|
I remember this list. It was compiled a few years ago as the result of a nationwide poll conducted by the BBC. Members of the public were asked to vote for their favourite book - I seem to remember that I chose The Picture Of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.
The survey was given a lot of publicity, including a weekly television programme in which British celebrities would champion their favourite book. Schools were encouraged to participate, which probably accounts for all the Roald Dahl titles and so forth. A lot of fan clubs, for the novels traditionally loved by geeks, like The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and 'Insert Title Of Random Terry Pratchett Book Here' took the chance of coming top in the list very seriously, and campaigned heavily for votes.
Harry Potter mania was at its height, and Lord Of The Rings was in the cinema - so this list is more a snapshot of the literary tastes of the English public at the time, rather than any kind of critically definitive assessment. If that were the case, I think Gormenghast would be rated more highly than Lord Of The Rings, and His Dark Materials would be considered preferable to anything by J.K. Rowling.
I consider myself to be quite well-read, and I've only read about forty of those books - and some, admittedly, under duress, when I was an English Literature student. I did once work in a bookshop though, and I can say that the place sold more copies of Goosebumps by R. L. Stine (No. 188) than something like Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (No.2) so make of that what you will.
__________________
"If I was any more laidback, I'd be horizontal."
|