Douglas Adams is a very funny guy. He wrote for Monty Python for a while, and you can tell as you read The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy This book has so many layers of humor, I get more out of it every time I read it. Kind of like a Python movie. While utterly ridiculus, the book actually does have good plot progression and character development. Be forewarned this is "smart people humor". This probably explains the rather poor box office performance of the movie adaptation of the first book in the series. Too many dummies out there, who can't understand the jokes! But back to the book. It is the story of Arthur Dent, the only surviving member of the human race. It begins with the destruction of Arhtur's house and subsequently planet earth(which explains Arthur's sole survivor status), chronicles his adventures through the galaxy and culminates with Earth Mark 2 being put in to replace the original earth(turns out the ultimate question wasn't quite ready when Earth Mark 1 was destroyed) I highly reccommend this to anyone who wants a light hearted, genuinely funny book. Or to those who love the books, this book is of the highest quality, and will last for years(and many readings).

I'll admit that I'm one of those who watched the movie first (and loved it) then went out and bought the book. Rather than just read one book at a time, I went out and bought the deluxe edition that contained not just the five novels, but the short story about Zaphod as well. I must say that I really enjoyed this series. I'm not normally a fan of science fiction, but the combination of sci-fi and comedy made this enjoyable for me. I went through thisbook in a week's time. Douglas Adams's narrative style resembles that of many classical writers of old. It was great to follow the journey of Arthur Dent and his companions as they traveled through space and time.

If you like space balls or any other sci-fi comedy, you'll love this book, it's written in a mild british humor way, which isnt a bad thing, the book it self is a nice piece too

Plenty of all three abound in this collection of stories from a man who had a fantastic grasp on reality as we wish it wasn't. If you can't laugh at his works then your sense of humor is truly pushing up daisies.... possibly buried next to your IQ.

I have not been a long term fan of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, or even Douglas Adams, although I am familiar with the work and general history of both. I bought "The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide: Five Complete Novels and One Story" for entertaining reading and discussion with our grandchildren and to help them further develop reading skills and vocabulary. No, that's not true, I bought the book for myself because I read an excerpt and couldn't stop laughing, then I collected the grandkids who also never lost the smile on their faces while we took turns reading. At 800+ pages, there is enough material to last us for some time to come and it is working well as a space based science fiction video game replacement.

When the grandkids are at school, throwing a ball or crashing bicycles into their parents' cars parked in the driveway, the books still works for me as a great stress reliever after a long day of work and the often sobering reality of the news. Adams was an incredibly descriptive writter, an imagist without the poetry, although the cadence of his writting makes for very easy reading.

The physical quality of this release is excellent and has the appearance of a big story book, but not juvenile. The type size is easy for mature eyes and children who are concentrating to identify and pronounce words. The only problem is thinking what I will read when I have finished the stories.