In a rather odd move, Electronic Arts and Del Rey Books, an imprint of Ballantine Books at the Random House Publishing Group have announced that a trade-paperback edition of the classic poem Inferno, part one of The Divine Comedy, will be distributed to booksellers nationwide on January 19th, 2010. This special edition of the canonized poem commemorates the launch of Dante’s Inferno video game from Visceral Games.

The new edition features an introduction written by Dante’s Inferno Executive Producer, Jonathan Knight, who offers insight into the process of adapting the dark masterpiece into the interactive medium. The book also features a 16-page, full-color art insert showcasing the evolution of characters and environments from the classic poem to the video game.