# The Big Read



## Amarië (Nov 16, 2003)

So have all the UK members been following the BBC Big Read? It's the search to find Britains most loved book and the winner will be announced on December 13th. ‘Lord of the Rings’ is, of course, number one so far and has been since the countdown began! The public are now voting on the top 21. Last night on BBC2 gave survival expert Ray Mears his chance to persuade us to vote for LOTR.

If you would like to vote here's the link: 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/bigread

So, for those of you who did see it, how did you find Ray Mears description of the book? Personally I thought he could have done better, not that he did a bad job!
~A~

p.s. I found it amusing that any auther is only allowed ONE book in the top 21, and out of a hundred this meant that number 25 was 'The Hobbit' and numbers 24, 23 and 22 were 'Harry Potter' books!


----------



## Snaga (Nov 16, 2003)

I saw it but I'm afraid that at the end of the show I was thinking that maybe the guys who were promoting _Wuthering Heights_ and _Catch-22_ maybe had a point!

But all the signs suggest that Lord of the Rings is so far in front that its victory is assured.


----------



## Sarah (Nov 16, 2003)

*looks at site*

Clive Anderson???

Wasn't he on whose line???

Hell I haven't heard anything on him since... hell... I've only seen whose line reruns on comedy central. 

What do you expect from an American?


----------



## Gothmog (Nov 17, 2003)

> _Originally posted by snaga1 _
> *I saw it but I'm afraid that at the end of the show I was thinking that maybe the guys who were promoting Wuthering Heights and Catch-22 maybe had a point!
> 
> But all the signs suggest that Lord of the Rings is so far in front that its victory is assured. *


 Of course they had a point. They have to try to get *Second Place*


----------



## Theoden_king (Nov 17, 2003)

I was hoping that 1984 would do a little better.

Of course my moneys on the Lord of the Rings winning. Did anyone see the weeks before with to kill a mockingbird? I thought that was argued quite well.


----------



## Ancalagon (Dec 13, 2003)

And so it is the British public have voted in force...Professor Tolkien's 'The Lord of the Rings' is the most renowned and popular book ever


----------



## In Flames (Dec 13, 2003)

I like that list, only i would have put The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy as 2:nd.

When i need a good laugh i read that book.


----------



## Eledhwen (Dec 13, 2003)

I started a new thread on this subject (I did a search first on "The Big Read" - it produced nothing)

I have copied the text of the thread below. Please, someone, delete my other thread. Thx.

*BIG READ: And the Winner Is...... *
Headline text from the www.bbc.co.uk/arts/bigread 

"The Lord Of The Rings is officially the UK's Best-Loved Book.

Written in 1954-55, JRR Tolkien's epic fantasy became a cult favourite and a mainstream hit. 

A classic tale of good versus evil set in Middle Earth, The Lord Of The Rings has emerged as the one book to rule them all."

At the start of the process in May, over 6000 books were nominated. The top 100 went on to the next stage, and then the 21 finalists each had a half-hour presentation on BBC television. Survival expert Ray Mears was the Book Champion for Lord of the Rings.

All previous votes counted for nothing on the final night as the five finalists won their place via the telephone voting during the grand final.

Lord of the Rings won with 23% of the votes.
Pride and Prejudice gained a good second place.
His Dark Materials came third.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy came fourth.
Harry Potter (book 4) gained the 5th place.

Simon Tolkien was at the event to thank the public and to say what JRRT and Lord of the Rings meant to him. He thanked Ray Mears, saying that Ray's presentation was the best short film about Lord of the Rings that he had seen.


----------

