Shock news! Reading books is good for you.

Oxford University has conducted extensive research amongst more than 17,000 people which shows that girls who had read books at age 16 had a 39 per cent probability of a professional or managerial post at 33, but only a 25 per cent chance if they had not. For boys who read regularly, the figure went up from 48 per cent to 58 per cent.

The news is likely to be welcomed by Education Secretary Michael Gove, who was mocked recently by trendy lefties following his call for school children to read 50 books a year.

Notwithstanding that this study was carried out by one of our most eminent universities, it begs the question as to the usefulness of such research. For most people, the results will be nothing more than a statement of the bleedin’ obvious. There can be little doubt that reading litereature expands your mind, even if it is only Jane Austen’s Emma rather than a proper sci-fi novel.