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 123rd greatest book of all time
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Total Points: 2242
This book was first published in 1979
50 Lists
- score: 190 -- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die - 2006 (Weight: 180)
- score: 180 -- 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: 150 -- 50 Best Cult Books - 2016 (Weight: 142)
- score: 148 -- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read - 2009 (Weight: 140)
- score: 140 -- Big Read (Bulgarian) - 2009 (Weight: 120)
- score: 137 -- Five Books to Read on a Desert Island - 1983 (Weight: 137)
- score: 125 -- The 75 Best Books of the Past 75 Years - 2016 (Weight: 118)
- score: 110 -- Big Read (Hungarian) - 2005 (Weight: 110)
- score: 100 -- As if You Don't Have Enough to Read, Fiction Edition - 2011 (Weight: 100)
- score: 85 -- The Big Read - 2003 (Weight: 70)
- score: 80 -- Radcliffe's 100 Best Novels - 1998 (Weight: 80)
- score: 72 -- America’s 100 Favorite Books - 2024 (Weight: 70)
- score: 71 -- My Favourite Book - Australian Big Read - 2004 (Weight: 60)
- score: 70 -- The Great American Read - 2018 (Weight: 70)
- score: 66 -- Best Beach Reads Of All Time - 2025 (Weight: 63)
- score: 63 -- Our Users' Top 100 Favorite Books of All Time - 2024 (Weight: 60)
- score: 63 -- "Our Readable Century", The Best Books of the 20th Century -- Honorable Mention - 2000 (Weight: 60)
- score: 63 -- Big Read (German) - 2004 (Weight: 60)
- score: 44 -- Waterstone's Books of the Century - 1997 (Weight: 40)
- score: 44 -- Top 100 Books, As Chosen By Canadians - 2005 (Weight: 40)
- score: 42 -- 150 Great Reads - 1988 (Weight: 40)
- score: 34 -- Harvard Book Store Staff's Favorite 100 Books - 2011 (Weight: 33)
- score: 30 -- The Modern Library's 100 Best Novels: The Readers' List - 1998 (Weight: 30)
- score: 28 -- A Hundred Novels to Change Your Life - 2019 (Weight: 28)
- score: 26 -- 50 Books to Read Before You Die - 2012 (Weight: 26)
- score: 12 -- Top 100 Science-Fiction, Fantasy Books - 2011 (Weight: 10)
- score: 10 -- 25 Books to Read Before You Die - 2023 (Weight: 10)
- score: 10 -- 100 Main Fantasy and Science-Fiction Books - 2008 (Weight: 10)
- score: 10 -- The Telegraph’s 100 Novels Everyone Should Read - 2009 (Weight: 10)
- score: 6 -- 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 -- Powell's Essential List: 25 Essential Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books Isn't Enough: Our 25 Honorable Mentions - 2022 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime - 2014 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The Books You've Always Meant to Read - 2020 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 501 Must-Read Books - 2006 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The 100 Best Science Fiction Books of All Time - 2019 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List - 2018 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 50 Sci-Fi/Fantasy Novels That Everyone Should Read - 2013 (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 Booklist Century: 100 Books, 100 Years - 2005 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 500 Must Read Books - 2013 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The 25 Best Science-Fiction Books of All Time - 2020 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The Most Significant SF & Fantasy Books of the Last 50 Years From 1953-2002 - 2003 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The Complete 500: OCLC - 2024 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The new modern classics — the nation’s favourite 20th century novels - 2024 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- Entertainment Weekly's Top 100 Novels - 2013 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The 100 Favorite Novels of Librarians - 1999 (Weight: 1)