Best books behind movies chosen


James Purefoy and Reese Witherspoon were in 2004's Vanity Fair
The 50 greatest books to have been adapted for the cinema have been named in a bid to persuade film fans to use London libraries.
Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brien and LA Confidential by James Ellroy are among the books selected by employees of the capital's 395 libraries.

Books filmed under new titles - such as Barry Hines' A Kestrel For a Knave, filmed as Kes - are also included.

The complete Reel Fiction list is available from libraries and bookshops.

"It was not necessary that the films were good, just that the books are good," a London Libraries Development Agency (LLDA) spokesperson said.

The 50 selected books were not ranked to find an overall winner, however, due to "the wide range of taste and genres on offer".

Books that have been recently adapted, such as Charles Frazier's Cold Mountain and John King's The Football Factory, are included alongside past cinema hits 2001: A Space Odyssey and A Room With a View.

Some that led to loose cinema interpretations, such as Isaac Asimov's I, Robot - which inspired a film starring Will Smith - also featured in the librarians' top 50.

"As a film buff, I'm delighted that with Reel Fiction, libraries are bringing moviegoers back to the novel that inspired the film," said LLDA chair Lyn Brown.

REEL FICTION EXAMPLES
Vanity Fair - WM Thackeray
Mystic River - Dennis Lehane
Interview with the Vampire - Anne Rice
About a Boy - Nick Hornby
A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess
Empire of the Sun - JG Ballard
Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
Get Carter - Ted Lewis
Chocolat - Joanne Harris
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - Philip K Dick (filmed as Bladerunner)