Research into the city's reading habits by online bookseller Bookworld revealed that 19 per cent of books bought by Launcestonians are cookbooks - with British chef Jamie Oliver's recipes the most sought after.

Two of Oliver's publications -Jamie's 15-Minute Meals and Save With Jamie - respectively occupy the first and second place in Launceston's bestsellers of all time.

Almost 70 per cent of books bought are non- fiction with biographies taking up 15 per cent and dieting books are a close second with 14 per cent.

About 50 per cent of fiction books sold are from the general and literary category.

The city's bookworms also love crime, thriller and sci-fi novels.

The research found that readers from Launceston are traditionalist, with ebooks making up just 25 per cent of sales from Bookworld since 2010.

Petrarchs manager Marcus Durkin said whether books were sold online or in store, people still wanted a quality product.

"The list in general was fairly accurate to what we sell, but it doesn't take into account a lot of the kids books - every child loves Peppa Pig.

"All the mainstream chefs' books are in high demand ... as well as some of the lesser known chefs that almost have a niche following," he said.