This year, the University is giving all new students the opportunity to pick up a free copy of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams.

The books are special editions customised especially for the Nottingham Reading Programme, which aims to give students something to talk about in their first weeks at university. Undergraduate students based in catered and self-catered halls will receive the books in their accommodation. New undergraduates based in private accommodation and postgraduates will have the opportunity to pick up a copy in libraries.

The Nottingham Reading Programme aims to give students a conversational ice-breaker as they settle into a new place, encourage reading for pleasure and ultimately build a sense of community among new students by providing a shared experience. Later on in the term, reading groups will be set up to bring students together to discuss The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. The programme is supported by Impact: the Nottingham Campaign and was launched in 2015, when new students received copies of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Find out why the University is running the programme once more in the video below.

You can also watch a video from Amy and Laura, two of the University’s student video bloggers, to see what they thought of the book.

Find out more about the Nottingham Reading Programme on our website.