Darcy, the object of most women readers' desire

The dashing and noble hero Mr Darcy is the dream date for female bookworms, a survey found today.

Jane Austen’s creation from Pride And Prejudice beats James Bond for readers’ hearts in a poll to find the literary characters with whom they would share a romantic encounter.

Darcy – played by Colin Firth in a BBC adaptation of the tale – was also top of the guest list for a fantasy dinner party in research to mark this week’s Orange Prize for Fiction.

He appealed most as a dream date to women in their 20s and 50s, according to the poll of 1,900 women.

They were also asked their favourite book written by a woman with Pride And Prejudice favourite among the over-40s.

Women under 40 favoured Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding – whose romantic hero is also Mr Darcy, based on the Austen character.

Honorary Director of the Orange Prize, Kate Mosse, said of the dream date list: “It suggests that our favourite fictional characters, such as Mr Darcy, are those we meet early on in our reading lives and that we remain loyal to them.”

The winner of the Orange Prize for Fiction 2003 will be announced on Tuesday in London.

The shortlisted titles are Buddha Da by Anne Donovan, Heligoland by Shena Mackay, Property by Valerie Martin, Unless by Carol Shields, The Autograph Man by Zadie Smith, The Little Friend by Donna Tartt.

Top 10 literary dream dates:

1. Mr Darcy

2. James Bond

3. Superman

4. Hercule Poirot

5. Inspector Morse

6. Heathcliff

7. Sherlock Holmes

8. Rhett Butler

9. Prince Charming

10. Sharpe

Women who were read to as children now read twice as many books as those who were not, the study – carried out by Book Marketing Limited – also found.