* 'Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again . . .' The first line of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca is often quoted but how many of us remember the final line?

Now all passengers on First Great Western's Night Riviera Sleeper service between London Paddington and the West Country will have the opportunity to read this much-loved novel while travelling through the countryside that inspired it. Rebecca has been a bestseller throughout seven decades and remains as honest, acerbic, and thrilling today as it did when it first appeared. All passengers will also receive a copy of the readers' guide from Cityreads.

The idea of putting the novel on the Sleeper service comes from a partnership between Cityreads and First Great Western. Cityreads is a Brighton & Hove based project that gets as many people as possible in that city to read the same book. This year it was Rebecca and it was such a success that they thought they would find other ways of recommending the book to other readers.

"We loved the idea of a whole train reading Rebecca as they travelled through the night to Cornwall. It's a great read and one that people have really enjoyed talking about. I’m sure First Great Western's passengers will have a great reading journey," says David Kendall, project manager, Cityreads.

David Crome, Regional Traincrew Manager for First Great Western, adds: "Daphne du Maurier is closely associated with Cornwall and we thought this was an excellent opportunity to give our Sleeper service customers some marvellous bedtime reading as they travel down to Cornwall."

More from Daphne du Maurier
Daphne du Maurier is not only famous for one novel. She also wrote bestsellers such as Jamaica Inn and Frenchman's Creek, as well as having two short stories adapted into classic films: Don't Look Now and, of course The Birds. 2007 is Du Maurier's centenary, which makes it an apt time to feature the book but more than that it is a book that both readers and writers are passionate about. The book itself has spawned two sequels: one by Susan Hill, the other by Sally Beauman. Du Maurier herself will star in a new novel by Justine Picardie.

The Rebecca legacy
Recently Rebecca was championed by Alan Titchmarsh during the BBC's Big Read – was it due to the passion, the mystery, or all those passages about Manderley's flora and fauna? Today, in du Maurier's centenary year, Rebecca is still pulling readers into its darkly loving embrace.

More about Cityreads
Cityreads is a city-wide reading initiative designed to open up the world of books to the widest possible audience throughout Brighton & Hove during March, April and May 2007. This involves selecting one book by one author for the whole city to read. The audience is then encouraged to come together to discuss, debate and creatively engage with the chosen text through a series of workshops, events and/or performances across the city. The project links the City's major reading proponents from Brighton Festival, Brighton & Hove Libraries, bookshops, and education.

Cityreads has attracted leading international authors and gained extensive media coverage in its first two years. It has also received support from some of the key arts and business organisations in the city, and has become a trusted brand through high-quality marketing and reader support materials. Last year's City Reads was based on Whitbread-winning novelist Ali Smith's acclaimed novel Hotel World and included events with Ali Smith, Francine Stock, Jackie Kay and Alison MacLeod. It was also featured in a dedicated edition of BBC Radio 4’s Book Club programme.