Ever
wondered what the end of the Universe might actually look like? Why the
number 42 is so significant? Or whether time travel really would put a
stop to history as we know it? If so you are clearly a fan of Douglas
Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Much
of the book was sheer whimsy: talking mattresses, the Vogons,
triple-breasted whores and that Ol' Janx Spirit. But like all good
science fiction, it contained more than a grain of scientific fact.
Adams was a science and technology enthusiast and his books were
inspired by - prefigured even - many of the great scientific debates of
our times.
Now The Science of
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy brings you a light-hearted,
accessible and informative tour of the real cutting-edge research behind
the corner-stones of a much-loved classic, including space tourism,
parallel universes, instant translation devices, sentient computers and
more.
'Hanlon's book probes the possibilities
inside the fiction with wit and scientist humour...not that you have to
be a boffin to enjoy these ruminations, merely curious, as the late
Adams himself clearly was.' The Herald
'Enlightening and thought provoking - like having a pint with Einstein, Stephen Hawking and Johnny Ball.' Daily Mail