MAkes me laugh every time I read it. A modern classic especially funny if you've seen the BBC shows.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is one of the greatest influences on me in my formative years. I'll talk about that more when I reread the novel series, but for now, let me focus on this book. If you've read the novels, this book (and the radio shows produced from these scripts) tell a story fairly different from the ones you might be used to in the novels. There are many similarities, but by the end of this book they're two different stories. It's a great read for any HHGTG completist.

It was great to read the origins of the books. A lot of this was in the books but I don't think all of it is.

Who doesn't love THHGTTG?

I expected these scripts to be exactly like the books, but was pleasantly surprised. I only read them to be a thorough Hitchhiker's Guide enthusiast, I did not expect to find new plots, characters, and yes, even Guide entries.
These are absolutely marvellous and hilarious beyond what the Geneva Convention would approve.

Insanely good!

I picked up a copy of The Original Hitchhiker Radio Scripts several months ago, about the same time I was re-listening to the show tapes. I finished reading thru this just in time for the movie.

Arthur Dent, an unremarkable human on an unremarkable planet in an unremarkable part of the galaxy, is swept up in a wholly remarkable adventure when his planet is destroyed to make way for an interstellar bypass. He is rescued by a writer for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy; they in turn are rescued by Zaphod Beeblebrox, President of the Galaxy who stole the ship Heart of Gold in order to search for a mythical planet. Things start getting complicated at this point.

Not only do the scripts replicate the radio shows, but some of the lines that were cut for time or other reasons have been restored. In addition, notes about each episode are included, as well as forewords by Adams and Geoffrey Perkins. Having first been introduced to the Hitchhiker universe via the novels, I found it quite interesting to see how the story evolved from this version to the novels, since a good chunk of the later episodes ended up in The Restaurant at the End of the Galaxy. If you're not used to reading scripts, sifting your way thru the directions can be a bit of a challenge at first, but worth the work.

Recommended to Adams fans, whether or not you already have the radio shows or not.

I'll be the first to admit that, having been born the better part of a decade after The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was first broadcast, my experience of the franchise was limited to (parts of) the first book, and the tremendously well-received (ahem) film adaptation. So it was a joy to read through these scripts.

Not without their flaws - the second season was an absolute mess, plot-wise, and Trillian was written out with almost no thought whatsoever. But no matter how ramshackle the plotting gets (and the footnotes make it clear that this was frequently down to the episodes being written at the very last minute), there's always a few big laughs in there - even in the stage directions.

I love this. It's fantastic to have the original radio scripts and be able to read them at any time. I have done so on many an ocassion. And I directed the Infinite Improbability Missle into Whale chase scene for a directing class because of this book. Huzzah! Um... Yeah, it's basically a must have if you want to have the perfect Hitchhiker's Guide Collection but it's not needed unless you're a superfan. And if you choose not to get a copy tell me where I can find another one. Just in case. Also, the best thing about this is the notes after every episode. The insight into the mind of Douglas Adams is often really funny and it's great to see his thoughts on what he was trying to get and what he was able to get.

It's different but if you like Doug than you'll like how it all got started.

Since I was first introduced to Hitchhiker's through the BBC miniseries (which follows the radio script faithfully, and even has most of the voice talent on as actors), I have far more pleasant nostalgia attached to the lo-fi, confusing, not-quite-logical journey of the radio serials than I do the polished and (mostly) coherent plots of the novels. This collection of the original scripts contains lines cut from the script, as well as notes on each episode by Douglas himself.

Some very interesting Hitchhiker's Guide ephemera - the original scripts to the original radio program. Included are many small sections and jokes which never made it onto the air, and lengthy footnotes detailing what went into the sound effects and the general making of the series. Great fun for any Douglas Adams fan.