On 12 October 1979 the most remarkable book ever to come out of the great publishing corporations of Ursa Minor (and Earth) was made available to humanity – The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Pan Macmillan is celebrating thirty years of planet-hopping comic genius with the publication of special editions of Douglas Adams' iconic books.

With new forewords from Russell T Davies, Terry Jones, Simon Brett, Neil Gaiman and Dirk Maggs, these editions are a must-have for Hitchhiker readers. Turn to the back of

each book to find exclusive material from the Pan Macmillan archives, such as original synopses, press releases, photographs and letters from Douglas to his publisher. Whether you’re a seasoned Hitchhiker fan or experiencing Arthur Dent’s intergalactic adventures for the first time you’ll love the fun new design, including The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’s “DON’T PANIC” DIY sticker cover.

Douglas Adams was born in 1952 and created all the various and contradictory manifestations of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: radio, novels, TV, computer game, stage adaptation, comic book and bath towel. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy was published thirty years ago...

...on 12 October 1979 and its phenomenal success sent the book straight to number one in the UK bestseller list. In 1984 Douglas Adams became the youngest author to be awarded a Golden Pan. His series has sold over 15 million books in the UK, the US and Australia and was also a bestseller in German and many other languages. The feature film starring Martin Freeman and Zooey Deschanel with Stephen Fry as the Guide was released in 2005 using much of Douglas’s original script and ideas. Douglas lived with his wife and daughter in Islington, North London, and briefly in California, where he died in 2001.