The ultimate trip began with a story called THE SENTINAL, by Arthur C. Clarke. It took flight when stanley Kubrick asked Clarke to write a novel of space exploration unpon which the acclaimed director would base a movie. The result was one of the most extraordinary films of all time. Now for the first time the reader is taken on every stage of this great adventure. Here is the original story. Here are the different versions of 2001 as they evolved in the interplay between two brilliantly charged imaginations. And here is Clarke's own intimate account of the unique chemistry between author and director which created--2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY.