Oxfam reveals second-hand bestseller list

August 21st, 2009

Dan Brown is the UK’s most donated author; Ian Rankin tops the Oxfam shop fiction bestsellers list
A survey of sales and donations across Oxfam’s network of 700 high street shops today reveals the biggest names in donated fiction, in the first-ever high street second-hand bestseller chart.
Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown’s books are the most donated to Oxfam shops in the UK, but also the second most bought. Inspector Rebus creator Ian Rankin sells the most books, and comes in at number three in the most-donated list.

Oxfam’s recent nationwide book festival, Bookfest, has seen donations of books to the charity’s shop network rise by 40% so far, with book sales also dramatically increasing due to massive public response to the festival. The festival ran from 4 to 18 July, and featured more than 250 events nationwide - see www.oxfam.org.uk/books for more information.

The most donated authors to Oxfam shops are:
Dan Brown
John Grisham
Ian Rankin
Danielle Steel
Helen Fielding
Stephen King
JK Rowling
Catherine Cookson
Patricia Cornwell
Mills & Boon

The Oxfam shop bestseller list is:
Ian Rankin
Dan Brown
Bernard Cornwell
Stephanie Meyer
Terry Pratchett
Khaled Hosseini
Helen Fielding
Margaret Attwood
James Patterson
Jodi Picoult

On being the Oxfam shop bestseller, Ian Rankin said: “It’s always good for an author to know that their books are popular. With Oxfam, it’s also heartening to realise that each book donated and bought is helping such a worthwhile organisation.”

- Oxfam is Europe’s biggest high street retailer of second-hand books, and the third-biggest bookseller in the UK.
- Oxfam has more than 130 specialist bookshops and sells books in nearly all of its 700 shops, compared with 314 Waterstones stores* and 52 Borders stores**.
- The charity sells £1.6 million of books per month - enough to buy 50,000 emergency shelters, safe water for 2.1 million people, or 64,000 goats.

Dozens of rarities and first editions have been donated to Oxfam shops just since May - the top ten donated books alone have raised more than £4,500:

JRR Tolkien, Lord of the Rings - first edition, sold for £800
Don Giovanni sheet music - first edition, sold for £750
Sowerby’s Catalogue of Shells - sold for £600
Richard Adams, Watership Down - first edition, sold for £500
Handbook of Indian Dances - first edition with hand-blocked prints, sold for £500
Richmal Crompton, Just William­ - first edition, sold for £440
Sylvia Plath, Ariel - first edition, sold for £350
Ian Fleming, From Russia With Love - first edition, sold for £300
Charles Dickens, Martin Chuzzlewit - second print, sold for £200
W.E. Johns, Biggles in Australia - first edition, sold for £150

This entry was posted by Oxfam Media Unit on August 21st, 2009