They Wrote 'em and We Read 'em: Part I Quiz

Answer: David Copperfield

Charles John Huffam Dickens (1812-1870) had "David Copperfield" published as a book in 1850, yet it had previously appeared as a serial in 1849-50. Uriah Heep is motivated by greed and is the main antagonist in the second part of the novel. He professed to be humble but his wicked and twisted character eventually saw him imprisoned.

In 1969 around Christmas time there was great coverage of 1970 being the 100th Anniversary of the death of Charles Dickens. A heavy metal band called Spice decided to change their name to Uriah Heep, taken from the novel David Copperfield.

The Uriah Heep band became one of the most popular rock bands of the 1970s along with Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath.

Answer: Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) may have been inspired by the 1819 short story of "Das Fraulein von Scuderi" by E.T.A.Hoffmann. C. Auguste Dupin is the main character in "The Murders in the Rue Morgue". Charles Dickens did also develop a whodunit subplot in his 1853 novel "Bleak House".

There is an annual "Edgar Award" given by the Mystery Writers of America for outstanding work in the mystery genre.

Answer: Mark Twain

Mark Twain (1835 - 1910) was a 19th century American humourist, author and lecturer. He wrote in 1876 "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and the sequel in 1886 "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn". O. Henry was born William Sydney Porter (1862 - 1910) and was an American author of novels and short stories. Gore Vidal was born Edgar Box (1925 - 2012) and was an American writer of novels, essays and screenplays. George Orwell was born Eric Arthur Blair (1903 - 1950) was a 20th century author and essayist.

Answer: The Kingdom of God is Within You

This non-fiction book was banned in Russia but was published in Germany in 1894. The title of the book is taken from the Bible (Luke 17.21) and explains the principles of non-violence when confronted by violence. "War and Peace" was published in 1869. "Anna Karenina" was published in serial installments from 1873-1877. "A Confession" was written in 1879-80.

Answer: Lewis Carroll

Lewis Carroll (1832 - 1898) wrote the novel in 1865 about a girl who fell down a rabbit hole and into a fantasy world populated by unusual creatures. He also wrote the sequel "Through the Looking-Glass" in 1871. Carroll was also a mathematician, Anglican deacon and photographer.

A.A. Milne (1882 - 1956) is best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh. Jules Verne (1828 - 1905) was a French novelist who wrote "Journey to the Centre of the Earth", "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" and "Around the World in Eighty Days". Washington Irving (1783 - 1859) wrote "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle".

Answer: Sir Walter Scott

Sir Walter Scott (1771 - 1832) was a historical novelist, poet and playwright. He was also a judge, advocate and legal administrator. The 18th Century Scottish poet,Thomas Blacklock (1721-1791) was well known in his time. Sadly, he contracted small pox at six months and, though he survived, the illness left him blind. Robert Burns (1759 - 1797) was a Scottish poet and lyricist and is best remembered for his poem (and song) "Aulde Lang Syne". Robert Louis Stevenson (1850 - 1894), who is also Scottish, is remembered for his novels "Treasure Island", "Kidnapped" and the "Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde".

Answer: Jane Austen

Jane Austen (1775 - 1817) also wrote "Mansfield Park" and "Emma". as well as two books which were published posthumously, "Persuasion" and "Northanger Abbey". Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811 - 1896) is best remembered for her most famous novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin", published in 1852. Emily Bronte (1818 - 1848) wrote "Wuthering Heights" in 1847. Virginia Woolf (1882 - 1941) wrote "Mrs. Dalloway" (1925), "To the Lighthouse" (1927) and "Orlando" (1928).

Answer: Jules Maigret

Georges Simenon (1903 - 1989) was a Belgian writer who had over 200 novels published. Jules Maigret is a fictional French police detective who appeared in over 75 novels and 28 short stories between 1931 and 1972. The Maigret stories were also adapted for radio and television.

Inspector Jacques Clouseau was a character created in Blake Edwards' "The Pink Panther" series of movies. Philip Marlowe first appeared in the novel "The Big Sleep" by Raymond Chandler, published in 1939. Hercule Poirot, who was created by Agatha Christie, was a retired Belgian policeman and a refugee in England during WWI. He was famous for using his "little grey cells" to solve mysteries.

Answer: J. M. Barrie

James Matthew Barrie (1860 - 1937) was a Scottish author and dramatist. Peter Pan was first created in a play, but was then published as a novel in 1911. The novel also introduced Wendy Darling, Tinker Bell and Captain Hook on the fantasy island called Neverland. Arthur Conan Doyle (1859 - 1930) was the creator of Sherlock Holmes. Harper Lee (b. 1926) wrote "To Kill a Mockingbird". A.A. Milne wrote about the adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh.

Answer: Jack London

Jack London (1876 - 1916) was born John Griffith Chaney and was an American author, journalist and socialist activist. He was also a war correspondent in 1904 covering the Russo-Japanese War for the San Francisco Examiner. George Sterling (1869-1926) was an American playwright and poet and was a close friend of Jack London. Ambrose Bierce (1842 - 1914) was an American journalist and short story writer. W.C. Morrow (1854 - 1923) was an American short story writer best known for tales of Horror and Suspense.