Magic, fantasy and the marriage market dominate our subject selection when it comes to revisiting books and favourite tales from childhood, according to a survey of reading habits.

Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, Pride and Prejudice and The Hobbit are the most frequently re-read titles, an opinion poll has shown. The Bible came in only at number 16.

Around 77% of UK readers who enjoy a book read it again, according to the survey, commissioned to mark the 2007 Costa book award. Many say re-reading a familiar book is comforting, and almost a fifth have read their favourite book more than five times.

Readers often turn to old favourites because they are quick to judge a new book. The survey showed that 43% of readers know if they will finish the book after only the first chapter.

A sample of 2,034 people were questioned online in a YouGov survey for the Costa book awards, designed to recognise contemporary British writing. The top 20 revisited reads were:

1. The Harry Potter series - JK Rowling

2. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien

3. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

4. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien

5. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

6. 1984 - George Orwell

7. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown

8. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - CS Lewis

9. Wuthering Heights - Emily Brontë

10. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller

11. Notes From a Small Island - Bill Bryson

12. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

13. Flowers in the Attic - Virginia Andrews

14. Black Beauty - Anna Sewell

15. Good Omens - Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

16. The Bible

17. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

18. Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding

19. Gone With the Wind - Margaret Mitchell

20. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens