Literature: New York Public Library Book of Answers

Quick, answer this trivia question: The entrance to which major public library is flanked by two imposing lions? If you responded with Nairobi, then go directly to jail, do not pass go, and do not collect $200. If you replied New York, then advance to Boardwalk and accept your complimentary copy of "Literature: The New York Public Library Book of Answers," by Melinda Corey and George Ochoa. Actually, for trivia hounds and information aficionados this volume is one of a series of "Answer Books" whose categories include American history, mystery and crime, movies and TV, and a grab bag entitled "The Most Unusual and Entertaining Questions." The New York Public Library publishing juggernaut also includes handy tomes dealing with usage and style as well as an omnibus volume, "The New York Public Library Desk Reference," which, almanac-style, would qualify for that tag line from the Staples advertisement: "Yep, we've got that." What Q & A's can you expect to find in the literature answer book? Here are a few of the choicest: Q: What is the world's oldest publisher? A: Cambridge University Press (founded 1584). Q: What do Dr. Seuss and James Joyce have in common? A: Both "Dubliners" and "And To Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street" were rejected by at least 20 publishers. Q: What do Alexander Pope and Lord Byron have in common? A: Both were physically challenged (Byron had a club foot and Pope was only 4 feet 6 inches tall). Q: What is the longest running play in history? A: "The Mousetrap", adapted from Agatha Christie, has been running continuously in England since 1952. Q: How much were Shakespeare and Milton each paid for their masterpieces "Hamlet" and "Paradise Lost," respectively? A: Five pounds. I don't know exactly what the New York Public Library has to do with this series of volumes, other than providing an easily recognizable leonine logo. The blurb on the back cover of the literature volume says that the book "will remind you again why you read." To be "reminded again" may be redundant, but there is nothing repetitious about the never-ending pleasures that await the trivia treasure hunter in these quaint compendiums. And I ain't lion.