BOOKS 1
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1. Who is the bestselling author of the Dollanganger series of books, the first of which is “Flowers in the attic”?
Virginia Andrews (VC Andrews)
2. What is the second book in JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy?
The two towers
3. What is the name of the wizarding pub in London in the Harry Potter novels?
The Leaky Cauldron
4. Which novel was described by the New York Times as “Dan Brown’s best selling primer on how not to write an English sentence”?
The Da Vinci code
5. Which US author has published seven novels under the pen name Richard Bachman?
Stephen King
6. What was the title of Madonna's 1992 book?
Sex
7. In which two cities was George Orwell "Down and out" in, in his 1933 novel?
Paris and London
8.Which ‘Mr Man’ was purple and shaped like a triangle?
Mr Rush
9.In A Midsummer’s Night's dream, which character gets his head turned into that of a donkey?
Nick Bottom
10.The SS heart of Gold is the spaceship in which Sci-fi book (and later, radio and TV series)?
Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy
BOOKS 2
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1. In 1877, Thomas Edison made one of the earliest voice recordings. But which nursery rhyme did he recite?
Mary had a little lamb
2. "Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much!” Are the first words of which book?
Harry Potter and the philosopher's stone
3. What is the name of the author of the Inspector Morse novels?
Colin Dexter
4. Which poem by Rudyard Kipling ends with the line “And which is more, you’ll be a man my son”?
If
5. In which city were Anne Frank's family hiding from the Nazis?
Amsterdam
6.The 16th century vast eight-choir musical work 'Spem in alium' by Thomas Tallis became a best seller in 2012 after featuring in which controversial book?
Fifty Shades of Grey
7. The 1726 novel 'Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World, in Four Parts' is better known by what title?
Gulliver's Travels
8. Who wrote the books “Notes from a small island” and “a short history of nearly everything”?
Bill Bryson
9. What is the name of Vladimir Nabokov’s controversial 1955 book about a professor who becomes obsessed with his 12 year old step daughter?
Lolita
10. The writer Leslie Charteris is most famous for chronicling the adventures of which character?
Simon Templar/The Saint
BOOKS 3
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1. Samuel Langhorne Clemens is an American writer, often called the father of American literature but how do we know him?
Mark Twain
2. Which Shakespeare play features the words “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers”?
Henry V
3. What was the name of Terry Pratchett’s first discworld book published in 1983?
The colour of magic
4. What was the subject of the 2004 best seller Eats, shoots and leaves?
Punctuation
5. In March 2012, 244 years after its first publication, what informative publication discontinued in print?
The Encyclopaedia Britannica
6. Which novel begins "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife..."?
Pride and Prejudice
7. Light a Penny Candle and Circle of Friends are books by which hugely popular Irish writer?
Maeve Binchy
8. Whose autobiography was entitled ‘losing my virginity’?
Richard Branson
9.
Whose books include “The wasp factory” and “the Crow Road”?
Iain Banks
10. Zoologist Desmond who wrote the book "the naked ape" which was serialised in newspapers in the late 60's?
Desmond Morris
BOOKS 4
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1. Fictional character Detective Inspector John Rebus was created by which author?
Ian Rankin
2. Which of his books did British author Jeffrey Archer re-write in 2009, 30 years after its first publication?
Kane and Abel
3. Which city is the start and finish of the 1873 novel ‘Around the World in Eighty Days’?
London
4. Which 2 cities is Dickens “A tale of two cities” set in?
London and Paris
5. In publishing, how are the duo of Charles and Gerald better known?
Mills and Boon
6. What is the literal English translation of the title of Adolf Hitler’s book ‘Mein Kampf’?
My Struggle
7. What word refers to a fictional book of between 20,000 and 50,000 words?
Novella
8. Which author wrote the 1886 novel ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’?
Robert Louis Stevenson
9. Which literary person famously left his wife “his second best bed” in his will?
Shakespeare
10.What position does Harry Potter play in Quidditch?
The seeker
BOOKS 5
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1. In the Shakespeare play ‘Hamlet’ the skull of which character is held by Hamlet?
Yorick
2. Becky Sharp is the name of a character in which famous novel, which is also the title of a famous fashion and culture magazine?
Vanity Fair
3. What name is given to the left hand side of a book?
Verso
4. "It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.” Are the first lines of which novel?
1984 by George Orwell
5. Which TV duo have an autobiography entitled ‘Ooh! What A Lovely Pair’?
Ant and Dec
6. According to John Gray’s 1992 book, where are women from?
Venus
7. Cobweb is a fairy in which Shakespeare play?
A midsummers night’s dream
8. Which wife of one of the Beatles wrote the book ‘Grapefruit’?
Yoko Ono
9. What famous 1945 book includes the first of seven commandments, "Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy"?
Animal farm
10. Jamaica Inn, made famous by writer Daphne du Maurier, lies on which moor?
Bodmin
BOOKS 6
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1. What is the name of the third of the Bridget Jones books?
Bridget Jones: mad about the boy
2. In 1703, the author of Robinson Crusoe was put in stocks for writing a political pamphlet though all that he was pelted with was flowers. What is his name?
Daniel Defoe
3. Founded in 1769 what is the name of the specialist British publisher of guides to aristocracy, etiquette, and correct forms of address?
Debrett's
4. For which novel, which became an Oscar winning film in 1965, was Boris Pasternak awarded the Noble prize for literature in 1958?
Dr Zhivago
5. Dr DG Hessayon has sold over 50 million books on which subject?
Gardening
6. Who is the author of the Song of Ice and Fire series of novels that were adapted into the TV series “Game of thrones”?
George RR Martin
7. Who was the deaf and blind American author who wrote such works as The Story of my Life, Out of the Dark and Let us have Faith?
Helen Keller
8. Who wrote the science fiction thrillers 'The Day Of The Triffids', 'The Midwich Cuckoos' and 'The Kraken Wakes'?
John Wyndham
9. What Mr Men character is orange with ridiculously long arms and a blue hat?
Mr Tickle
10. In which classic book would you meet an Irishman called Smee?
Peter pan
BOOKS 7
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1. In the UK, the books are called “Where’s Wally”, what are they called in the US?
Where’s Waldo
2. Which Shakespeare play tells the story of two sets of identical twins who were accidentally separated at birth?
A comedy of errors
3. Who is the author of the books Bravo Two Zero and Immediate Action?
Andy McNab
4. Name the book from the synopsis: ‘Old Major’ trains Snowball and Napoleon for the rebellion. When Old Major dies, they lead the revolt against Mr Jones.
Animal Farm by George Orwell
5. Who is the author of the “Sharpe” series of books, portrayed on TV by Sean Bean?
Bernard Cornwell
6. What country is the home to the No1 Detective Agency series of books
Botswana
7. What is the name of the human anatomy book which has been published every year since 1858 and is regarded as the primary textbook in the field?
Grays Anatomy
8. In the Lord of the rings trilogy, who uses the alias Mr Underhill?
Frodo Baggins
9. Captain Arthur Hastings is the sidekick of which Agatha Christie character?
Hercule Poirot
10. Who wrote the Nobel Prize winning novel The Grapes of Wrath published in 1939?
John Steinbeck
BOOKS 8
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1. Don Quixote is one of the biggest selling fiction book of all time, but who is the author?
Miguel de Cervantes
2. According to Shakespeare, who had a horse called White Surrey?
Richard III
3. Which author wrote the James Bond novel “Devil may care” for the 100th anniversary of Ian Fleming's birth?
Sebastian Faulkes
4. In the final Harry Potter book, who becomes head master of Hogwarts?
Severus Snape
5. What are the names of the two boats in the book Swallows and Amazons?
Swallow and Amazon
6. The book "The Female what" catapulted Germaine Greer to fame?
The female Eunuch
7. What is the last book in the Chronicles of Narnia series by CS Lewis?
The last battle
8. Who was the fictional creation of the reverend W.V Awdry?
Thomas the tank engine
9. Who wrote the 1831 novel ‘The Hunchback of Notre-Dame?
Victor Hugo
10. What kind of animal is Ratty in Wind in the Willows?
Water vole
BOOKS 9
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1. In which war is the 1962 satirical novel catch 22 set?
World war 2
2. Who wrote “Clear and present danger” and “debt of honour”?
Tom Clancy
3. What was the name of the King’s jester in Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’?
Yorick
4. The book Brick Lane’ by Monica Ali is set in which London borough?
Tower Hamlets
5.Which mystery writer, best known for creating Inspector Wexford also wrote under the name Barbara Vine?
Ruth Rendell
6. What is the name of the children’s book that Prince Charles wrote and had published in 1980?
The Old Man of Lochnagar
7. The Picture of Dorian Grey is which authors only published novel?
Oscar Wilde
8. Sir Richard Burton first translated which instructive Indian work of literature in 1883?
The Kama Sutra
9. The Pushkin prize, established in 1881 was created to celebrate the height of excellence in literature in which country?
Russia
10. Who wrote the poem “Gunga Din”?
Rudyard Kipling
BOOKS 10
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1. Who wrote the Book of verses “Now we are six”?
AA Milne
2. Who won a place in the Guinness Book of Records for writing 26 books in 1982?
Barbara Cartland
3. Who wrote the books “Dead famous” and “popcorn”?
Ben Elton
4. Which English medieval book begins at the Tabard Inn?
Canterbury tales
5. Which British writer was, in 2009, the first female poet laureate?
Carol Ann Duffy
6. Which author created the character Moll Flanders?
Daniel Defoe
7. Which of the Bronte sisters wrote Wuthering Heights?
Emily Bronte
8. What Robert Harris Novel is set in a world where Adolf Hitler won WW2?
Fatherland
9. Leo Tolstoy's book War and Peace concerns the 1812 invasion of Russia by which country?
France
10. Who wrote the books “The spy who came in from the cold” and “Tinker, tailor, soldier, spy”?
John Le Carre
BOOKS 11
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1. How many books are there in the Harry Potter series?
7
2. My family and other animals is the 1956 auto bio of whose childhood?
Gerald Durrell
3. With which famous novel written by Robert Louis Stevenson would you associate the ship Hispaniola?
Treasure Island
4. In which city did Romeo and Juliet fall in love?
Verona
5. The Bands Heaven 17 and Moloko got their names from which Anthony Burgess book?
A clockwork orange
6. In 1960 the UK publishing ban was lifted on what 1928 book?
Lady Chatterley's Lover (by D H Lawrence)
7. What did fictional detective Sherlock Holmes keep in the toe of his Persian slipper?
Tobacco
8. Who is the author of “For whom the bell tolls”?
Ernest Hemmingway
9. Which was the first Mr Man book published in 1971?
Mr Tickle
10. "Forced from their home, the Joad family is lured to California to find work; instead they find disillusionment, exploitation, and hunger." Is the synopsis of which book by which author?
The grapes of wrath – John steinbeck
BOOKS 12
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1. Which book by Harper Lee won the 1961 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction?
To kill a mockingbird
2. A museum dedicated to which Author can be found in Havana?
Ernest Hemmingway
3. What is the second book in the Harry Potter series?
The Chamber of Secrets
4. In fiction, who lived at 221B Baker Street?
Sherlock Holmes
5. In Edward Lear’s ‘The Owl and the Pussycat’, how much did they pay the pig for the ring in his nose to use as a wedding ring?
One shilling
6. Which famous British author used the pen name Mary Westmacott?
Agatha Christie
7. Which Sci-Fi author wrote ‘The Foundation Trilogy’?
Isaac Asimov
8. Who wrote “Brideshead Revisited” and “Vile bodies”?
Evelyn Waugh
9. Who narrates Markus Zusak's The Book Thief?
Death
10. How old was Juliet when she died in Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet?
13
BOOKS 13
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1. Which American socialite, in 2004, wrote a book entitled "Confessions of an heiress"?
Paris Hilton
2. Which Agatha Christie murder mystery took place on a cruise ship?
Death on the Nile
3. Rikki-Tikki-Tavi is the creation of which author?
Rudyard Kipling
4. Who wrote the books "Adam Bede", "Middlemarch" and "Silas Marner"?
George Eliot
5. Mercutio is the fool in which Shakespeare play?
Romeo and Juliet
6. Who was Othello’s wife in Shakespeare’s Othello?
Desdemona
7. The “Crystal cave” by Mary Stewart is a retelling of the Arthurian legend from the point of view of which magical character?
Merlin
8. Samwise Gangee, Peregrin Took and Meriadoc Brandybuck are what type of fictional characters?
Hobbits
9. “Cider with Rosie” is the 1959 novel recounting whose childhood?
Laurie Lee
10. Which famous Victorian author lived at number 14 Great Russell Street, London?
Charles Dickens
BOOKS 14
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1. What 1948 novel was originally going to be called ‘The Last Man in Europe?
1984
2. Who wrote Brighton Rock (1938) and Our Man in Havana (1958)?
Graham Greene
3. What was the name of Bill Sykes dog in Charles Dickens's "Oliver Twist"?
Bullseye.
4. What was the name of the central family in John Steinbeck’s “The grapes of wrath”?
The Joads
5. Name the Lebanese writer Kahlil Gibran's famous 1923 philosophical collection of verses, with sales of over 100m copies?
The Prophet
6. What is the famous opening line of Shakespeare’s Richard 3rd?
This is the winter of our discontent
7. Who wrote the World War 1 trilogy which included the books "Regeneration", "The eye in the door" and "The ghost road"?
Pat Barker
8. In the Harry Potter series of books, what is the American version of Quidditch?
Quodpot
9. In the Sharp adventure stories by Bernhard Cromwell, what is Sharp’s first name?
Richard
10. Which French nobleman wrote the risque 18th Century novels ‘Justine, or the Misfortunes of Virtue’ and ‘Philosophy in the Bedroom’?
Marquis de Sade
BOOKS 15
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1. Who is the author of the Children’s books “Grandpa's Great Escape” and “The World's Worst Children” published in 2015 and 2016 respectively?
David Walliams
2. What sport was at the centre of the book Death in the Afternoon by Ernest Hemmingway?
Bullfighting
3. Stephanie Meyer is best known for which series of vampire novels?
Twilight
4. PL Travers is most famous for writing which series of books about a nanny?
Mary Poppins
5. Which Greek philosopher and writer first wrote about the lost island of Atlantis?
Plato
6. Who wrote the semi-autobiographical novel “The Bell Jar”?
Sylvia Plath
7. Who wrote “the silence of the lambs”?
Thomas Harris
8. Which politician wrote the novel A Parliamentary Affair?
Edwina Currie
9. “The modern Prometheus” is the alternative name of which 1818 horror novel?
Frankenstein
10. In which Dickens novel would you find a convict called Magwitch?
Great Expectations
BOOKS 16
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1. Which classic author, best known for writing Jane Eyre, wrote under the name Currer Bell?
Charlotte Bronte
2. “The beautiful and damned” and “Tender is the night” are novels by which author?
F Scott Fitzgerald
3. Barbara McCorquodale, famous for wearing pink a lot, wrote 723 novels in her life time but what is her pen name?
Barbara Cartland
4. The Ego and the Id published in 1923 is the work of which neurologist and founder of psychoanalysis?
Sigmund Freud
5. Newspeak is the official language of society called in which dystopian novel?
1984
6. Which "Bond" wrote the book ‘Reporting Royalty’ in 2001?
Jennie Bond
7. Which public school, whose most famous pupil was Billy Bunter, was invented by the writer Frank Richards, and was the setting for his best known stories?
Greyfriars
8. Which Robert Louis Stevenson book, which has been turned into a number of films, is about the memoirs of David Balfour?
Kidnapped
9. In Mary Shelly’s book, what is Frankenstein’s first name?
Dr Victor Frankenstein
10.‘I am born. Whether I turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else’ are the opening lines of which Charles Dickens novel?
David Copperfield
BOOKS 17​
1. Which was the first James Bond novel to be published by Ian Fleming?
Casino Royale
2. Dr Alex Comfort is best known for which informative book published in 1972?
The Joy of Sex
3. What is Mr Rochester’s first name in the novel ‘Jane Eyre’ by Charlotte Bronte?
Edward
4. What is the name of the title character in Shakespeare’s “Merchant of Venice”?
Antonio
5. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis de Bernières was set in which country?
Greece
6. Which American woman released the book "Full disclosure" about her relationship with Donald Trump, in 2018?
Stormy Daniels
7. What was the name of the first novel published by Stephen King in 1974?
Carrie
8. Who wrote the book "Jurassic Park"?
Michael Crichton
9. The epic 'Beowulf' , is the oldest surviving poem manuscript in what language?
English
10. “The creatures outside looked from pig to man and from man to pig and from pig to man again: but already it was impossible to say which was which" are the last words of which book?
Animal Farm
BOOKS 18​
1. Which fictional detective lived and worked in flat 203 at 56B Whitehaven Mansions?
Hercule Poirot
2. How old was Adrian Mole when he wrote his ‘Secret Diary’ according to Sue Townsend’s 1982 book?
Thirteen and three-quarters
3. In which book is the name for Britain “airstrip one”?
1984
4. "Murder on the Calais Coach" was the US title of which Agatha Christie novel?
Murder on the Orient Express
5. What is the name of the author, born in August 1819, whose best known novel is Moby-Dick?
Herman Melville
6. Daisy Buchanan is the love interest from which F Scott Fitzgerald novel
The Great Gatsby
7. The GC, how to be a diva was a "self help" book released by which celebrity in 2018?
Gemma Collins
8.Alfred Wainwright is famous for writing a series of guides to which area of the UK?
The lake district
9. Who wrote “Brave new world”?
Aldous Huxley
10. What is the name of the author of the book "One day" which was turned into a very popular series on Netflix?
David Nicholls
BOOKS 19​
1. “Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona, where we lay our scene…”
Romeo and Juliet
2. Margaret Atwood published a follow up novel to the Handmaids Tale in 2019. What is it called?
The Testaments
3. The Whaling ship Pequod features in which 1851 novel?Moby Dick
4. Edward Gibbon wrote “The History if the decline and fall of …what”?
The Roman Empire
5. The 2019 film Pet Sematary is based on a book by which author?
Stephen King
6. What were the family names of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet?
Montague and Capulet
7. William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Robert Southey are commonly referred to as the 'what' Poets?
Lake Poets
8. Melville who was the inventor of a system of library classification?
Dewey - the Dewey decimal system
9. Which American poet wrote a collection of poems called Leaves of Grass?
Walt Whitman
10. The ghost Banquo appears in which Shakespeare play?
MacBeth
BOOKS 20​
1. The Young Bond, young adult spy novels featuring James Bond as a young teenage boy attending school at Eton College in the 1930s are written by which actor, writer and comedian?
Charlie Higson
2. Who wrote the book "Around the world in 8" days where Phileas Fogg and hisFrench valet attempt to circumnavigate the world in 80 days for a bet?
Jules Verne
3. What was Charlie’s surname in Charlie & the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl?
Bucket
4. Which comedian released the book "Made in Scotland: My Grand Adventures in a Wee Country" containing some of his best routines in 2018?
Billy Connolly
5. The 4th novel in the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series was called So Long And Thanks For All The……what?
Fish
6. Nobel Prize winning author Gabriel Garcia Marquez is best known for how many years of solitude?
100
7. "The hunting of the snark" and "The Jabberwocky" are poems by which writer?
Lewis Carroll
8. What are the names of the three ‘Darling’ children in J.M. Barrie’s ‘Peter Pan’?
Wendy, John and Michael
9 Which Emily Brontë novel is the inspiration for a Kate Bush song?
Wuthering heights
10. In which city did the majority of the action in the Inspector Morse books take place?
Oxford
BOOKS 21​
1. Which character from Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is turned into an enormous blueberry?
Violet Beauregard
2.How many days did Phileas Fogg want to travel around the world in, according to Jules Verne?
80
3. Who wrote the bestseller "The Thursday murder club"?
Richard Osman
4. What is the name of the hotel that Jack Nicholson is looking after in “The Shining”?
The Overlook
5. Which scary literary character entered England from a boat in Whitby, in the form of a dog?
Dracula
6. Which 1976 Alex Haley book told the story of the character Kunta Kinte?
Roots
7. Who authored The Hunger Games book series?
Suzanne Collins
8. Though he passed away in late 2020, which author of spy thrillers posthumously published Silverview in 2021.
John LeCarre
9. What is the name of the imaginary faraway place where Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, Captain Hook, the Lost Boys, and some other imaginary beings and creatures live.
Neverland
10. Gustave Flaubert achieved success with his debut named Madame Who? The novel tells the story of escaping French provincial life?
Bovary
BOOKS 22​
1. Which book begins with the line, "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again…"
Rebecca - Daphne du Maurier
2. Who wrote Snow white and the seven dwarfs?
The brothers Grimm
3. According to the poem, what kind of spoon is useful for “dining on mince and pieces of Quince”?
A runcible spoon
4. "Holly Golightky is a character in which Truman Capote book?
Breakfast at Tiffanys
5. "Dodger, Rita and Francis are among the dogs who appear in a Disney film based on what classic novel
Oliver Twist
6. What's the name of Hagrid's dog in the Harry Potter books?
Fang
7. Hamlet was the Prince of which country?
Denmark
8. In Yann Martel’s ‘Life of Pi’, what type of animal is Richard Parker?
Bengal Tiger
9. Who wrote the book "the night manager" which was turned into a TV drama starring Tom Hiddlestone?
John Le Carre
10. What was the name of the black Panther in the jungle book?
Bagheera
BOOKS 23​
1. What are elephants called in the `Winnie The Pooh` books?
Heffalumps
2. Who wrote `Gulliver's Travels`?
Jonathan Swift
3. John Ronald Ruel are the names of which writer known by his initials?
JRR Tolkien
4.Which author created the character Harry Palmer, who was played on film by Michael Caine?
Len Deighton
5. What pseudonym is used by JK Rowling for her non Harry Potter books
Robert Galbraith
6. Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie are the main characters in which children's 1950’s fantasy novel?
The Lion, the witch and the wardrobe
7.In which 18th century novel does the protagonist eventually marry Mr. Rochester?
Jane Eyre
8. "When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow" are the first lines from which 1960's book?
To Kill a mockingbird
9. What was the girl's school created by Ronald Searle and portrayed in several comedy films?
St Trinians
10. Which children’s hospital is entitled to all royalties on J M Barrie's Peter Pan since they were signed over by the author in 1929?
St Ormond Street
Autobiographies​
​
1. Which Newsnight presenter wrote the autobiography "My life in Questions"?
Jeremy Paxman
2. Which tennis player published the autobiography Serious in 2002?
John McEnroe
3. "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" is the autobiography of which Monty Python member?
Eric Idle
4. Which ex-Royal Butler wrote the autobiography "A Royal duty"?
Paul Burrell
5. Which Hollywood star published the autobiography The Moon's a Balloon in 1971?
David Niven
6. "Proud" is the autobiography of which Rugby player, who came out as the first openly gay player in 2009?
Gareth Thomas
7. "Long walk to freedom" was the autobiography (later made into a film), published in 1994, of which politician?
Nelson Mandela
8. Which BBC sports presenter's autobiography is entitled "My animals and other family"?
Clare Balding
9. Which actor's 2018 autobiography is entitled "Blowing the Bloody Doors Off"?
Michael Caine
10. Which former footballer has autobiographies called "Always Managing", "A Man Walks On To a Pitch: Stories from a Life in Football" and "It Shouldn't Happen to a Manager"?
Harry Redknapp
Poets and Poetry ​
1. Which English poet is associated with Dove Cottage in Grasmere?
William Wordsworth
2. Who wrote the 1794 poem The Tyger that starts Tyger tyger burning bright?
William Blake
3. In Edward Lear’s poem “The owl and the Pussycat”, who conducted the wedding?
The Turkey
4. What is the name of the pulitzer prize winning wife of fellow poet Ted hughes who committed suicide in 1963?
Sylvia Plath
5. Who wrote the 1845 poem The Pied Piper of Hamlin?
Robert Browning
6. What was the surname of the American poet Ezra, born in 1885?
Pound
7. Who wrote 'This be the Verse', starting famously "They fuck you up, your Mum and Dad, They may not mean to, but they do...":?
Philip Larkin
8. Who wrote the epic poem Don Juan in 1821?
Lord Byron
9. In Edward Lear’s ‘The Owl and the Pussycat’, how much did they pay the pig for the ring in his nose to use as a wedding ring?
One shilling
10. Which poet, born in 1795 wrote the famous poem “To Autumn”?
John Keats
​
Poetry first lines​
-
Name the poet from the fist line of the poem.
​
1. The Owl and the Pussycat went to sea in a beautiful pea-green boat
Edward Lear
2. I wandered lonely as a cloud that floats on high o'er vales and hills,
William Wordsworth
3. Tyger! Tyger! burning bright in the forests of the night.
Wiliam Blake
4. "Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rage at close of day. Rage rage against the dying light" Name the poet.
Dylan Thomas
5. Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
William Shakespeare
6. If I should die, think only this of me…
Rupert Brooke
7. Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary…
Edgar Allan Poe
8. Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness…
John Keats
9. Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone…
W.H Auden
10. Matilda told such Dreadful Lies, It made one Gasp and Stretch one’s Eyes…
Hillair Belloc
Publications​
​
1. Who was named Time magazine “Person of the year” 2016?
Donald Trump
2. Which religious organisation publishes the magazine “The war cry”?
Salvation army
3. Which magazine is nicknamed the "Nag and Dog" and is Britain's oldest equestrian magazine?
Horse and hound
4. In 1894 the Times newspaper estimated that by 1950, London would be 9ft deep in what?
Horse Manure
5. What is the best selling newspaper in the USA (as of 2024) by hard copy sales?
Wall Street Journal
6. Anna Wintour became editor-in-chief of which iconic magazine in July 1988?
Vogue
7. Which icon was on the first cover of Playboy magazine in 1953?
Marilyn Monroe
8. Which weekly publication was originally linked to the Fabian Society and covers politics and culture?
New statesman
9. Which newspaper, once the biggest selling English language newspaper in the world, ceased publication in 2011?
News of the world
10. Which current affairs magazine first appeared in 1961 edited by Willie Rushton and Richard Ingrams and is now edited by Ian Hislop?
Private Eye
​
Literary Characters 1
​
1. In which book and by whom would you find “Atticus finch”?
Harper Lee – to kill a Mocking bird
2. What is the name of the fictional forensic psychologist in the series of novels by US author James Patterson?
Alex Cross
3. In the Harry Potter series of books, what is the name of Hermione Granger’s pet cat?
Crookshanks
4. In the novel Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen, what is the surname of the 5 sisters?
Bennett
5. Holden Caulfield is the antihero in which novel by J D Salinger?
Catcher in the Rye
6. In the discworld books, whose speech is always in capital letters?
Deaths
7. Which fictional scary villain gets his name from the Romanian for “Son of the devil”?
Dracula
8. In which Dickens book do you find Miss Havisham who has the clocks stopped at 20 to 9?
Great Expectations
9. Which Robert Ludlum character didn't know that his real name was David Webb?
Jason Bourne
10. Goneril, Regan and Cordelia are the daughters of which literary King?
King Lear
Literary Characters 2
1. The ghost Banquo appears in which Shakespeare play?
MacBeth
2. What was the first name of lady Chatterleys lover?
Oliver
3. Kay Scarpetta is a fictional detective invented by which author?
Patricia Cornwell
4. Which literary character lived at No 7 Saville Row in London before embarking on a famous journey?
Phileas Fogg
5. The fictional character John Clayton is better known by what name?
Tarzan
6. In the Hans Christian Anderson story, which little girl was found inside the petals of a flower?
Thumbelina
7. What is the name of the "ever so humble" money-lender in Charles Dickens' novel David Copperfield?
Uriah Heep
8. Tom Riddle is the real name of which book baddie?
Voldemort
9. What was the name of the helicopter written about by Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York?
Budgie
10. According to Shakespeare, who had a horse called White Surrey?
Richard III
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From book to film 1
1. Which 1968 film is partially based on the novel ‘Sentinel’ by Arthur C Clarke?
2001 A Space Odyssey
2. Louis de Bernieres most famous book, which was turned into a film starring Nicholas cage, was called what?
Captain Corelli's Mandolin
3. Who wrote the book that inspired the 1983 animated film ‘The Snowman’?
Raymond Briggs
4. Who wrote the book “The green mile” that the 1999 film of the same name was based on?
Stephen King
5. The 2008 film “The curious case of Benjamin Button” is based on a story by which writer?
F Scott Fitzgerald
6. Which 1975 novel by Larry McMurty was adapted for a 1983 film starring Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger as mother and daughter?
Terms of Endearment
7. Who wrote the book and screenplay of “Gone Girl”?
Gillian Flynn
8. What was the original title of the book on which the film Schindler's List was based?
Schindler's Ark
9. Who wrote the book "Trainspotting" which was turned into a 1996 film?
Irvine Welsh
10. Which was the third book and film in the Harry Potter series?
Harry Potter and the prisoner of Azkaban
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From book to film 2
1. Which London football club is the subject of the novel ‘Fever Pitch’ by Nick Hornby which was made into a film in 1997?
Arsenal
2. Who was the author of the African Queen which was adapted into a 1951 film starring Katherine Hepburn and Humpgrey Bogart
CS Forester
3. What novel and film is centred around a mental patient named Randle Patrick McMurphy?
One flew over the cuckoo’s nest
4. Who wrote the book "Breakfast at Tiffanys" that became the 1961 film?
Truman Capote
5. Who plays Anastasia Steele in the film version of 50 shades of Grey?
Dakota Johnson
6. The 1963 film ‘The Birds’ is based on a story by which novelist?
Daphne du Maurier
7. What type of animal is Baloo in the Jungle Book?
Bear
8. Who wrote The Railway Children which has been made into films a number of times?
Edith Nesbit
9. Who wrote "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", the story that was the basis for the 2000 film?
Dr Seuss
10. Which author created the character Harry Palmer, who was played on film by Michael Caine?
Len Deighton
From book to film 3
1. Mario Puzo is famous for writing which book which was turned into a 1972 Francis Ford Coppola film?
The Godfather
2. Joseph Conrad's "Heart of darkness" was turned into what film centred around the Vietnam war?
Apocalypse now
3. Which 1987 Spielberg film is based on JG Ballards semi-autobiographical novel and is one of Christian Bale's first roles?
Empire of the Sun
4. Who directed the film adaptation of Stephen King's "The shining"?
Stanley Kubrick
5. Stephen King's short story "The body" was turned into what 1986 Rob Reiner film?
Stand by me
6. Dick King-Smith's "The sheep pig" was adapted onto the big screen under what name?
Babe
7. Whoopi Goldberg made her film debut in which 1985 film that was based on a Pulitzer winning book by Alice Walker?
The colour purple
8. In the Dr Dolittle stories what type of creature was Dab-Dab?
Duck
9. Which Hunter S. Thompson book, which was made into a film in 1998, begins with the line 'We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold.'
Fear and loathing in Las Vegas
10. Which children’s author wrote the screenplay for the 1967 Bond film, You only live twice?
Roald Dahl