The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Complete Trilogy in Five Parts
This bumper paperback omnibus, released to mark the 42nd anniversary of Douglas Adams' beloved series, brings together all five instalments of what Adams himself cheerfully labelled a trilogy, despite the counting being obviously, gloriously wrong. It's a complete collection of Arthur Dent's improbable wanderings across space and time, and it's a fine way to own the lot in one go. Alongside the five novels, you'll find introductions to each book, material drawn from the Adams archives, a bonus short story ('Young Zaphod Plays It Safe'), and a special undeleted scene. Arthur's story begins on an unremarkable Thursday when the Earth is flattened to accommodate a hyperspace bypass. His house had already gone that morning, so the day really does compound itself. From there, things get considerably stranger. The second book poses the great philosophical question of where to have dinner once everything else has been settled. The third deposits Arthur, Ford Prefect, and a flying sofa at Lord's Cricket Ground, two days before yet another planetary catastrophe. The fourth introduces Fenchurch, the woman Arthur falls for, who once knew exactly how to fix the world but can no longer quite remember. The fifth finds him making sandwiches on a quiet little planet, until his daughter turns up and ruins everything rather effectively. What began as a BBC radio comedy has since existed in forms including a television series, a film, and (yes) a towel. This edition, published by Adams' original publisher, is described as definitively inaccurate. Given the source material, that feels entirely appropriate.
- Author: Douglas Adams
- Publisher: Pan Macmillan UK
- Genre: Literary Fiction
- ISBN: 978-1529051438
- Pages: 832 pages