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The secrets of Deep Thought and the relevance of the number 42 will be two subjects uncovered by The Rough Guide to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The title, by Marcus O'Dair, is published on 1st October in paperback priced £7.99, shortly before the release of Eoin Colfer's sixth instalment entitled And Another Thing (Penguin) on 12th October.
"It seemed like the perfect opportunity and the perfect tie-in," said commissioning editor Peter Buckley. "The non-travel part of Rough Guides is pretty varied, everything from the internet to food and drink," said Buckley. The publisher has previously ventured into guides to other titles including The Lord of the Rings, His Dark Materials and The Da Vinci Code. Later on this year Rough Guides will also publish a guide to Dan Brown's new book The Lost Symbol (Transworld).
Buckley said the guides "offer a way into a series of books, which are in some way kind of impenetrable". He said that the books would appeal to "anyone from a fanatic who wants to learn more to a beginner who just wants an overview". Buckley added: "Colfer has got a young audience and it may be their first experience of Hitchhikers, so hopefully they'll buy the Rough Guide too."
The book has different sections starting off with a run through of the tale so far, before going into the characters and various incarnations of the story. It then has something for "nerds" with a section about the science behind some of the more bizarre parts of the books.
Penguin and Pan Macmillan have teamed up to host a variety of events to publicise the release of the new Hitchhikers book. A "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" convention will take place at the Royal Festival Hall in October to mark the 30th anniversary of the famous Douglas Adams series.