Lost (TV series) have been released by Hyperion Books, a publisher owned by Disney, ABC's parent company. They are "Endangered Species" () and "Secret Identity" () both by Cathy Hapka and "Signs of Life" () by Frank Thompson. Additionally, Hyperion published a metafictional book titled "Bad Twin" (), written by Laurence Shames, and credited to fictitious author "Gary Troup", who ABC's marketing department claimed was a passenger on Oceanic Flight 815. Several unofficial books relating to the show have also been published. "Finding Lost: The Unofficial Guide" () by Nikki Stafford and published by ECW Press is a book detailing the show for
Lost (TV series) often interacted with fans online, viewers and TV critics alike took to widespread theorizing in an attempt to unravel the mysteries. Theories mainly concerned the nature of the island, the origins of the "Monster" and the "Others", the meaning of the numbers, and the reasons for both the crash and the survival of some passengers. Several of the more common fan theories were discussed and rejected by the show's creators, the most common being that the survivors of Oceanic flight 815 are dead and in purgatory. Lindelof rejected speculation that spaceships or aliens influenced the events on the island or