British adults lie about reading 'high brow' books » Education » 24dash.com

A third of British adults have lied about reading a 'high-brow' book to appear more intelligent, a new survey revealed yesterday.

A cunning 33 percent of adults claim to have read challenging literature to appear well-read, when in fact they haven't a clue what the book is about.

But 40 percent admit they lied about reading certain books just so they could join in with conversation.

One in ten men said they would fib about reading a certain book to impress the opposite sex, according to the poll of over 4000 bookworms conducted by the Museums, Libraries and Archive Council (MLA).

Most people expand on their literary repertoire to impress a new date, 15 percent have lied about the books they have read to a new colleague and five percent have told porkies about their reading habits to their employer.

The younger generation is out to impress the most, with more than half of 19 to 21 year olds expanding the truth about the books they read.

But they are also most likely to get caught out, with one in ten 19 to 21 year olds tripping up when quizzed about a book they lied about reading.

But the book we all lie about reading is the bestselling Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien.

The epic trilogy took 11 years to complete and 14 percent of those who started the book with good intentions never managed to finish it.

John Dolan, Head of Library Policy at the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, said, "It's fascinating to see that so many people are trying to impress others with the books they haven't actually read."

"Talking about books and literature is an obvious conversation starter and certain authors and titles often get strangers chatting."

"Some titles do have a certain kudos and it's often nice to drop into conversation our knowledge of well-known writers and books."

"For those wanting to expand their knowledge, libraries offer lots of different ways to engage with books. You can listen to the audio book or explore titles and authors online.  Libraries make it easy to read those books you've always meant to get around to reading."

One in twenty men who took part in the poll said they would lie about reading Harry Potter to give the illusion they're in touch with the latest trends.

And almost half of respondents said that reading ic titles like Jane Eyre or Pride and Prejudice makes you appear more intelligent.

Top Ten Books we lie about reading:

1. The Lord of the Rings - J.R.R Tolkien

2. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy

3. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

4. Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus - John Gray

5. 1984 - George Orwell

6. Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone - J.K Rowling

7. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens

8. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

9. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown

10.Diary of Anne Frank - Anne Frank