Samuel ‘Dictionary’ Johnson once declared the act of reading more important than the subject matter.  We’ve come a long way, haven’t we? 

Cheap chapbooks … penny dreadfuls … lurid pulp fiction … horror comics … Mills and Boon romances.  It seems every age has its literary snobs who think that Dr Johnson’s wise words have nothing to do with them.

A survey for World Book Day 2009 aims to find out what people really take delight in reading.  People are invited to submit their ‘guilty secrets’ online the results of which will be published as part of the celebrations.  

World Book Day is designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of reading marked in over one hundred countries, so the ‘guilty secrets’ idea is well-intentioned in championing reading in the international fight against illiteracy (and its ramifications for poverty).

But who is honestly going to be shocked that Stephen King triumphs over Shakespeare?  Or that Manga is more accessible than the classics?  Here’s hoping the good Dr Johnson picks up vote or two – after all, few admit to enjoying the dictionary as a good read.

World Book Day is Thursday 5^th March