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Independent says Tolkien is 'Master of the Middle Market' - Lord of the Rings news - J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings

August 04, 2000 at 13:26:44

The Independent has reviewed the recently announced survey which places 'The Lord of the Rings' as the most popular book in the United Kingdom and J.R.R. Tolkien as the twelfth most popular author.

W.H. Smith, a news agent and retail store chain, polled more than 1,000 adults who gave their preferences in books and authors. None of the Harry Potter books made the list, but Roald Dahl's 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' ranked 11th.

"A literary snob might suggest that modern readers do not browse in WH Smith when looking for something good (as opposed to Thumping) to read," the article notes. "They buy magazines in WH Smith and books in Waterstone's. Sadly for the snobs, when Waterstone's commissioned its own survey of browsers' favourites, Tolkien came out on top of that, too."