adams's writing?
Adams said Monty Python was a major influence on his comedy, especially its habit of creating worlds governed by unusual rules. He also attributed the title idea for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy to a hitchhiking trip in Europe.
What awards did Douglas Adams win?
In 1984, Adams became the youngest author to receive a Golden Pan for sales of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. He later won two more Golden Pans, a rare achievement.
What is Douglas Adams's legacy?
Adams's work remains influential for combining comic absurdity, science fiction, and social criticism across radio, books, television, games, and stage adaptations. His legacy is also commemorated through the Douglas Adams Memorial Lecture, which supports science, conservation, and comedy-related causes.
Sources: douglasadams.com (opens in a new tab)savetherhino.org (opens in a new tab)