Danny Wallace wanted to write about a place so special and so crucial to our existence that it had never before been tackled: the Centre of the Universe. But then he realised that getting there might be a problem, and when he did, there'd probably be nothing much to write about. Until he heard about a manhole cover, on a small street, in a small town, tucked away in a remote part of Idaho.

The manhole cover had been declared the Centre of the Universe. The mayor had the science to back it up. The town rejoiced.

And the name of the town?

Wallace.

It was a cosmic coincidence Danny couldn't resist...