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The range of book recommendations spans historical periods, from H. Rider Haggard’s Victorian tales of explorer Allan Quatermain to Terry Pratchett’s hugely influential Discworld series.

The prevalence of trilogies and series connects many of these disparate stories. Of the 11 most popular authors chosen by readers, only Robert Louis Stevenson and Jules Verne were best known for their standalone novels. The other nine writers all created well-loved worlds that they revisited in sequels or epic series.

Readers’ reasons for nominating those particular books were revealing. We might think of adventure stories as simple tales of good and evil, yet many reported that they were drawn to rich and complex worlds in order to explore difficult choices and moral complexities.

The appeal of familiar characters was also important. One participant described returning to the real world, after completing a favourite adventure series, as 'like losing a friend'.

Another striking feature of the participants’ recommendations was the high percentage of children’s stories. Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, the Lemony Snicket novels and the Artemis Fowl series were all chosen as favourites by adult readers.

The researchers were able to divide respondents by age, and this produced interesting results. Some children’s books, such as the stories of action hero , were more popular with the over-50s. However, Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis and Enid Blyton’s Famous Five and Secret Seven books were favoured by younger adults, suggesting these stories have found new generations of fans.

Again, readers’ reasons for choosing titles were illuminating. One respondent described how Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland had shaped their imagination and inspired them to become more resilient. Another reported that Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons had inspired a life-long love of camping trips.

Notwithstanding the very wide range of books recommended by participants, two authors stood out from the crowd. J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series was one clear favourite, but was beaten into second place by J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. Despite being published over sixty years ago, it was also most popular among younger readers.

His Dark Materials is thrilling 麻豆官网首页入口 audiences, and drawing a new generation to Pullman's classic series.

Of course, Rowling’s and Tolkien’s novels have also become successful film franchises. Both series were popular in their own right beforehand, but this continued exposure may help to explain their current dominance.

Other titles on the list – such as Ian Fleming’s James Bond stories, George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones and Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials novels - probably also owe some of their popularity to successful film and television adaptations. It seems that film studios and television producers, like the readers who responded to the survey, are often drawn to trilogies and series.

This research was inspired by the 麻豆官网首页入口’s list of The Novels That Shaped Our World. For Professors Sebastian Groes and Karina van Dalen-Oskam, who designed the study, it was interesting to compare the two lists.

“The 麻豆官网首页入口 list has been a great talking point,” Groes said, “but a selection of novels compiled by literary professionals is always going to be different to one chosen by the public. Our research shows us not just which books are considered to be important by those who make a living from literature, but which books people are reading because they enjoy them and think they are good.”

Van Dalen-Oskam was quick to point out that judgements made by the public were no less valid that those made by academics, literary agents and critics. “We can see from the responses that novels of all kinds are important to our participants, for all sorts of reasons. People are not just turning to adventure stories for escapism. They want titles that will help them think about the world in new ways.”

Groes and van Dalen-Oskam would like as many people as possible to take part in the ongoing research project. In particular, they are keen to see whether the patterns they have noticed in Adventure stories are replicated in other categories.

“Do readers still return to favourite childhood stories to understand politics, family or other worlds?”, Groes wondered, “or it simply the case that children’s authors tell the best Adventure stories?”

You can find out how to take part in the project here.