Dan Brown’s latest honour: ‘most donated’ to Oxfam
Alison Flood
For the fourth year running, the author of The Da Vinci Code heads
the list of writers most frequently donated to Oxfam charity shops.
Dan Brown may no longer be the fastest-selling adult author of all
time, losing out on that record last week to EL James and her slice of
erotica Fifty Shades of Grey, but The Da Vinci Code author has retained
another, less sought-after honour: he has topped Oxfam's list of the
writers most donated to its charity shops for the fourth year running.
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Down with the Brown: people browse in an Oxfam bookstore in
Nottingham. Picture by David Sillitoe |
Scottish crime writer Ian Rankin was the second most likely author to
have his books donated to Oxfam's 685 shops, followed by James
Patterson, Alexander McCall Smith and John Grisham, Oxfam said today.
The American legal thriller writer Grisham entered the chart of “most
donated” authors for the first time this year, in joint fourth place
with McCall Smith.
The charity said that its bestselling author, in contrast, was Stieg
Larsson – the second year in a row that the late Swedish writer has
topped Oxfam's bestseller charts – followed by JK Rowling. Larsson's
fellow Norwegian author Jo Nesbø, whose crime novels starring detective
Harry Hole have been critically acclaimed, was a new entry in third
place, with Lee Child and Terry Pratchett rounding out the top five.
Although its charts were made up entirely of fiction authors, and
dominated by crime and thriller writers, Oxfam, which is currently
running its two-week annual literary festival Bookfest, said that
overall its most donated and bestselling genre was non-fiction.
“Oxfam loves books and book sales have been helping Oxfam in its
fight against poverty for more than 50 years,” said director of trading
Andrew Horton.
“Every single book, whether it is donated or bought, helps to support
Oxfam's vital work. Bookfest is a great opportunity to celebrate this
and we really hope that the public will get involved by coming along to
their local Oxfam shop or bookshop to enjoy the brilliant range of
events and promotions taking place during the fortnight.”
The Guardian
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