Public Lending Remuneration

The ‘most borrowed statistics’ are compiled by the PLR Office from data provided by library services around the country. The Top 10 National List of Most Borrowed Titles and Authors below is compiled using the Top 100 titles from each of the public library authorities.

The Top 40 list of Most Borrowed Titles and Authors below accumulates loans data from January to June 2009.

The Top 40 List is conspicuous by the high number of Irish authors featured throughout the titles list, some with multiple entries. Maeve Binchy for example, appears at No.2 with ‘Heart and Soul’ as well as ‘This year it will be different’ placed at No.16.

In addition, Patricia Scanlan, Cecilia Ahern and Cathy Kelly’s increasing popularity is highlighted by two title entries each and other Irish authors to feature prominently include Marian Keyes, Sebastian Barry, John Boyne, Bram Stoker and Sheila O’Flanagan.

However, one name dominates above all others and that is the prolific Francesca Simon. Her ‘Horrid Henry’ series of books is hugely popular with Irish children as are the works of Jacqueline Wilson and Daisy Meadows who appear at No.2 and No.3 respectively in the authors list.

Another fascinating aspect of the list is that only two of the titles in the Top 40, namely The Official Driver Theory Test and ‘The Secret’ are non-fiction with the other 38 entries either children’s literature or fiction.

James Patterson’s success as the UK’s Most Borrowed Author for the last two years reflects his popularity on both sides of the Irish Sea with the thriller writer placed at No.4 on our list.

A welcome inclusion at No.7 is Stephenie Meyer, author of the vampire romance series ‘Twilight’ and her global success in sales and loans looks set to continue for some time yet.

The presence of Roger Hargreaves, creator of the Mr. Men and Little Miss series, at No.13  in the Authors list illustrates perfectly the enduring appeal of children’s classics and his series are for many their first introduction to reading.

Authors are included in these listings whether or not they are eligible to register books for Irish PLR.

The PLR Registrar is satisfied for the information in this release to be made widely accessible, provided that PLR’s role in compiling the information is acknowledged.

Top 10 Most Borrowed Titles

The ‘most borrowed statistics’ are compiled by the PLR Office from data provided by library services around the country. The Top 10 National List of Most Borrowed Titles and Authors below is compiled using the Top 100 titles from each of the public library authorities. The data below is from June 2009.

The Official Driver Theory Test was the most borrowed title for the fifth occasion in six months since January, followed closely by ‘Man Gone Down’, written by Michael Thomas, which was recently awarded the prestigious International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.

Seven of the remaining eight titles in our top 10 were written by Irish authors, with the exception being J.K. Rowling’s ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ which appears in eighth place.

An interesting inclusion is Colm Tóibin’s acclaimed new work ‘Brooklyn’ which makes its first appearance in our lists at Number 10 and we would expect it to figure prominently over the coming months.

1.    Official Driver Theory Test – Prometric/Road Safety Authority
2.    Man Gone Down – Michael Thomas
3.    Heart and Soul – Maeve Binchy
4.    The Secret Scripture – Sebastian Barry
5.    Happy Ever After – Patricia Scanlan
6.    Once in a Lifetime- Cathy Kelly
7.    This Charming Man – Marian Keyes
8.    Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – J.K. Rowling
9.    The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas – John Boyne
10.   Brooklyn – Colm Tóibin

Top 10 Most Borrowed Authors

The Top 10 Most Borrowed Authors category is dominated again by children’s authors Francesca Simon and Jacqueline Wilson with the former topping the list for the sixth successive month and Wilson occupying second place for the same length of time.

The prolific James Patterson occupies third place thanks to titles such as ‘Cross Country’, ‘8th Confession’, ‘Sail’, ‘7th Heaven’ and ‘Run for your Life’ and his back catalogue as well as his new titles seem as popular as ever with library users.

Similarly, Stephenie Meyer’s ascent into our Top 10 sees no signs of abating thanks to the success of ‘New Moon’, ‘Eclipse’, ‘Breaking Dawn’, ‘Twilight’ and ‘The Host’ and her 4th place position is her highest standing since the turn of the year.

1.    Francesca Simon; illustrated by Tony Ross
2.    Jacqueline Wilson; illustrated by Nick Sharratt
3.    James Patterson
4.    Stephenie Meyer
5.    J.K. Rowling
6.    Jodi Picoult
7.    Patricia Scanlan
8.    Cathy Kelly
9.    Maeve Binchy
10.   Michael Thomas

The PLR Registrar is satisfied for the information in this release to be made widely accessible, provided that PLR’s role in compiling the information is acknowledged.