What is the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy book about?

Question

Before i read it i want to know if it is a good book. So can somebody tell me a good summary about it?

Answer 1

Yeah, it is about an unhappy man named Arthur whose best friend Ford saves him from the destruction of Planet Earth. Ford happens to work for an electronic field guide to the galaxy, the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy. The duo is captured by Vogons, monsters who are positively miserable and eject Arthur and Ford into outer space. Fortunately they are rescued by the renegade President of the Galaxy, Zaphod, and his girlfriend Trillian, who Arthur once tried to pick up at a party on Planet Earth. The four space heroes find their way to the legendary planet Magrathea, which is a long lost planet responsible for making entire worlds. There they learn the true purpose of Planet Earth. It is determined that Arthur, as the last human to be on Earth up until its destruction, has encoded in his brain the pattern which will resolve the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and everything. He escapes narrowly from losing his head and having heard the revelation of the number 42 returns to outer space and the promise of untold adventures!

Answer 2

It's almost impossible to summarize but here's what amazon says:

Join Douglas Adams's hapless hero Arthur Dent as he travels the galaxy with his intrepid pal Ford Prefect, getting into horrible messes and generally wreaking hilarious havoc. Dent is grabbed from Earth moments before a cosmic construction team obliterates the planet to build a freeway. You'll never read funnier science fiction; Adams is a master of intelligent satire, barbed wit, and comedic dialogue. The Hitchhiker's Guide is rich in comedic detail and thought-provoking situations and stands up to multiple reads. Required reading for science fiction fans, this book (and its follow-ups) is also sure to please fans of Monty Python, Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, and British sitcoms.


You really need a mind for the bizarre and an appreciation of British humor for this book!
Happy Reading!

Answer 3

It's about this average Joe named Arthur Dent who is rescued by a galactic hitchhiker when Earth is blown up. Generally, he has no clue what's going on and gets through situations on sheer luck. He meets up with out-to-lunch galactic President Zaphrod Beeblebrox, who is looking for something he can't even remember what, a girl he used to know who ran off with Zaphrod, and a depressed Android. It's a sci-fi comedy in which nothing is safe from being poked fun at, including the meaning of life.

Answer 4

Hilariously clever. Mr Adams' sci-fi comedy is not only about the adventures of Arthur Dent, who invariably has both his house and his home planet of Earth destroyed on the same day, to make way for bypasses (local and extraterrestrial), it is also a parody of human beings and the universe in general. Enjoy. But never allow a Vogon to read poetry to you. And by the way, the meaning of life, the universe and everything is 42.

Answer 5

It's about where the earth comes from, the meaning of life, a manically depressed robot, and you find that humans are really the third most intellegent beings on the earth. All this is discovered by a man who inadvertantly gets picked up by a Volgon destroyer whilst he's trying to save his house from being demolished for an expressway...

Great book- I enjoyed it!

Answer 6

A book. For hitchhiking. In the Galaxy.

Answer 7

It's about a guy who takes galactic and unbelievable time travels with his friend, who although he hadn't know it, turns out to be an alien. He learns a much different life perspective and has zany adventures along the way.

Answer 8

The series is a lighthearted look at religion, philosophy and the meaning of life. The books are irreverent, zany and often hilarious. I recommend them highly.