The most controversial of all the books by Richard Dawkins,The God Delusion, was published in 2006, and catapulted him to even greater fame as the figurehead for international atheism. The book collected together the arguments for a higher power and attacked each one rationally. It champions the message that atheists and society in general can be happy, balanced and moral without the need for belief in a higher power. It caused enormous controversy, suggesting that religion is not only false belief but a malevolent force. Since publication it has sold over 1.5 million copies. The book was dedicated to the late Douglas Adams, Dawkins’ friend. The preface includes Adams' quote 'Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?'.