Rating: 
Summary: fantastic
Review: It was the book that got me hooked on Douglas adam. I couldn't put the book down, it is full of adam's dry and witty humor. The whole series was a great read but this by far took the cake. The book itself, in my opinion, is for the nerdy fun guy who loves a great laugh. the book is very well put together. Adam ties every little miniscule detail together making it a delightful read when you find out what was really going on.
The whole story (of all 5 books) is based on a woman who finds out an answer to everything but is blown up with the rest of the world before she could tell anyone. It does not actually get to her until the third book which is an example of Douglas adam's "randomness". Besides the woman it is based on 4 people trillin, ford perfect, Zaphod, Arthur dent and Marvin the chronically depressed robot. Each charter is unique and has almost a part of adam in them.
This book was a delightful read and I give it 2 thumbs up (three if I had a third one). I highly suggest if you read only read one book this year read this one.
Andy
Rating:
Summary: this is the greatist book i have ever read
Review: omg this is a great book i love it.infact if it were a girl i would marry her.
Rating:
Summary: Ineffable
Review: Outstanding books. Just do not start reading them if you have a research paper due. You can eaisly read a book a day. Do not buy if you take this planet too seriously and have no sense of humor.
Rating: 
Summary: Cosmic comedy
Review: Part humor, part science fiction and part philosophy; that's how I'd sum up the Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy. There are five novels in this collection with a 'bonus' story which is a really a waste of space. I liked the first three stories the best as these were pretty funny. Adam's humor is similar to Terry Pratchett's (Don't read Pratchett) and having read Pratchett at a much earlier age I could appreciate the weird twists and turns and the countless non-sequiturs. It's the kind of book you'd enjoy if you're used to the type of Monty Python humor. Douglas manages to poke fun at nearly all the professions on earth, and he never lets up in his 'attacks' against the church, most noticable in the last book 'Mostly Harmless'.If you are looking for logical connections between the books, you may be disappointed as these stories seem to develop on their own, with explanations of unexpected twists and turns provided as the book proceeds. Along the way though, Adam's does provide some interesting food for thought about our place in the universe, and about the nature of the universe(s) themselves. His classic thinking-outside-of-the-square style shows when he describes the difficulties faced when dealing with the grammar of time travel. The tone of the last book 'Mostly Harmless' was a bit too serious for my liking, especially after some of the sidesplittingly funny lines in the earlier books. He really did bring the book down to Earth on the last one. All in all, not a bad effort, though as a Christian I had to constantly remind myself that his attacks on religion were his views alone. Even though it's a comedy, this book made me realize the enormity of the universe and our own insignificance in it. Read this book, if you like out of this world comedy.
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious - you will love it or hate it
Review: Silliness abounds in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which as it turns out is not a guide book for hitchhikers beyond the general advice and rational behind always bringing a towel. Frequently the silliness is true to life in that it is tied to burocracy (The sequel to the Hithchhiker's Guide computer game was titled Burocracy.) and the oddities in modern life. The story starts as Arthur Dent, a normal English man, wakes up one morning to find bulldozers outside his house. His house had been scheduled for demolition for several months and he hadn't realized since the plans were posted at the county office. A few chapters later we find that the entire Earth has similarly been scheduled for demolition by aliens who wish to install an interstellar expressway. So Arthur with no house and soon no planet is taken to outer space by his friend Ford Prefect, who it turns out was an alien. What follows is travel through outer space which turns out to be as absurd as earth. Irony abounds.
The book was adapted from a radio show and this yields some awkward results. The pacing is very ADD. Seasons of radio went into the book, so originally this would have been spread out over a longer period of time. However the going stays coherent and jokes are fit to plot not the other way round as can happen.
This particular edition contains the original books in the series (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, Life the Universe and Everything, and So Long and Thanks for All the Fish) short story Young Zaphod Plays it Safe and Mostly Harmless, a sequel that many fans don't like so much.
This is something that you will love or hate. I loved it and I think it would be worth trying out. In this case though, if you have never read any of these books before, it is better to buy just The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. This way you can see if they are your thing and then decide. Of course if you are a fan then this is a good deal because you have all you books in the series plus the short story.
Rating:
Summary: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Review: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy did not entertain me the way I would have hoped. While reading this piece of science fiction by Douglas Adams, all I thought was "I wonder what's on TV?" Personally, I prefer non-fiction novels, so I was not used to the different style of literature.
Even though I felt as though I was wasting my time reading this novel, I did find some pages of it quite interesting. I am more of a science and math kind of person, so the fact that the story was based on the many questions scientists have today (Are there other living beings other than humans? What comes after space? Are humans being controlled by others?) I found it somewhat intriguing.
I liked the lack of unnecessary detail, which many authors ramble on about and distract the reader. Instead, Adams attempted to keep the reader's attention by keeping the story moving. Combined with the unique characters, humans and aliens alike, and the extraordinary adventure through the galaxy, in addition to some mild humor, this novel was not totally unbearable.
Rating:
Summary: There is only one Douglas Adams... And this book shows it.
Review: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is most likely one of the most liked and respected series of all time. It is too hard to explain the vastness of the galaxy, but Douglas Adams can do it. The English humor in this science fiction comedy book, is laugh-out-loud funny. That is, if you get it, and some do not. The series is inexplicably genious. THe series is about the unfortunate events of planet earth and the events afterward, centering around two British characters: Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect. It begins on a Thursday... and with a house. Basically, aliens in big, yellow spaceships come and destroy earth. Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect escape just in time to avoid being decimated with it. Their escapades through Magrathea, Earth, Krikket, and the Resturaunt at the End of the Universe can be very serious at times, but come out being awfully humorous. No one will ever replace Douglas Adams. Reccomendation: ANYONE. The book is worth the money Amazon.com is asking for. So, all in all, I give it a 5 out of 5. People who do not like science fiction will love this book, along with the people who love science fiction. Douglas Adam's humor is universal. I know all who buy the book will enjoy it to no end.
Rating:
Summary: Mostly Harmless
Review: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is one of those rare finds that makes me wonder why I wasted so much time living without having read it. It fits with all my sensibilities. The droll humour not unlike the antics of the Monty Python chaps. The carefree attitude about the vastness of the universe and our seemingly hopeless position in it. The book, simply put, makes me smile a whole lot. And if you have a fondness for tea and a dislike for obscenely cheery electronic doors, I'm willing to bet it will make you smile too.
Rating: 
Summary: Overall a good read...
Review: The Hitchhiker's Series is a great series, despite it's flaws. My favorite book had to be "So Long", even though my favorite character is Zaphod. The actual Zaphod story is pointless, and the ending of "Mostly Harmless" disappoints.
Rating:
Summary: Exuberant fun
Review: The universe that Douglas Adams creates for us gives the impression of being absurdly vast, yet there is a sense of familiarity throughout most of Arthur Dent's encounters, almost as though he's done it all before. In fact, time loops and wormholes are peppered throughout the five books. Arthur's world is turned on its head in the very first pages of the first book, and he never really recovers. He has no business being off Earth, and he always seems to be off on somebody else's adventure. Even when he returns to Earth, he's a foreigner. Homesickness pervades the five books and adds a unique dimension. Its counterpoint is the comedy, which is at times very sharp, very absurd, and almost always hilarious, particularly the idea of the restaurant at the end of the universe, where people go for a nice evening's apocalypse. Also there is the history of the Earth and its purpose, which constitutes the basic plot, although Adams is very digressive. Best of all are the two great Borgesian touches--the Heart of Gold, a spaceship which--much like Borges' Aleph--allows its crew to pass through every point in the universe simultaenously. And the Hitchhiker's Guide itself, for which agents are dispatched across the galaxy to gather information on every subject, imaginable and unimaginable. Like the world wide web it foreshadows, the Guide is sometimes indispensible, and sometimes highly unreliable.
And the characters--Could there be a greater comic invention in science fiction than a two-headed egomaniac who helps concoct a plan so secret that he must erase it out of his conscious memory and trust that his subconscious will somehow manifest it?
This is great storytelling, particularly the first two books, but it's great to have all of them in one volume.
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