Author Topic: Question Writer's Bookshelf (Read 4632 times)

Game Show Man · « **on:** May 13, 2008, 03:47:27 PM »

Friends:

It's about time for me to start writing material for this year's Game Show Tournament. Naturally, amongst them is my flagship game Sale of the Century, so I need to write quite a few questions. However, it dawned on me that it might not be a bad idea to pick some fresh reference material. In browsing my local corporate book barn, I was surprised to see quite a few choices as to what I might pick up. It suddenly dawned on me that this might be a good topic for our group to discuss (and in the process give me a better idea what to buy).

If you were the head writer/researched of a new quiz show, assuming your show works from a traditional general-knowledge/cultural-literacy base, what books would you buy (besides the obvious multi-volume encyclopedias and annual almanacs) to populate your research library to give your show a good range of accurate material to use as question fodder?

At least one obvious choice springs to mind: 10,000 Answers, the popular trivia encyclopedia by Stanley Newman and Hal Fittipaldi. This book was recently revised and updated, and is now known as as 15,003 Answers, and features a new foreward by Ken Jennings.

Any other suggestions?

davemackey · « **Reply #1 on:** May 13, 2008, 03:54:02 PM »

TV Game Shows magazine about 20 years ago did an article on the Jeopardy! research staff, which at that time (perhaps still, even in the Internet age) had a roomful of books, including old encyclopedias. It takes more than one encyclopedia (as it did in Art Fleming's day) to research a lot of today's stuff, including pop culture (most clues need to be double-sourced).

What would be the barest minimum of books:

A good encyclopedia or two
An unabridged dictionary, not on the scale of the OED, but close
Almanacs
Facts on File
Who's Who volumes (even though most of the people therein pay to be in it)
Yearly reviews of TV, movie, theatre
Any good book on movies with reviews, such as Leonard Maltin's, Roger Ebert's, or Video Movie Retriever (or whatever it's called)
Subscriptions to Time, Newsweek, US News and World Report, as well as The New York Times Book Review section

clemon79 · « **Reply #2 on:** May 13, 2008, 04:38:00 PM »

Wasn't it found that several of the 10,000 Answers were in fact inaccurate?

/mind you, I suppose they didn't call it 10,000 Correct Answers

gamed121683 · « **Reply #3 on:** May 13, 2008, 06:02:42 PM »

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'185949\' date=\'May 13 2008, 04:38 PM\']
Wasn't it found that several of the 10,000 Answers were in fact inaccurate?

[/quote]

Indeed! I have a copy of that book and I recall one glaring fact that said the phrase "Where's The Beef?" came from a BURGER KING commercial. I've seen the updated version at B&N and they have corrected it. A lesson to all that it pays to double check your sources.

/ It's Wendy's for those who are playing at home.

tomobrien · « **Reply #4 on:** May 13, 2008, 07:12:41 PM »

Most of the sources Dave mentioned can be found online. But to echo his point, most everything needs to be double-sourced. I use Britannica Online, but I've even found mistakes there.

I'd also throw in the latest edition of Brooks & Marsh's Complete Directory of Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows. It's invaluable for writing TV questions. The New York Times Guide to Essential Knowledge can also be helpful.

Matt Ottinger · « **Reply #5 on:** May 13, 2008, 10:55:19 PM »

[quote name=\'Game Show Man\' post=\'185943\' date=\'May 13 2008, 03:47 PM\']At least one obvious choice springs to mind: 10,000 Answers, the popular trivia encyclopedia by Stanley Newman and Hal Fittipaldi. This book was recently revised and updated, and is now known as as 15,003 Answers, and features a new foreward by Ken Jennings.[/quote]
I have that one on my bookshelf, but it's not even in my top ten of useful ones. It's designed to be a fun browse, and not a Definitive Source, which makes it immediately suspect. Frankly, the vast majority of the entries are pretty obscure pieces of truly trivial information, which aren't much help to you in writing questions you want your players to actually be able to answer.

My copy has the Burger King error. Just for fun, I tried to source some of the other entries on that same page and found several very questionable references. On one page. So I suggest you proceed with caution if you're going to use that one.

Jay Temple · « **Reply #6 on:** May 13, 2008, 11:08:45 PM »

The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits

gamed121683 · « **Reply #7 on:** May 13, 2008, 11:18:41 PM »

[quote name='Matt Ottinger' date='May 13 2008, 10:55 PM' post='185966']
[quote name='Game Show Man' post='185943' date='May 13 2008, 03:47 PM']

My copy has the Burger King error. Just for fun, I tried to source some of the other entries on that same page and found several very questionable references. On one page. So I suggest you proceed with caution if you're going to use that one.
[/quote]

On just that ONE page, Matt? Wow. I don't remember ALL the facts but that Burger King one I did find a bit perturbing. I have written and hosted many trivia contests myself and I have used this book for questions (as well as almanacs, encyclopedias and the like). While it is also not in my Top 10, I always follow the old Journalism 101 adage of always double checking your facts. You are given trivia FACTS not fiction, for crying out loud.

I do know that the inspiration of the "10,000 Answers" book was Fred Worth's "Trivia Encyclopedia"...and even some of the facts in that book were erroneous. Some on purpose! Case in point, Trivial Pursuit's "Phillip Columbo" incident.

http://www.triviahalloffame.com/columbo.htm

Game Show Man · « **Reply #8 on:** May 14, 2008, 07:07:30 AM »

[quote name=\'tomobrien\' post=\'185960\' date=\'May 13 2008, 04:12 PM\']
Most of the sources Dave mentioned can be found online. But to echo his point, most everything needs to be double-sourced. I use Britannica Online, but I've even found mistakes there.

I'd also throw in the latest edition of Brooks & Marsh's Complete Directory of Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows. It's invaluable for writing TV questions. The New York Times Guide to Essential Knowledge can also be helpful.
[/quote]

The New York Times book was was one of the titles I was looking at. I was also looking at the National Geographic Book of Knowledge as a possible source.

Another, more subject specific source I've looked at is an astroturf-covered book called The Sports Book, a volume detailing the rules to a wide variety of sports. It isn't detailed enough to tell you really obscure stuff, for example, what which pitcher on the winning team actually earns the "win," but it's still pretty detailed.

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'185966\' date=\'May 13 2008, 07:55 PM\']
[quote name=\'Game Show Man\' post=\'185943\' date=\'May 13 2008, 03:47 PM\']At least one obvious choice springs to mind: 10,000 Answers, the popular trivia encyclopedia by Stanley Newman and Hal Fittipaldi. This book was recently revised and updated, and is now known as as 15,003 Answers, and features a new foreward by Ken Jennings.[/quote]
I have that one on my bookshelf, but it's not even in my top ten of useful ones.
[/quote]
So what ARE your Top Ten, Matt?

Matt Ottinger · « **Reply #9 on:** May 14, 2008, 12:48:11 PM »

[quote name=\'Game Show Man\' post=\'185983\' date=\'May 14 2008, 07:07 AM\']So what ARE your Top Ten, Matt?
[/quote]
The interesting thing is that there is, literally, a shelf I can check. It has twenty books on it, I just counted. I keep my television stuff separate (my television reference library would scare you), so the Brooks & Marsh book isn't there, but would have to be in the top ten. Of the rest (in no particular order), the ones I find myself opening the most are:

The World Almanac
The People's Chronology (sadly not updated since 1991)
A Dictionary of Cultural Literacy
The Concise Columbia Encyclopedia
The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits
Videohound's Golden Movie Retriever
Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary
New York Public Library Book of Popular Americana (1994)
Facts on File Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins

Because of my particular needs and interests, I also pick up the World Almanac for Kids every year, and another favorite reference book is On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio, which is too specific to be relevant to this discussion. I lack a decent sports reference work.

MikeK · « **Reply #10 on:** May 14, 2008, 01:24:24 PM »

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'185988\' date=\'May 14 2008, 12:48 PM\']I lack a decent sports reference work.[/quote]
ESPN releases a sports almanac annually. It's well worth the investment.

clemon79 · « **Reply #11 on:** May 14, 2008, 01:27:33 PM »

[quote name=\'MikeK\' post=\'185989\' date=\'May 14 2008, 10:24 AM\']
ESPN releases a sports almanac annually. It's well worth the investment.[/quote]
Do we know if it's actually a product of The Mouse, or do they just license the ESPN name to someone else's work? If the former, that would be one of the few worthwhile things to come out of ESPN these days.

Suppose there would be an easy way to tell: turn to the hockey section. If it's fewer than 5 pages, they're doing it themselves.

MikeK · « **Reply #12 on:** May 14, 2008, 01:35:54 PM »

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'185990\' date=\'May 14 2008, 01:27 PM\']Do we know if it's actually a product of The Mouse, or do they just license the ESPN name to someone else's work? If the former, that would be one of the few worthwhile things to come out of ESPN these days.[/quote]
The Disney influence doesn't matter. I own a copy of the almanac, and have had copies of it for the last 8 years. I am giving Matt my highest recommendation as it for his sports reference material.

The almanac also has Information Please's name attached. If that isn't akin to the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval, I don't know what is.

Jay Temple · « **Reply #13 on:** May 14, 2008, 01:39:40 PM »

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'185988\' date=\'May 14 2008, 11:48 AM\']Because of my particular needs and interests, I also pick up the World Almanac for Kids every year[/quote]
Why the Kids' edition? If, as I thought, you deal with high schoolers, I'd think the flagship edition would be more useful.

TLEberle · « **Reply #14 on:** May 14, 2008, 02:03:21 PM »

[quote name=\'Jay Temple\' post=\'185993\' date=\'May 14 2008, 10:39 AM\'][quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'185988\' date=\'May 14 2008, 11:48 AM\']Because of my particular needs and interests, I also pick up the World Almanac for Kids every year[/quote]Why the Kids' edition? If, as I thought, you deal with high schoolers, I'd think the flagship edition would be more useful.[/quote]There's also QB Jr, for younger teams. Sort of a Quizbusters farm system, as it were.

/Not really, but it's amusing to contemplate