Interesting Facts

Ammon Shea spent a whole year reading the Oxford English Dictionary. (That's not the little one you keep in your pocket, it's the whole thing - 20 volumes, 21,730 pages and 59 million words. He reckons it was as enriching as reading a novel, I reckon he's bonkers.)

In 2007 more than £1.8bn was spent on books in the UK. (Of course 2% of this was for that great literary classic "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", which took more than £36.5m.)

This year British publisher, Mills and Boon, are 100 years old. (Gerald Mills and Charles Boon - launched the company in 1908 with just a modest £1,000. Their books are now sold in 109 countries and have been translated into 26 different languages, it is arguably Britain's best-known publishing house worldwide.)

According to a study by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, 40% of people admit to lying about having read certain books. (So, the next time I tell you I've read The Iliad, you know what to think.)

According to government statistics, half of British men aged 16-24 haven't read a book in the past 12 months. (I can't imagine not reading a book for 12 days!)

According to a survey for the Office for National Statistics, 25% of adults in the UK have not read a single book. (Don't worry. I read enough to make up for all of them.)

In the United States, Janet and John were named Alice and Jerry. (Everybody in the UK used to learn to read with Janet and John books. Not only did they learn to read, but they learnt their place in society. Women in the kitchen, baking cakes with their daughter Janet, men at work or in the garden with their son, John. That was it.)

More than half the books in the fiction charts are crime titles. (Today women write more than half of all crime novels, a genre read by a predominantly female audience. Let's face it Agatha Christie is still considered the queen of crime fiction.)

The world's bestselling author, JK Rowling, has sold more than three times as many books as the next two. (The next two are Enid Blyton and Dr Seuss, who have an estimated 100 million sales each. I think there might be something in this "writing for children" lark.) Listen here .

powered by ODEO Scouting for Boys by Lord Baden-Powell is the fourth bestselling book of the 20th Century, after the Bible, the Koran and Mao's Little Red Book. (If you wrote a book called "Scouting for boys" today, you would probably be arrested.)

Roger Hargreaves, the author of the Mr Men books, was Britain's third best-selling author, having sold more than 100 million books. (The most popular characters are re Mr. Tickle Little Miss Naughty, let's just hope they never get together.)

Oliver Twist is very popular in China, where its title is translated as Foggy City Orphan. (I personally think it is much more descriptive than the original title. WTG China!)