Fifty Shades among best books of the year

Fifty Shades of Grey is the best selling book of all time in the UK.Photo / File

Fifty Shades Of Grey, the bestselling sensation by EL James, has been named one of the books of the year at a literary awards ceremony.

The book, the first of a trilogy of steamy tales dubbed "mummy porn", has become a literary phenomenon, selling more than 5.3 million copies to become the best selling book of all time in the UK.

It was named the Popular Fiction Book of the Year at the National Book Awards last night - seeing off competition from five other books including Bernard Cornwell's historical novel 1356 and Kate Mosse's Citadel.

Others winners included comic Miranda Hart, who won the Non-Fiction prize for Is It Just Me?, and David Walliams, whose Ratburger was named Children's Book of the Year.

Sports presenter Clare Balding won the Autobiography category for My Animals And Other Family, ahead of other shortlisted authors including Walliams, Salman Rushdie and Who guitarist Pete Townshend.

Amanda Ross, managing director of Cactus TV which produces the show, said: "These awards rightly celebrate the books people are actually buying, reading and loving. The shortlist serves as the perfect Christmas gift guide."

The event, formally known as the Specsavers National Book Awards, was hosted by Lorraine Kelly at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hyde Park, central London.

The Hairy Bikers, by Si King and Dave Myers, beat Great British Bake-Off presenter Mary Berry to the title of Food and Drink Book of the Year.

Lee Child's A Wanted Man was named Crime Book of the Year and Man Booker Prize winner Hilary Mantel was UK Author of the Year.

- PAA