Am I Normal?social
I've pretended to have read a book I haven't read in order to seem more educated
Book bluffing is extremely common, particularly around literary classics. A 2019 survey found that among Britons, up to 65% admitted to bluffing about books. The social pressure to appear well-read is significant in certain contexts, and the perceived cost of admission ('I haven't read it') feels higher than the bluff.
Have you ever done this?
Be honest — have you ever done this?
Related fact
George Orwell's 1984, Tolstoy's War and Peace, and James Joyce's Ulysses consistently top lists of 'books people claim to have read but haven't' across multiple countries.