Popularity Index

The Independent has a headline sure to warm the cockles of an English professor's heart: "Shakespeare has more friends than J.K. Rowling." The article refers to the work of www.allfacebook.com, which compiled a list of authors ranked according to their number of friends on Facebook:

1. Stephen King (1,302,973 fans)
   
2. Nicholas Sparks (506,300)
   
3. George Orwell (399,403)
   
4. Shakespeare (356,920)
   
5. Nora Roberts (290,836)
   
6. Stephenie Meyer (261,176)
   
7. Jane Austen (230,814)
   
8. Anne Rice (229,192)
   
9. Jodi Picoult (209,637)
   
10. Sidney Sheldon (207,727)

Details are here.--David E