NMLP P-036608 · True-first precedence · minted 2026-07-19

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Douglas Adams · Pan Books (London) · 1979

The Pan paperback (12 October 1979) is the true first edition — it precedes the Arthur Barker hardcover (1979). The Barker hardcover is the scarce first HARDCOVER (small run, prized as an object) but is NOT the true first edition; the US Harmony hardcover (1980) is later still.

Full identification guide for this title →

New Mexico Literacy Project — True-first precedence NMLP P-036608 for "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/id/point/p-036608, CC BY 4.0, dataset DOI 10.5281/zenodo.21184548).