Every dedicated reader will know that sinking feeling of battling through a book they are not enjoying just to get to the bitter end.

But reader’s guilt should be officially at an end, according to The Reading Agency, as it advises simply putting down any novel which does not bring you pleasure.

A poll, commissioned by the agency, found more than a fifth of British readers refused to give up on a book, no matter how much they are struggling, while others will wait weeks, or even months, before conceding defeat.

It also indicated that the majority of Britons will avoid reading material that they believe will make them sad, with a considerable proportion saying they see reading as a form of escape and want to be transported to a happy place.

The Reading Agency, which commissioned the survey to mark World Book Night on Monday April 23, suggested that anyone who finds themselves facing "book block" should not force themselves to continue with the book in question.

The great unfinished: top five

Fifty Shades Of Grey by EL James The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring by JRR Tolkien Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix by JK Rowling Great Expectations by Charles Dickens Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights.

The poll, of 2,000 people, suggests that readers are more likely to have difficulty with modern-day novels.