The Guardian has proof that Britain contains a fair amount of readers who rely on matters other than their own pleasure to influence which books they buy:
One in every eight young people confessing to choosing a book “simply to be seen with the latest shortlisted title”
It gets worse:
More than one in three consumers in London and the south-east admit having bought a book “solely to look intelligent
Elyas Choudhury, an Expedia director, said yesterday: “We seem to have lost sight of the fact that reading a book should be a personal, enjoyable and relaxing experience, not one dictated by social pressure.”
