Tuesday Trivia

1. What is the largest book in the world and where is it located?
2. How many of Emily Dickinson’s 1,800 poems were published in her lifetime?
3. Which well-known 20^th century, British author was a member of the Inklings, a group associated with Oxford University, alongside other pertinent authors such as C.S. Lewis?
4. In what year was the first mention of an iceberg recorded in literature?
5. What was the working title of Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel Gone With the Wind?

Last Week's Answers

Which well-known 20^th century, British author held his first civilian job after WWI was at the offices of the Oxford English Dictionary as an etymologist?

J.R.R. Tolkien

How many years did it take for the Guinness Book of World Records take to “get into itself” by setting a record as the fastest-selling book in the world?

The Guinness Book of World Records, first published in 1955, got into itself nineteen years later, in 1974, by setting a record as the fastest-selling book in the world.

Who is the top-selling English-language author of all time?

Agatha Christie is the top-selling English-language author of all time. She wrote 78 mystery novels that have sold an estimated 2,000,000,000 copies.

Which classical Roman poet left instructions to burn his masterwork when he died because he didn’t have time to polish it?

The Roman emperor Augustus, who had requested the Aeneid be written, denied Vergil's request to burn the masterwork upon his death. Augustus had others edit the few instances where minor changes were needed, and ordered the work published.

Which Jerzy Kosinski novel is based on his unexpected stopover in New York on a flight from Los Angeles to Paris?

On August 8, 1969, Kosinski was flying to Los Angeles from Paris, with a short stopover in New York when all of his luggage was accidentally unloaded, and he had to get off the plane to go through customs. That night, because of the luggage mix-up, he missed his visit with the actress Sharon Tate and other friends, and was absent when Charles Manson paid his infamous visit to the Tate house. Kosinski later wrote about this close call in the novel Blind Date.