When the time came to donate books to Oxfam, charity givers donated more Dan Brown books than any other author, the charity's annual survey revealed today.

Swedish author Stieg Larsson, who penned the Millennium trilogy, JK Rowling and Stephenie Meyer, responsible for the Harry Potter and Twilight series followed suit.

Oxfam's best-selling author Ian Rankin said, "It's great to be Oxfam's most purchased author for the second year in a row - and I'm really pleased that readers are donating my books to Oxfam too," reports The Telegraph.

Oxfam is Europe's biggest high street retailer of second-hand books and the third-biggest bookseller in the UK.

"Everyone expects to find Shakespeare and the Brontes in Oxfam shops, but our shoppers are just as likely to pick up a book from the Twilight series or one of the Stieg Larsson trilogy," charity's trading director David McCullough said.

Brown has become one of the world's best-paid authors despite heavy criticism from several eminent writers who condemn his writing style.

His 'The Da Vinci Code' spent more than two years in the top 10 best-seller lists, and the sequel, The Lost Symbol, was another literary hit.

The most donated authors to Oxfam shops (with last year's position in brackets) were:

1.Dan Brown (1)

2.Ian Rankin (3)

3.Patricia Cornwell (9)

4.Alexander McCall Smith (New entry)

5.John Grisham (2)

6.Danielle Steel (4)

7.JK Rowling (7)

8.Jeremy Clarkson (New entry)

9.Maeve Binchy (New entry)

10.Bill Bryson (New entry) (ANI)