Douglas Adams' sci-fi satire The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and its four sequels chronicle the interstellar exploits of a hapless human who is helped along on his journey by the novel's namesake-an ingenious handheld gadget that offers advice about almost any place, object, entity or event in the cosmos. The electronic handheld Guide, regularly updated by its users, is a forerunner of today's emerging e-books and wireless Internet access rolled into one.

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