In Great Britain it has been traditional for many years for popular comic strips, movies and TV shows to be the subject of "annuals", books for children published once a year featuring a mixture of short stories, comic stirps, non-fiction articles and activities. The Six Million Dollar Man was the one of many licensed properties to get this treatment. The 1977 edition was published by Stafford Pembeton of Cheshire, but actually printed in Italy. Distribution of annuals outside the UK has always been erratic, making this book something of a collectable outside Britain.