Shakespeare trounced by Binchy in book-day poll

James Joyce finished nowhere and Shakespeare only scraped in, but Roald Dahl has easily topped the list of Britain's 50 favourite authors in a major readers' poll.

Maeve Binchy finished sixth in the survey, compiled to mark World Book Day; and while the list is dominated by popular fiction, Ireland's best-selling author is in some highly respectable company.

Jane Austen, boosted by BBC's ongoing love-affair with period costumes, is seventh; Charles Dickens 13th; and the late Patrick O'Brian finished 26th.

At her home in Dalkey yesterday, Maeve Binchy was still refusing to let success go to her head, recalling that she'd spent 10 years "rearranging the stock in bookshops" to improve the prospects of her early work.

"It's not very surprising when you look at the kind of list it is," she said. "I'm mainly an airport author, and if you're trying to take your mind off the journey, you're not going to read King Lear. I've seen a lot of people buy my books and then fall asleep on the plane soon afterwards."

Still, James Joyce, whose Finnegans Wake has had a similar effect on readers, doesn't feature at all.

Nor does Roddy Doyle, or Salman Rushdie, both of whom have straddled the line between popularity and critical acclaim, however uncomfortably; Shakespeare, who in his time was considered by some critics to be a bit too successful to be good, does make the cut, albeit at No 50.

The survey was unusual in that it involved children as well as adults; and Dahl, whose books appealed to both, claimed one in 20 of the votes. His widow, Felicity, said yesterday she was "just thrilled for Roald's sake that he continues to be so popular almost 10 years after his death."

J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, was second most popular, ahead of Terry Pratchett, Catherine Cookson (who would have topped the poll on adult votes) and Jacqueline Wilson. Enid Blyton finished only 17th. Graham Greene was 45th, one place behind George Orwell, and three ahead of P.G. Wodehouse.

Normally held on April 23rd, the idea of World Book Day began in Catalonia, where it is traditional to give a book and a rose on St George's Day. It was brought forward this year to avoid the Easter holiday. More than 40,000 people voted in the survey, which was started in January and ran for nearly a month.