The Trivia Quiz Book - Volume 1 - Rich Meyer

   2012; 312 pages.  New Author? : Yes.  Genres : Trivia; Reference.  Overall Rating : 7*/10.

 

   Some questions for you to ponder:

 

    1. What was the original name of the corporation known as Bank of America?

 

    153. If you count the playoffs, how many points did basketball legend Kareen Abdul-Jabbar score in his professional basketball career?

 

    171. What is the nickname of the bell in the clock tower of the London House of Parliament?

 

    180. What is the performing name of Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta?

 

    301. Who was the arch-enemy of Corgi-Boy in print ads?

 

    If you’re mildly curious about the answers to these five questions, they’re given in the Comments section of this post.

 

    If you find such questions pointless and …um… trivial, you can probably skip the rest of this review.

 

    But if you’re thoroughly fascinated by such questions, and want 296 more of them, they’re all in Trivia Quiz Book – Volume 1, by Rich Meyer.  Provided you can find a copy of it, electronic or otherwise.

 

What’s To Like...

    This will be a “mini review”, since there’s only so much you can say about a book that consists of a couple hundred questions and answers.  Trivia Quiz Book – Volume 1 is just one of many quiz and trivia books compiled by Rich Meyer.  I counted 58 others listed in the appendix of this one.  Alas, only seven of them are listed at Amazon, none of which are in e-book format (as mine is), and all of them either “out of print” or ridiculously priced.

 

    There’s a nice mix of subject matter in the 301 entries, as well as a broad range of difficulty levels.  The author apparently is a veteran participant in Trivia Contests, including the “World’s Largest Trivia Contest”, held annually in Stevens Point, Wisconsin and the answer to question #97 in the book.  The questions come one per page (except for one hiccup about halfway through the book), with the answer then given on the next page, so you don’t have to worry about spoilers.

 

    Recently I’ve been participating in a weekly “Family Trivia” get-together on Zoom, where each participant is encouraged to submit one question per session.  This book is a handy resource when I can’t think of anything on my own, although some of its posers, such as question 153 above, are just too obscure for our group.  Does anyone really keep Kareem’s total points memorized?

 

    Unfortunately, it appears Amazon no longer offers Trivia Quiz Book – Volume 1.  Indeed, just about the only place I find it mentioned is at Goodreads, where it has zero ratings and zero reviews.  Has it been subsumed into one of Rich Meyer’s larger trivia compendiums?  Or is it now extinct, making my e-copy somewhat of a collector’s item?  Inquiring minds want to know.

 

Ratings…
    Amazon:  n.a.: the book is not available there.

    Goodreads: n.a.: 0 ratings and 0 reviews.

 

    7 Stars.  I enjoyed Trivia Quiz Book – Volume 1, and it is serving its purpose, giving me lots of possibilities for my submissions to the family trivia meetings.  My only quibble is its brevity – 301 questions is not a lot; but I remember this being a free download, so I can’t complain about not getting my money’s worth.  I’ll probably leave an even briefer review at Goodreads, because every book listed there deserves to have at least one rating/review.