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Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy: The Filming of the Douglas Adams classic

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- Cast includes Sam Rockwell as Zaphod, Mos Def as Ford Prefect, Martin Freeman as Arthur, Bill Nighy as Slartibartfast and John Malkovich as Humma Kavula, a new character created by Adams for the movie.
- Jim Henson's Creature Workshop adds refreshing mix of CGI technology, state of the art puppeteering, and animation.
- Hammer & Tongs--Garth Jennings and Nick Goldsmith, the film's director and producer--is the company behind some of the most memorable music videos of recent times, including Fatboy Slim and Coffee & TV.
- Adams' close personal friend and executive producer Robbie Stamp had exclusive access to all aspects of the production. As the book's editor, he includes rare interviews and materials--storyboards, sketches, never-before-seen artwork--about the making of The Heart of Gold, The Vogons, and the Guide itself.
- Includes chapters on Earth, The Cast, The Vogons, The Heart of Gold, Vogon Command Headquarters, Viltvodle 6, Vogsphere, Magrathea, and Earth II.
A must-have companion to the film, this is the book old and new fans of Hitchhiker's have been waiting for.

184 pages, Hardcover

First published April 22, 2005

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Robbie Stamp

7 books2 followers

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5 stars
2,067 (60%)
4 stars
839 (24%)
3 stars
371 (10%)
2 stars
82 (2%)
1 star
55 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
Profile Image for Diana Ishaqat.
181 reviews1 follower
Read
November 4, 2023
Cannot really rate this book because with the exception of some instances I found on point, I struggled to follow; but that’s just me and I’m not necessarily a science fiction person. I did think it was worth knowing what a book with its impact was about.
13 reviews
Read
December 4, 2022
Not suitable for two non-native English speakers reading it out loud to each other.

Otherwise maybe a good but slightly annoying book.
33 reviews
December 13, 2025
December book club:

This was an interesting read. I liked the first half a lot more than the second half. Adams’ humour was very quirky. First half was a 4/5 but the second-half randomness brought it down. I’d give it a 3.25 overall ranking.
58 reviews1 follower
January 2, 2024
Bit late to the game with this book, but I friggin loved it. Hilarious and so smart, I was obsessed. The perfect sci-f. Special shout out to the super smart world-ruling mice
Profile Image for eilost.
47 reviews2 followers
May 6, 2025
Arthur reminds me of Bilbo, I said, listening to the first chapters. Martin Freeman should be his actor, I said, not knowing Martin Freeman is, in fact, his actor.
7 reviews2 followers
April 9, 2017
I thought this book was alright it din't really make scene at times but it was pretty funny. It takes place on earth in the UK and is about the ends of the earth and a journey around the galaxy. The main character is a human from earth named Arthur Dent and his friend named Ford Perfect who terns out to be an alien who safes Arthur from the destruction of earth.
Profile Image for Arabella Everitt.
32 reviews
January 30, 2023
4.5; i rlly enjoyed the absurdity of this book, however it is very niche so i don’t know if I would recommend it to everyone
Profile Image for Tina.
276 reviews
February 2, 2017
To clarify, this book is NOT "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams. It is a book about the filming of the 2005 movie, "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." Fascinating details about the film's production include the design of the Heart of Gold, costuming, set design, Vogon culture, and stories about the dolphins from the film's popular (and musical!) opening scene. I would never have realized how much detailed work goes into the creation of a film!
Profile Image for Gregory Smith.
11 reviews
July 23, 2017
I tried to finish but couldn't. A great concept with moments of absurd humor that put our sense of self-importance in an infinite universe into its place. But perhaps it achieves its end too well--yoiu are left with the feeling, "this is all meaningless."
Profile Image for Cristina.
1,008 reviews4 followers
December 29, 2019
I decided to listen to the audiotape of this book and BBC did a wonderful job in that regard. However, it was such a weird story and I am assuming many drugs were ingested when this book was written.
2 reviews
December 13, 2019
Arthur Dent lives in his small house that is about to be replaced with a bypass. He is trying to stop them from doing this. But his best friend ford prefect takes him to the pub and tells him to relax. Arthur can't relax about everything that has been going on in his life so far. His life will keep changing before his very eyes.

This book is fictional most things that happen won't really happen in real life. It uses a lot of british humor. The book is super funny and something I found myself stuck it. This book is something you will get stuck in because it always has something funny and new every chapter.

I really love this book, it is super funny and is great for anyone. It's a little slow in the beginning but then you get to the middle and it just keeps getting better from there. I read this book every other day and each chapter always knew how to surprise me. Douglas Adams really knew what he was doing when he wrote every part of his book.
358 reviews2 followers
May 7, 2023
Pretty out there. Funny in a very British sense (reminded me of red dwarf episodes) and stays true to the genre of ultimately highlighting one’s / human race insignificance in the grand scheme.

Maybe a little too out there at times hence not the fifth star. Not essential reading but definitely time well spent
Profile Image for Anouk Cheyne.
12 reviews
February 9, 2025
This book is so funny, so random and so wierdly profound. It feels incredibly English. I would reccomend it if you like English comedys, but not if you want an actual plot structure with characters to be invested in.
I love Marvin with all my heart, and I hate how Trisha got whitewashed in the film.
Rest in Peace Douglas Adams
Profile Image for Dave Asper.
11 reviews
October 6, 2023
This book brought me into the genre and I'm forever grateful for it. Love a good sci-fi humor based book and really wish there were more out there! Adams created an instant classic that spans the test of time.
Profile Image for Kristen Ransom.
58 reviews1 follower
March 23, 2024
Read this after watching the film, a peculiar writing style from someone with a vivid imagination. If you've seen and enjoyed the movie, it does well at encaputiring the charm and quirkiness of this book.
20 reviews
November 15, 2025
Read this as a teenager and felt it was mildly amusing, a bit absurd, but primarily served the purpose as a quick, light read.

Reread it as an adult and it's soooo much funnier. Absurdist humor at it's best.

Note for me - Have my son read it at 16/17yo+ so he can fully appreciate it.
Profile Image for Elia Flores Lastra.
65 reviews
May 19, 2017
One of the funniest books I have ever read. I can't wait to read the 2nd book, and i hope it is as good and witty as this!
16 reviews
February 29, 2020
Fun read. Slow moving at first, but then hilarious and quirky. I appreciated it much more after seeing the film.
Profile Image for Bea Thompson-Gleave.
2 reviews
September 22, 2021
Great book. Sadly, I had already watched the film before reading the book, so I already knew what it was about. That aside, the book was comical, and magically written.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews

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