BBC's The Big Read (2003)
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| Rank | Title | Author | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Lord of the Rings | J.R.R. Tolkien | 1955 |
| 2 | Pride and Prejudice | Jane Austen | 1813 |
| 3 | His Dark Materials Trilogy | ||
| Northern Lights (The Golden Compass) | Philip Pullman | 1995 | |
| The Subtle Knife | Philip Pullman | 1997 | |
| The Amber Spyglass | Philip Pullman | 2000 | |
| 4 | The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy | Douglas Adams | 1979 |
| 5 | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire | J.K. Rowling | 2000 |
| 6 | To Kill a Mockingbird | Harper Lee | 1960 |
| 7 | Winnie-the-Pooh | A.A. Milne | 1926 |
| 8 | Nineteen Eighty-Four | George Orwell | 1949 |
| 9 | The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe | C.S. Lewis | 1950 |
| 10 | Jane Eyre | Charlotte Bronte | 1847 |
| 11 | Catch-22 | Joseph Heller | 1961 |
| 12 | Wuthering Heights | Emily Bronte | 1847 |
| 13 | Birdsong | Sebastian Faulks | 1993 |
| 14 | Rebecca | Daphne du Maurier | 1938 |
| 15 | The Catcher in the Rye | J.D. Salinger | 1951 |
| 16 | The Wind in the Willows | Kenneth Grahame | 1908 |
| 17 | Great Expectations | Charles Dickens | 1861 |
| 18 | Little Women | Louisa May Alcott | 1869 |
| 19 | Captain Corelli's Mandolin | Louis de Bernieres | 1993 |
| 20 | War and Peace | Leo Tolstoy | 1869 |
| 21 | Gone with the Wind | Margaret Mitchell | 1936 |
| 22 | Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone | J.K. Rowling | 1997 |
| 23 | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets | J.K. Rowling | 1998 |
| 24 | Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban | J.K. Rowling | 1999 |
| 25 | The Hobbit | J.R.R. Tolkien | 1937 |
| 26 | Tess of the D'Urbervilles | Thomas Hardy | 1891 |
| 27 | Middlemarch | George Elliot | 1874 |
| 28 | A Prayer for Owen Meany | John Irving | 1989 |
| 29 | The Grapes of Wrath | John Steinbeck | 1939 |
| 30 | Alice's Adventures in Wonderland | Lewis Carroll | 1865 |
| 31 | The Story of Tracy Beaker | Jacqueline Wilson | 1991 |
| 32 | One Hundred Years of Solitude | Gabriel Garcia Marquez | 1967 |
| 33 | The Pillars of the Earth | Ken Follett | 1989 |
| 34 | David Copperfield | Charles Dickens | 1850 |
| 35 | Charlie and the Chocolate Factory | Roald Dahl | 1964 |
| 36 | Treasure Island | Robert Louis Stevenson | 1883 |
| 37 | A Town Like Alice | Nevil Shute | 1950 |
| 38 | Persuasion | Jane Austen | 1818 |
| 39 | Dune | Frank Herbert | 1965 |
| 40 | Emma | Jane Austen | 1815 |
| 41 | Anne of Green Gables | L. M. Montgomery | 1908 |
| 42 | Watership Down | Richard Adams | 1972 |
| 43 | The Great Gatsby | F. Scott Fitzgerald | 1925 |
| 44 | The Count of Monte Cristo | Alexandre Dumas pere | 1844 |
| 45 | Brideshead Revisited | Evelyn Waugh | 1945 |
| 46 | Animal Farm | George Orwell | 1945 |
| 47 | A Christmas Carol | Charles Dickens | 1843 |
| 48 | Far from the Madding Crowd | Thomas Hardy | 1874 |
| 49 | Goodnight Mister Tom | Michelle Magorian | 1981 |
| 50 | The Shell Seekers | Rosamunde Pilcher | 1987 |
| 51 | The Secret Garden | Frances Hodgson Burnett | 1909 |
| 52 | Of Mice and Men | John Steinbeck | 1937 |
| 53 | The Stand | Stephen King | 1978 |
| 54 | Anna Karenina | Leo Tolstoy | 1873 |
| 55 | A Suitable Boy | Vikram Seth | 1994 |
| 56 | The BFG | Roald Dahl | 1982 |
| 57 | Swallows and Amazons | Arthur Ransome | 1930 |
| 58 | Black Beauty | Anna Sewell | 1877 |
| 59 | Artemis Fowl | Eoin Colfer | 2001 |
| 60 | Crime and Punishment | Fyodor Dostoyevsky | 1866 |
| 61 | Noughts and Crosses | Malorie Blackman | 2001 |
| 62 | Memoirs of a Geisha | Arthur Golden | 1997 |
| 63 | A Tale of Two Cities | Charles Dickens | 1859 |
| 64 | The Thorn Birds | Colleen McCullough | 1977 |
| 65 | Mort | Terry Pratchett | 1987 |
| 66 | The Magic Faraway Tree | Enid Blyton | 1943 |
| 67 | The Magus | John Fowles | 1966 |
| 68 | Good Omens | Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman | 1990 |
| 69 | Guards! Guards! | Terry Pratchett | 1989 |
| 70 | Lord of the Flies | William Golding | 1954 |
| 71 | Perfume | Patrick Suskind | 1985 |
| 72 | The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists | Robert Tressell | 1914 |
| 73 | Night Watch | Terry Pratchett | 2002 |
| 74 | Matilda | Roald Dahl | 1988 |
| 75 | Bridget Jones's Diary | Helen Fielding | 1996 |
| 76 | The Secret History | Donna Tartt | 1992 |
| 77 | The Woman in White | Wilkie Collins | 1860 |
| 78 | Ulysses | James Joyce | 1922 |
| 79 | Bleak House | Charles Dickens | 1853 |
| 80 | Double Act | Jacqueline Wilson | 1995 |
| 81 | The Twits | Roald Dahl | 1980 |
| 82 | I Capture the Castle | Dodie Smith | 1948 |
| 83 | Holes | Louis Sachar | 1998 |
| 84 | The Gormenghast Series | ||
| Titus Groan | Mervyn Peake | 1946 | |
| Gormenghast | Mervyn Peake | 1950 | |
| Titus Alone | Mervyn Peake | 1959 | |
| 85 | The God of Small Things | Arundhati Roy | 1997 |
| 86 | Vicky Angel | Jacqueline Wilson | 2000 |
| 87 | Brave New World | Aldous Huxley | 1932 |
| 88 | Cold Comfort Farm | Stella Gibbons | 1932 |
| 89 | Magician | Raymond Feist | 1982 |
| 90 | On the Road | Jack Kerouac | 1957 |
| 91 | The Godfather | Mario Puzo | 1969 |
| 92 | Clan of the Cave Bear | Jean M. Auel | 1980 |
| 93 | The Colour of Magic | Terry Pratchett | 1983 |
| 94 | The Alchemist | Paulo Coelho | 1988 |
| 95 | Katherine | Anya Seton | 1954 |
| 96 | Kane and Abel | Jeffrey Archer | 1979 |
| 97 | Love in the Time of Cholera | Gabriel Garcia Marquez | 1985 |
| 98 | Girls in Love | Jacqueline Wilson | 1997 |
| 99 | The Princess Diaries, Volume I | Meg Cabot | 2000 |
| 100 | Midnight's Children | Salman Rushdie | 1981 |
| 101 | Three Men in a Boat | Jerome K. Jerome | 1889 |
| 102 | Small Gods | Terry Pratchett | 1992 |
| 103 | The Beach | Alex Garland | 1996 |
| 104 | Dracula | Bram Stoker | 1897 |
| 105 | Point Blanc | Anthony Horowitz | 2001 |
| 106 | The Pickwick Papers | Charles Dickens | 1837 |
| 107 | Stormbreaker | Anthony Horowitz | 2000 |
| 108 | The Wasp Factory | Iain Banks | 1984 |
| 109 | The Day of the Jackal | Frederick Forsyth | 1971 |
| 110 | The Illustrated Mum | Jacqueline Wilson | 1999 |
| 111 | Jude the Obscure | Thomas Hardy | 1895 |
| 112 | The Adrian Mole Diaries | ||
| The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4 | Sue Townsend | 1982 | |
| The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole | Sue Townsend | 1984 | |
| The True Confessions of Adrian Albert Mole | Sue Townsend | 1989 | |
| 113 | The Cruel Sea | Nicholas Monsarrat | 1951 |
| 114 | The Hunchback of Notre Dame | Victor Hugo | 1831 |
| 115 | The Mayor of Casterbridge | Thomas Hardy | 1886 |
| 116 | The Dare Game | Jacqueline Wilson | 2000 |
| 117 | Bad Girls | Jacqueline Wilson | 1996 |
| 118 | The Picture of Dorian Gray | Oscar Wilde | 1890 |
| 119 | Shogun | James Clavell | 1975 |
| 120 | The Day of the Triffids | John Wyndham | 1951 |
| 121 | Lola Rose | Jacqueline Wilson | 2003 |
| 122 | Vanity Fair | William Makepeace Thackeray | 1847 |
| 123 | The Forsyte Saga | ||
| The Man of Property | John Galsworthy | 1906 | |
| Indian Summer of a Forsyte | John Galsworthy | 1918 | |
| In Chancery | John Galsworthy | 1920 | |
| Awakening | John Galsworthy | 1920 | |
| To Let | John Galsworthy | 1921 | |
| 124 | House of Leaves | Mark Z. Danielewski | 2000 |
| 125 | The Poisonwood Bible | Barbara Kingsolver | 1998 |
| 126 | Reaper Man | Terry Pratchett | 1991 |
| 127 | Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging | Louise Rennison | 1999 |
| 128 | The Hound of the Baskervilles | Sir Arthur Conan Doyle | 1902 |
| 129 | Possession: A Romance | A. S. Byatt | 1990 |
| 130 | The Master and Margarita | Mikhail Bulgakov | 1967 |
| 131 | The Handmaid's Tale | Margaret Atwood | 1985 |
| 132 | Danny, the Champion of the World | Roald Dahl | 1975 |
| 133 | East of Eden | John Steinbeck | 1952 |
| 134 | George's Marvellous Medicine | Roald Dahl | 1981 |
| 135 | Wyrd Sisters | Terry Pratchett | 1988 |
| 136 | The Color Purple | Alice Walker | 1982 |
| 137 | Hogfather | Terry Pratchett | 1996 |
| 138 | The Thirty-Nine Steps | John Buchan | 1915 |
| 139 | Girls in Tears | Jacqueline Wilson | 2002 |
| 140 | Sleepovers | Jaqueline Wilson | 2001 |
| 141 | All Quiet on the Western Front | Erich Maria Remarque | 1929 |
| 142 | Behind the Scenes at the Museum | Kate Atkinson | 1995 |
| 143 | High Fidelity | Nick Hornby | 1995 |
| 144 | It | Stephen King | 1986 |
| 145 | James and the Giant Peach | Roald Dahl | 1961 |
| 146 | The Green Mile | Stephen King | 1996 |
| 147 | Papillon | Henri Charriere | 1969 |
| 148 | Men at Arms | Terry Pratchett | 1993 |
| 149 | Master and Commander | Patrick O'Brian | 1970 |
| 150 | Skeleton Key | Anthony Horowitz | 2001 |
| 151 | Soul Music | Terry Pratchett | 1994 |
| 152 | Thief of Time | Terry Pratchett | 2001 |
| 153 | The Fifth Elephant | Terry Pratchett | 1999 |
| 154 | Atonement | Ian McEwan | 2001 |
| 155 | Secrets | Jacqueline Wilson | 2002 |
| 156 | The Silver Sword | Ian Serraillier | 1956 |
| 157 | One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest | Ken Kesey | 1962 |
| 158 | Heart of Darkness | Joseph Conrad | 1899 |
| 159 | Kim | Rudyard Kipling | 1901 |
| 160 | Outlander | Diana Gabaldon | 1991 |
| 161 | Moby-Dick | Herman Melville | 1851 |
| 162 | River God | Wilbur Smith | 1993 |
| 163 | Sunset Song | Lewis Grassic Gibbon | 1932 |
| 164 | The Shipping News | E. Annie Proulx | 1993 |
| 165 | The World According to Garp | John Irving | 1978 |
| 166 | Lorna Doone | R. D. Blackmore | 1869 |
| 167 | Girls Out Late | Jacqueline Wilson | 1999 |
| 168 | The Far Pavilions | M. M. Kaye | 1978 |
| 169 | The Witches | Roald Dahl | 1983 |
| 170 | Charlotte's Web | E.B. White | 1952 |
| 171 | Frankenstein | Mary Shelley | 1818 |
| 172 | They Used to Play on Grass | Terry Venables, Gordon Williams | 1973 |
| 173 | The Old Man and the Sea | Ernest Hemingway | 1952 |
| 174 | The Name of the Rose | Umberto Eco | 1980 |
| 175 | Sophie's World | Jostein Gaarder | 1991 |
| 176 | Dustbin Baby | Jacqueline Wilson | 2001 |
| 177 | Fantastic Mr. Fox | Roald Dahl | 1970 |
| 178 | Lolita | Vladimir Nabokov | 1955 |
| 179 | Jonathan Livingston Seagull | Richard Bach | 1970 |
| 180 | The Little Prince | Antoine de Saint Exupery | 1943 |
| 181 | The Suitcase Kid | Jacqueline Wilson | 1992 |
| 182 | Oliver Twist | Charles Dickens | 1839 |
| 183 | The Power of One | Bryce Courtney | 1989 |
| 184 | Silas Marner | George Eliot | 1861 |
| 185 | American Psycho | Bret Easton Ellis | 1991 |
| 186 | The Diary of a Nobody | George Grossmith | 1892 |
| 187 | Trainspotting | Irvine Welsh | 1993 |
| 188 | Goosebumps Series | ||
| Welcome to Dead House | R. L. Stine | 1992 | |
| Stay Out of the Basement | R. L. Stine | 1992 | |
| Monster Blood | R. L. Stine | 1992 | |
| Say Cheese and Die! | R. L. Stine | 1992 | |
| The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb | R. L. Stine | 1993 | |
| Let's Get Invisible! | R. L. Stine | 1993 | |
| Night of the Living Dummy | R. L. Stine | 1993 | |
| The Girl Who Cried Monster | R. L. Stine | 1993 | |
| Welcome to Camp Nightmare | R. L. Stine | 1993 | |
| The Ghost Next Door | R. L. Stine | 1993 | |
| The Haunted Mask | R. L. Stine | 1993 | |
| Piano Lessons Can Be Murder | R. L. Stine | 1993 | |
| The Werewolf of Fever Swamp | R. L. Stine | 1993 | |
| Be Careful What You Wish For... | R. L. Stine | 1994 | |
| You Can't Scare Me! | R. L. Stine | 1994 | |
| One Day at HorrorLand | R. L. Stine | 1994 | |
| Why I'm Afraid of Bees | R. L. Stine | 1994 | |
| Monster Blood II | R. L. Stine | 1994 | |
| Deep Trouble | R. L. Stine | 1994 | |
| The Scarecrow Walks at Midnight | R. L. Stine | 1994 | |
| Go Eat Worms! | R. L. Stine | 1994 | |
| Ghost Beach | R. L. Stine | 1994 | |
| Return of the Mummy | R. L. Stine | 1994 | |
| Phantom of the Auditorium | R. L. Stine | 1994 | |
| Attack of the Mutant | R. L. Stine | 1994 | |
| My Hairiest Adventure | R. L. Stine | 1994 | |
| A Night in Terror Tower | R. L. Stine | 1995 | |
| The Cuckoo Clock of Doom | R. L. Stine | 1995 | |
| Monster Blood III | R. L. Stine | 1995 | |
| It Came from Beneath the Sink! | R. L. Stine | 1995 | |
| Night of the Living Dummy II | R. L. Stine | 1995 | |
| The Barking Ghost | R. L. Stine | 1995 | |
| The Horror at Camp Jellyjam | R. L. Stine | 1995 | |
| The Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes | R. L. Stine | 1995 | |
| A Shocker on Shock Street | R. L. Stine | 1995 | |
| The Haunted Mask II | R. L. Stine | 1995 | |
| The Headless Ghost | R. L. Stine | 1995 | |
| The Abominable Snowman of Pasadena | R.L. Stine | 1995 | |
| How I Got My Shrunken Head | R. L. Stine | 1996 | |
| Night of the Living Dummy III | R. L. Stine | 1996 | |
| Bad Hare Day | R. L. Stine | 1996 | |
| Egg Monsters from Mars | R. L. Stine | 1996 | |
| The Beast from the East | R. L. Stine | 1996 | |
| Say Cheese and Die - Again! | R. L. Stine | 1996 | |
| Ghost Camp | R. L. Stine | 1996 | |
| How to Kill a Monster | R. L. Stine | 1996 | |
| Legend of the Lost Legend | R. L. Stine | 1996 | |
| Attack of the Jack O'Lanterns | R. L. Stine | 1996 | |
| Vampire Breath | R. L. Stine | 1996 | |
| Calling All Creeps! | R. L. Stine | 1996 | |
| Beware, the Snowman | R. L. Stine | 1997 | |
| How I Learned to Fly | R. L. Stine | 1997 | |
| Chicken Chicken | R. L. Stine | 1997 | |
| Don't Go to Sleep! | R. L. Stine | 1997 | |
| The Blob That Ate Everyone | R. L. Stine | 1997 | |
| The Curse of Camp Cold Lake | R. L. Stine | 1997 | |
| My Best Friend Is Invisible | R. L. Stine | 1997 | |
| Deep Trouble II | R. L. Stine | 1997 | |
| The Haunted School | R. L. Stine | 1997 | |
| Werewolf Skin | R. L. Stine | 1997 | |
| I Live in Your Basement! | R. L. Stine | 1997 | |
| Monster Blood IV | R. L. Stine | 1997 | |
| 189 | Heidi | Johanna Spyri | 1880 |
| 190 | Sons and Lovers | D. H. Lawrence | 1913 |
| 191 | The Unbearable Lightness of Being | Milan Kundera | 1984 |
| 192 | Man and Boy | Tony Parsons | 1999 |
| 193 | The Truth | Terry Pratchett | 2000 |
| 194 | The War of the Worlds | H. G. Wells | 1898 |
| 195 | The Horse Whisperer | Nicholas Evans | 1995 |
| 196 | A Fine Balance | Rohinton Mistry | 1995 |
| 197 | Witches Abroad | Terry Pratchett | 1991 |
| 198 | The Once and Future King | T. H. White | 1956 |
| 199 | The Very Hungry Caterpillar | Eric Carle | 1969 |
| 200 | Flowers in the Attic | V. C. Andrews | 1979 |