What: I'm sure many of you can see why this had to be Rec. #42. (If you can, you really don't need me to say anything else. If you can't, read on. Well, read on either way.) Over a span of thirty years, the adventures of Arthur Dent, Trillian, Ford Prefect, Zaphod Beeblebrox, and Marvin have been, among other things, a radio play, a five-book "trilogy," a television series, a computer game, a movie, a comic book series, and a few stage shows. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is the first book, wherein Arthur Dent leaves Earth for the first time and learns the meaning of life.
Comparable to: The series appeals to several different types of nerdom: Anglophile/British intellectual nerdom (all Arthur Dent really wants is a proper cup of tea, one "action" sequence involves torture via bad poetry); science fiction nerdom (space, robots, aliens); retro-chic nerdom (it started as a radio play!); pop culture trivia nerdom (many, many inside jokes); and computer nerdom (Douglas Adams was an early adopter of Macs, the "Guide" of the title is basically an iPad).
Representative quote: "Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so."
You might not like it if: You avoid most forms of nerdom, as a general rule.
How to get it: The book is available in so many ways ("ultimate" edition, 25th anniversary edition, deluxe edition, etc.) that it's amazing someone hasn't dropped off a special edition at your door while you've been reading this. Actually, maybe they have. You'd better check.
Connection to previous Wreckage: The Salmon of Doubt, a posthumous collection of work by Douglas Adams, was Rec. #4.
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