Every book is a journey

You don't want a book that is too exciting or terrifying.

You don't want a book that is too exciting or terrifying.

Published May 24, 2013

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London - With few distractions, a plane is one of the best places to get stuck into a book. With that in mind, Aussie airline Qantas has commissioned some novels which take as long to read as the flights upon which they are placed.

The ad agency behind the campaign used research from publisher Hachette that suggested an average reader could read 200-300 words a minute.

So we've used a speedy 300wpm reader and approximate flight times* to work out which books you could read in full on a single flight**:

 

* We're not counting fuel stops

** Yes, we also doubt that anyone could read War And Peace in one sitting...

 

ANIMAL FARM

GEORGE ORWELL

1 hour 39 minutes

29,966 words

A flight from Heathrow to Munich

 

BRAVE NEW WORLD

ALDOUS HUXLEY

3 hours, 30 minutes

64,531 words

A flight from Heathrow to Athens

 

MADAME BOVARY

GUSTAVE FLAUBERT

6 hours, 30 minutes

117,963 words

A flight from Heathrow to New York

 

MOBY DICK

HERMAN MELVILLE

11 hours, 30 minutes

209,117 words

A flight from Heathrow to Tokyo

 

WAR AND PEACE

LEO TOLSTOY

30 hours

544,406 words

A flight from Heathrow to Hawaii (via Sydney) - The Independent

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