HE MAY HAVE sold millions of novels, but it’s not all good news for Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown – his works are also the books most commonly given away.

A new survey shows multi-millionaire Brown, famous for his stories of ancient conspiracies and self-flagellating monks, tops the chart for books handed in to Oxfam’s 685 UK stores. He edges out Top Gear petrolhead Jeremy Clarkson in third place, Twilight author Stephanie Meyer in fourth and JK Rowling in ninth.

Ireland’s own Maeve Binchy also put in a strong showing. She came in seventh on the most-donated list, up from ninth last year. It is Brown’s second year in a row at the number one spot.

The charity also released details of its bestsellers for last year. Stieg Larsson’s Girl With The Dragon Tattoo trilogy topped the chart, with Joanna Trollope in ninth. Mills & Boon novels also appear to be enjoying a resurgence – they were a new entry in seventh place.

Here’s the full list of most unwanted books, in slideshow form: