Bounds of stories and myths have been tossed around over the years regarding Stanley Kubrick’s masterful 2001: A Space Odyssey. From rumors of an alien insurance policy to original phony titles, the history is all there. And now that history is getting the nonfiction treatment in a new book breaking down the making of the 1968 classic dating all the way back to Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke’s first meeting in 1964.

The aptly titled Space Odyssey: Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke, and the Making of a Masterpiece is a 512-page “inside account” commemorating the film’s 50th anniversary. It’s a definitive history, according to author Michael Benson, meant to give fans a more distinguished understanding of the film’s importance and its legacy in filmmaking. According to the book’s synopsis, “The tale is fleshed out via interviews with Clarke, Kubrick’s widow Christiane, and other key contributors, giving you a unique inside perspective on a true cinema classic.”

The book is available for preorder now, and will officially come available on Kindle and hardcover April 3rd.