The Big Read Results

So the Big Read has just announced the final results of the popular vote for best loved fiction in the UK:

1. The Lord Of The Rings
   
2. Pride And Prejudice
   
3. His Dark Materials
   
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy
   
5. Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire

I think the most interesting question is how heavily is this list biased by recent film and TV exposure? If the Lord Of The Rings movies hadn't come out and been so successful, would it have really done so well? Pride And Prejudice was recently aired as a TV series last summer. Likewise, Hitchhiker and Harry Potter have had big television/cinema coverage. I think the big winner here is His Dark Materials since it's something you can only read (or get the audio book). I definitely need to pick up a copy. I've read 1, 4 & 5 already.

Of course, the great result of this is whole exercise is it gets people interested in reading more. Sales of books that have appeared on the list of nominee's has jumped.