Random Observation

[unforth]

It vaguely horrifies me to notice that 4 times as many LibraryThing users own "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" than own "Hamlet."

Comments

[teleidoplex]

To be fair, a lot of people probably have their Hamlet in a Complete Works. For instance, I have probably four or five copies of Hamlet in various forms because plays usually come collected.

[unforth.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I know, and also in volumes of "4 tragedies," etc., and the numbers I have definitely wouldn't reflect that. But it still causes me pain.

[kniedzw.livejournal.com]

Yep. Riverside accounts for another 3000, bringing it up to about half the HPatSC numbers. ...but when you look at the other likely "complete works" (including the Norton Shakespeare and the Norton Anthology of English Literature), I'd estimate only another 1000 copies at most. ...which means that we're still in the 2:1 ratio of Harry to Hamlet.

That said, LibraryThing may not be representative of most readers. Unfortunately, I think they're skewed toward Shakespeare.

I must admit to be vaguely horrified as well. :)

[unforth.livejournal.com]

Exactly. Even if you toss in volumes of all the tragedies, or the mini anthologies that include Hamlet, a scan of the list only adds another couple hundred.