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 190th greatest book of all time
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Total Points: 1602
This book was first published in 1979
52 Lists
- score: 165 -- 222 Best Books of All Time That Deserve a Spot on Your Bookshelf, With Picks from Bestselling Authors and Indie Booksellers - 2024 (Weight: 170)
- score: 120 -- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die - 2006 (Weight: 180)
- score: 119 -- 50 Best Cult Books - 2016 (Weight: 142)
- score: 100 -- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read - 2009 (Weight: 140)
- score: 99 -- The 75 Best Books of the Past 75 Years - 2016 (Weight: 118)
- score: 95 -- Big Read (Bulgarian) - 2009 (Weight: 120)
- score: 71 -- As if You Don't Have Enough to Read, Fiction Edition - 2011 (Weight: 100)
- score: 67 -- Big Read (Hungarian) - 2005 (Weight: 110)
- score: 66 -- America’s 100 Favorite Books - 2024 (Weight: 70)
- score: 62 -- Best Beach Reads Of All Time - 2025 (Weight: 63)
- score: 60 -- The 100 Best Novels Of All Time (Runners-Up) - 2026 (Weight: 60)
- score: 58 -- Our Users' Top 100 Favorite Books of All Time - 2024 (Weight: 60)
- score: 57 -- The Great American Read - 2018 (Weight: 70)
- score: 50 -- The Big Read - 2003 (Weight: 70)
- score: 42 -- My Favourite Book - Australian Big Read - 2004 (Weight: 60)
- score: 40 -- Radcliffe's 100 Best Novels - 1998 (Weight: 80)
- score: 38 -- Big Read (German) - 2004 (Weight: 60)
- score: 36 -- Five Books to Read on a Desert Island - 1983 (Weight: 137)
- score: 34 -- "Our Readable Century", The Best Books of the 20th Century -- Honorable Mention - 2000 (Weight: 60)
- score: 27 -- Top 100 Books, As Chosen By Canadians - 2005 (Weight: 40)
- score: 24 -- Harvard Book Store Staff's Favorite 100 Books - 2011 (Weight: 33)
- score: 23 -- A Hundred Novels to Change Your Life - 2019 (Weight: 28)
- score: 21 -- Waterstone's Books of the Century - 1997 (Weight: 40)
- score: 19 -- 50 Books to Read Before You Die - 2012 (Weight: 26)
- score: 15 -- The Modern Library's 100 Best Novels: The Readers' List - 1998 (Weight: 30)
- score: 14 -- 150 Great Reads - 1988 (Weight: 40)
- score: 9 -- Readers’ Top 100 Novels Of All Time - 2026 (Weight: 10)
- score: 9 -- 25 Books to Read Before You Die - 2023 (Weight: 10)
- score: 8 -- Top 100 Science-Fiction, Fantasy Books - 2011 (Weight: 10)
- score: 7 -- 100 Main Fantasy and Science-Fiction Books - 2008 (Weight: 10)
- score: 6 -- The Telegraph’s 100 Novels Everyone Should Read - 2009 (Weight: 10)
- score: 5 -- The 50 Best Sci-Fi Books for Every Kind of Reader - 2024 (Weight: 6)
- score: 1 -- Top 200 Science Fiction Books (Pre-2000) - 2021 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 125 Books We Love for Adults - 2020 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 50 Sci-Fi/Fantasy Novels That Everyone Should Read - 2013 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 500 Must Read Books - 2013 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The Complete 500: OCLC - 2024 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List - 2018 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The 25 Best Science-Fiction Books of All Time - 2020 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The new modern classics — the nation’s favourite 20th century novels - 2024 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- Powell's Essential List: 25 Essential Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books Isn't Enough: Our 25 Honorable Mentions - 2022 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The 100 Best Science Fiction Books of All Time - 2019 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- Entertainment Weekly's Top 100 Novels - 2013 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime - 2014 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 501 Must-Read Books - 2006 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The 100 Favorite Novels of Librarians - 1999 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 110 Best Books: The Perfect Library - 2008 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The Big Jubilee Read - 2022 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- From Zero to Well-Read in 100 Books - 2013 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The Most Significant SF & Fantasy Books of the Last 50 Years From 1953-2002 - 2003 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The Booklist Century: 100 Books, 100 Years - 2005 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The Books You've Always Meant to Read - 2020 (Weight: 1)