The Times reports that
Public Lending Right (PLR), the government-funded group that pays authors with books in libraries, has revealed that
Deathly Hallows is the most borrowed book.
Sadly, it has also made it onto a list of the most stolen from shops too. Estimates tell us that around 100 million books are stolen each year in the UK.
Quote:
Many of the booksellers who took part in the survey are convinced that a thriving black market for books exists - according to them, illicit sales are made mainly in pubs, where disorientated consumers are happy to buy maps, travel guides and the latest Harry Potter for their children from a network of book thieves selling at bargain prices.
Quote:
Ten most stolen from UK shops
1. London A-Zs:
London Street Atlas
by Geographers' A-Z Map Co. Paperback, £4.35
2. Ordnance Survey maps:
Exmoor Explorer Map
by Ordnance Survey. Paperback, £5.99
3. Terry Pratchett novels:
The Colour of Magic
by Terry Pratchett. Paperback. £5.44
4. Harry Potter books: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
by J.K. Rowling.
Hardback children's edition, £10.43
5. Lonely Planet travel guides:
Great Britain - a Lonely Planet Country Guide by David Else. Paperback, £11.49
6. The Lord of the Rings trilogy:
Lord of the Rings: 50th Anniversary Edition by J.R.R. Tolkien. Hardback, £24.50
7. Martina Cole novels:
Faces by Martina Cole. Paperback, £7.59
8. Jacqueline Wilson novels:
Secrets by Jacqueline Wilson. Paperback, £6.49
9. The Oxford English Dictionary:
Oxford Dictionary of English by Catherine Soanes and Angus Stevenson (editors). Hardback, £22.75
10. The Highway Code:
The Official Highway Code by the Department for Transport and the Driving Standards Agency. Paperback, £1.59
According to independent booksellers (all prices from amazon.co.uk)
Quote:
Ten most borrowed from UK libraries
1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
by J.K. Rowling
2. The House at Riverton
by Kate Morton
3. The Memory Keeper's Daughter
by Kim Edwards
4. Relentless
by Simon Kernick
5. The Other Side of the Bridge
by Mary Lawson
6. The Quickie
by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge
7. The 6th Target
by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro
8. The Savage Garden
by Mark Mills
9. Cross
by James Patterson
10. Step on a Crack
by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge
Most borrowed titles from UK libraries (July 2007-June 2008), according to Public Lending Right