Reading order
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy reading order
- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy1979
- The Restaurant at the End of the Universe1980
- Life, the Universe and Everything1982
- So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish1984
- Mostly Harmless1992
- And Another Thing...2009
1
2
3
4
5- 6 volumes
- Volumes
- 1979–2009
- Published
- about 25 h
- Reading time
- Completed
- Status
- Humour#3
- Genre
Quick answer
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Publication order
6 volumes1979–2009Completed
- Read Douglas Adams's five novels in publication order, from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1979).
- The sixth, And Another Thing...
- (2009), was written by Eoin Colfer after Adams's death — a continuation, not part of the original "trilogy in five parts".
A plan for the whole series
6 volumes, 1,465 pages, about 25 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 5 weeks.
Share of volume 1’s readers who reach the last volume. Chance of reaching the last volume: low
- Readers scored volume 2, “The Restaurant at the End of the Universe”, below its predecessor (8.2 after 8.6). If you slow down there, that is on the book, not on you.
Stages
2 stages, with 1 short book from outside the series between them. You finish around December 8, 2026, 4 days later than in one go.
- Short breakThe Fire Next Time · James Baldwin · 120 pp. · score 8.8
- Stage 211 h15 daysby December 8, 2026
- The end of the series
We count 1.1 min per page, the pace of an average novel reader. Faster? Move the slider.
Does the series hold up
Shape of the series: a drop at the end. The last scored volume (7.7) has the lowest score in the series.
Best volume: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (8.6, 6,138 ratings). Weakest: Mostly Harmless (7.7). The series is complete; you can read it start to finish with no waiting.
How this plan is calculated
The plan comes from the pages and ratings of each volume: we split the series into stages of about three weeks’ reading, size each break to the stage before it, and read the chance of finishing from how many readers rate the last volume compared with the first. How we work out the plan →
Every volume in order
Order checked by hand · Order and years: Wikidata (CC0). Spotted an error? Tell us. · Data updated October 29, 2026
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy books ranked, best to worst
- 1.The Hitchhiker's Guide to the GalaxyBook 1 · 19798.6
- 2.The Restaurant at the End of the UniverseBook 2 · 19808.2
- 3.Life, the Universe and EverythingBook 3 · 19828.1
- 4.So Long, and Thanks for All the FishBook 4 · 19848.0
- 5.Mostly HarmlessBook 5 · 19927.7
Frequently asked questions
Which Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy book is the best?
By reader score, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (8.6/10). The lowest-rated is Mostly Harmless (7.7/10).
Which The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy book is the longest?
“And Another Thing...” is the longest at 339 pages; the shortest is “So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish” with 204 pages.
What should I read after The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?
Other series by Douglas Adams: Dirk Gently series.
