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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
by Adams, Douglas
- Used
- near fine
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Near Fine/Good
- ISBN 10
- 0517542099
- ISBN 13
- 9780517542095
- Seller
-
Albany, California, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: Harmony Books, 1980. First US Edition/First Printing. Hardcover. Near Fine/Good. Stated First American Edition with full number line 10-1. In blue boards with magenta spine cloth and blue foil type. Top rear corner dinged and a couple tiny dings to top of rear board as well. Small felt marker dot to top page ends, otherwise clean with tight binding Jacket is unclipped ($6.95) with a couple short tears and associated nicks and micro chips to top of front panel. Light wear to spine ends with a couple micro chips to heel as well. Small and faint yellowspot stain to front panel and some shallow scratches to rear panel.
Synopsis
" IRRESISTIBLE! " -- The Boston Globe: Seconds before the Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised edition of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy who, for the last fifteen years, has been posing as an out-of-work actor.Together this dynamic pair begin a journey through space aided by quotes from The Hitchhiker's Guide ("A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have") and a galaxy-full of fellow travelers: Zaphod Beeblebrox--the two-headed, three-armed ex-hippie and totally out-to-lunch president of the galaxy; Trillian, Zaphod's girlfriend (formally Tricia McMillan), whom Arthur tried to pick up at a cocktail party once upon a time zone; Marvin, a paranoid, brilliant, and chronically depressed robot; Veet Voojagig, a former graduate student who is obsessed with the disappearance of all the ballpoint pens he bought over the years. Where are these pens? Why are we born? Why do we die? Why do we spend so much time between wearing digital watches? For all the answers stick your thumb to the stars. And don't forget to bring a towel!"[A] WHIMSICAL ODYSSEY...Characters frolic through the galaxy with infectious joy."--Publishers WeeklyFrom the Paperback edition. - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy aired for the first time at 10:30pm on Wednesday, 8th March 1978 on the BBC as a radio comedy. The radio show's popularity spawned books, a televisions series, several stage plays, a computer game and feature films. The novel adaptation of Adam's radio series is a misnamed “Trilogy” of six books, five written by Douglas Adams – that sold more than 15 millions copies in his lifetime - and a sixth by Eoin Colfer. At the release of the fourth book the series was named "trilogy in four parts," and the US edition of the fifth book was originally released with the legend "The fifth book in the increasingly inaccurately named Hitchhiker's Trilogy" on the cover. Subsequent re-releases of the other novels bore the legend "The [first, second, third, fourth] book in the increasingly inaccurately named Hitchhiker's Trilogy". In addition, the blurb on the fifth book describes it as "the book that gives a whole new meaning to the word 'trilogy'" Before his death from a heart attack on May 11, 2001, Adams was considering writing a sixth novel in the Hitchhiker's series. Eoin Colfer, an Irish writer of Children's Books, most famous for his Artemis Fowl series, wrote the sixth book in the Hitchhiker's series in 2008–09. Books in the Series (Trilogy) are as follows: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy The Restaurant at the End of the Universe Life, the Universe and Everything So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish Mostly Harmless And Another Thing... Two omnibus editions were created by Douglas Adams to combine the Hitchhiker series novels and to "set the record straight". The stories came in so many different formats that Adams stated that every time he told it he would contradict himself. Therefore, he stated in the introduction of The More Than Complete Hitchhiker's Guide that "anything I put down wrong here is, as far as I'm concerned, wrong for good." The two omnibus editions were The More Than Complete Hitchhiker's Guide, Complete and Unabridged (published in 1987) and The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide, Complete and Unabridged (published in 1997). Inspired in part by Ken Walsh's Hitch-hiker's Guide to Europe published in 1971, which stresses the importance of towels to the travelling hitch-hiker, an important article to the Hitchhiker's in Adam's galaxy as well. When Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster was launched into space on the maiden flight of the Falcon Heavy rocket in February 2018, it had the words DON'T PANIC on the dashboard display and carried amongst other items a copy of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and a towel.
Read More: Identifying first editions of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
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Details
- Bookseller
- Lost Paddle Books, IOBA
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- LPB007463DA
- Title
- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
- Author
- Adams, Douglas
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Near Fine
- Jacket Condition
- Good
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First US Edition/First Printing
- ISBN 10
- 0517542099
- ISBN 13
- 9780517542095
- Publisher
- Harmony Books
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 1980
- Bookseller catalogs
- Science Fiction;
Terms of Sale
Lost Paddle Books, IOBA
Books are unique in their ability to encompass lives, from the lives of their authors, to the characters or subjects they portray. They even have the capacity to take on a life of their own as they pass among us acquiring stories, artifacts and scars along the way. As such, they deserve to be treated with respect. We use only premium packaging materials and every attempt is made to be as accurate as possible in our listings. All books are supplied in protective mylar sleeves if applicable and additional photos are available on request for books offered at $50 at owner's discretion. If the book is not received as described, a return in like condition may be made within 14 days for a full refund. For CA residents: Sales tax will be processed as an additional charge. Please note that shipping rates are for an average sized book, supplemental shipping may apply if the book is heavy and/or oversize, or if there are multiple books in a shipment. Gift wrapping available upon request. PLEASE NOTE: Orders are still shipping quickly, but because of delays with the postal service due to the pandemic, please expect additional time to receive your book(s). Thank you.
About the Seller
Lost Paddle Books, IOBA
Biblio member since 2018
Albany, California
About Lost Paddle Books, IOBA
Founded by an avid collector with 30+ years experience in all facets of the book trade from bookselling and library science to publishing. We believe that books can lead to greater empathy and understanding in the world helping us open ourselves to other lives and experiences.
Additional services offered include appraisals for Bay Area residents and collection development for private individuals and institutions.
Additional services offered include appraisals for Bay Area residents and collection development for private individuals and institutions.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- Number Line
- A series of numbers appearing on the copyright page of a book, where the lowest number generally indicates the printing of that...
- Tight
- Used to mean that the binding of a book has not been overly loosened by frequent use.
- Heel
- The lower most portion of the spine when the book is standing vertically.
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
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