Ringer Spy Daniel son of David sends in this report from the London paper ‘Metro’:

Here’s a short article from London paper Metro:

LORD OF THE RINGS MORE POPULAR THAN THE BIBLE

Lord of the Rings is more popular than the Bible, according to a new survey.

JRR Tolkien’s fantasy novel beat Jane Austen’s classic Pride and Prejudice to the top spot in a W H Smith survey. The Bible came third. The most popular author was Catherine Cookson, with Jane Austen in fifth place and Tolkien down in 12th. The lists mix old favourites with newer challengers – the fourth favourite book Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson coming in just ahead of Thomas Harris’s Silence of the Lambs. Disgraced Tory peer Jeffrey Archer’s novel Kane and Abel was chosen as the 14th most popular book. The authors’ list was dominated by recent novelists, with Cookson followed by Stephen King, Roald Dahl and, in fourth place, Danielle Steel.

William Shakespeare was tenth and Charles Dickens 11th. The survey was to propmote the annual Thumping Good Read Award, won this year by Boris Starling for Storm.

(W H Smiths is a chain of booksellers/newsagents in the UK)

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