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This book has taught me more about life than Druzzt Berloa's "17 ways to have a ridiculous amount of fun in the Universe" (purchased in a little shop on Eroticon VI - 12 of them don't work, by the way). Sometimes I catch myself answering some of the more unnecessary questions I come across day by day by just saying "42" and enjoying the puzzled expression on people's faces. I've not come as far as to keep a towel close at hand at all times, but this book definitely had an impact on my life. Almost everyday I come across situations that remind me of the "Guide" or make me wish a Vogon would take care of the person I'm dealing with. I've read the German edition of the trilogy about 10 times, but now, after going through the original edition in about 2 days, I realized that I've been missing a whole lot of fun. Even though the German translation is funny enough to make me stop reading from time to time because I'm laughing so hard, it can't keep up with the English version. Even "Mostly harmless", that I thought was the weakest part of the series, was stunningly funny in the original. This is a must-have edition for all froods.

Da dieser Sammelband ein englischsprachiges Original ist sollte man vor allem ansatzweise oder besser noch gute Englischkenntnisse besitzen, um der Geschichte auch folgen zu können.Die Per Anhalter durch die Galaxis-Reihe ist bereits heute Kult und "die klassische Science-Fiction-Comedy-Odysee". Da Bücher in Orginalsprache ohnehin meistens sprachlich und geschichtlich besser aufgebaut sind kann ich diesen Sammelband, der alle 5 Bücher der Reihe enthält, nur empfehlen. Zu berücksichtigen ist auch dass die Bücher im Einzelnen schon fast die Hälfte dieses Bandes kosten und alle zusammen die Geldbörse mehr als doppelt so stark belasten.Wer man also am Original interssiert ist, gerne Geld sparen möchte und ohnehin sein Englisch aufpolieren möchte sollte hier zugreifen.

Douglas Adams is possibly the funniest author I've read. His "Guide" is a wacky, crazy, hilarious tale of a totally clueless human's (Arthur Dent) travels in the big bad galaxy out there. Arthur, like millions of other humans, is totally ignorant about the Universe. Indeed, until the day the Earth is demolished (to make way for a hyperspace bypass!), he doesnt even know that his close friend Ford Prefect belongs to another planet - and is a researcher for the hugely successful book The Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy. But Ford & Arthur escape from Earth, and set out on a journey of a lifetime, spanning 5 novels so far, where time and space are equally trivial barriers that can be crossed at a leap. Along the way, Arthur finds out a lot he didnt know, and lots more than he ever wanted to know, from hitching rides on passing space ships and teaching their computers to make tea, to the real history of his planet and the knowledge that his is the third most intelligent species on earth(and not, as was widely believed, the second) He also grapples with scientific concepts way beyond his grasp like the Infinite Improbability drive, Somebody Else's Problem field, discontinuities along the probability axis, not to mention the End of the Universe(the universe's most spectacular & profitable catering venture) Douglas Adams serves up one wacky idea after another, a universe wildly beyond our imagination, yet very familiar in its core values of crass commercialization and tasteless marketing hype. The reader is hurled through a series of increasingly improbable events, all held together by equally crazy characters and brilliant, witty(and ofcourse crazy) dialogs. So if I'm raving so much about the book, why do I give it only 4 stars? Because, like all artists, Adams has his highs & his lows, both of which are present in this collection. I would wholeheartedly recommend the first two novels - Hitchikers guide & Restaurant at the end of the universe. But coming after them, Life, the Universe & Everything is somewhat of a letdown, and So Long & Thanks for all the Fish even more so. Mostly Harmless is better, but still doesnt meet the standards set by the first two. All in all, this book is a collectors item for Adams fans - and I dont regret buying it. But for those just starting out on Adams, I'd recommend they try individual copies of the first two novels.

There is a reason, why this book is so remarkable cheap. First it comes out of the publishing coporation of random house (bertelsman) - British book, reimported from the US. Second it s written in large friendly letters. But to find the words "Don't panic" you have to actually look inside the book (It is really worth it!).

Third it is slightly inaccurate, still claiming DNA dwells somewhere between London and France. He is very busy for being dead. Maybe he just did it out of tax reasons.

The book contains almost every story which has to do with the famed Hitchhiker's Guide. Almost because, the radio-scripts are missing. But otherwise, the Trilogy contains all five books, plus an extra story.

To be brief, I recommend this book to anyone who want's to get the whole story at once. You might not like the last book, but hey, didn't Agrajag warn you?

The first books are still funny and you might get a deeper understanding of modern culture. Like IBMs first chess computer batteling Kasparow or altavistas translating engine and some hidden cross-reference in "Total Recall" (starring the Gouvernator) but this is Someone Else's Problem entirely.

Zugegeben, das Buch ist ein bißchen abschreckend. Dick und schwer, nicht gerade das Richtige für die U-Bahn oder den Strandkorb. Aber dafür ist der Inhalt genial.

Allein schon das Vorwort, in dem der leider viel zu früh verstorbene Douglas Adams mit dem für ihn üblichen Humor beschreibt, wie ihm die Idee zum Hitchhiker kam... natürlich in Wien, wo auch sonst ;-)

Zu den Büchern insgesamt ist zu sagen, dass zwar nicht alle durchgängig das Niveau von "The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy" haben, aber sie gehören sicher zu dem Besten, was im Bereich Funny-Science-Fiction je geschrieben wurde. Auch für geeignet für Leser, die es sonst nicht so mit Science-Fiction haben.