Alongside ease of use, I find the reviews on Amazon one of its greatest attractions. I assumed that the quantity of them and the algorithms behind them were sufficient to ensure that they were also pretty representative.

Having never looked too deeply, I never really questioned that assumption until I happened to be having a conversation with a former Amazonian who said that gaming was actually a pretty serious issue there.

The seeds of doubt having been sewn I found myself looking at Amazon through more sceptical eyes and today I finally saw those seeds take root.

Browsing through the "Hot 25" Science and Nature books, I was a little surprised to see the IEE Wiring Regulations: BS7671, 2001 Incorporating Amendments No. 1 & 2, 2004 creeping in at #14.

It's a full two places above the Selfish Gene and only bettered (in the wiring literature) by the slightly more old-school, IEE on Site Guide (BS 7671: 2001 16th Edition Wiring Regulations Including Amendment 2: 2002) which creeps in at 10.

(Do also take a peek at the customer reviews of IEE Wiring Regulations: BS7671, 2001 Incorporating Amendments No. 1 & 2, 2004, they're well worth a moment of even the lay-person's time.)

It hardly seems appropriate for me to be advising the world's biggest bookstore but I fear it's time they had a bit of a rethink in the algorithm and classification depts.