Pan Macmillan reissuing Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy for its 42nd anniversary

Pan Macmillan and Curtis Brown are marking the 42nd anniversary of Douglas Adams’ sci-fi classic The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – a special milestone for the series – by reissuing the novels and radio scripts with new covers, introductions and bonus material from the author’s archives.

In the series, the number 42 is revered as the answer to “ultimate question of life, the universe and everything”. March 2020 marks the 42nd anniversary of The Hitchhiker‚Äôs Guide to the Galaxy radio play‚Äôs first transmission on BBC Radio 4, credited as “launching a cult phenomenon.”

“It's an ordinary Thursday lunchtime for Arthur Dent until his house gets demolished. The Earth follows shortly afterwards to make way for a new hyperspace express route and his best friend has just announced that he's an alien. At this moment, they're hurtling through space with nothing but their towels and an innocuous-looking book inscribed, in large friendly letters, with the words: don't panic,” reads the synopsis.

Publishing on 5th March, the paperback (£8.99) e-book and audio reissues include all five novels: The Hitchhiker‚Äôs Guide to the Galaxy, introduced by former "Doctor Who" showrunner Russell T Davies; The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, introduced by "Monty Python" star Terry Jones; Life the Universe and Everything, introduced by Simon Brett, producer of the original radio broadcast; So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish, introduced by Neil Gaiman; and Mostly Harmless, introduced by Dirk Maggs, director and co-producer of the original radio series.

Joining the line-up is a reissue of The Original Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Radio Scripts containing a new introduction by Simon Jones, who played the main character Arthur Dent, as well as the original introductions by producer Geoffrey Perkins and Douglas Adams. The collection also includes the previously "lost" Hitchhiker script from the 25th anniversary edition, Sheila‚Äôs Ear, priced at £14.99.

Adams created many adaptations of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy novels for TV, stage and radio as well as a comic, film and computer game. He is also the author of the Dirk Gently novels: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, The Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul, and Last Chance to See, along with the unfinished The Salmon of Doubt (all most recently published by Pan Macmillan). The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy radio play is currently being re-broadcast on Radio 4 in weekly episodes. The book is a World Book Night title on 23rd Apirl and free copies will be available in paperback and audio.