Books for Sail! Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Argo

The myth of Jason and the Argonauts is told in the ancient Greek epic "Argonautica" and the tragic play "Medea", as well as the movie "Jason and the Argonauts". Pelias had usurped the throne of Aeson and set about killing all of Aeson's descendents. However, Jason was saved by his mother who pretended Jason had been still born.

After reaching manhood, Jason came to claim his rightful throne, but Pelias told him he could only have the throne if he could find and return the Golden Fleece. Jason agreed, assembled a group of heroes (including Heracles, Orpheus, and Atalanta), and the set sail on the Argo.

Answer: The Hispaniola

'The Hispaniola' is the name of the ship that plays such a huge role in Robert Louis Stevenson's "Treasure Island". This Scottish author's famous book was first published in 1883; however, the story was originally published as a series in the children's magazine "Young Folks" between 1881 and 1882.

The novel is responsible for many of our current notions of pirate adventures: 'X marks the spot', the Black Spot, one-legged pirates, parrots, and so on.

Answer: The Bounty

In 1932, Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall published the book "Mutiny on the 'Bounty'". At least four films and a musical have been made based on the book and other sources. The novel is told through the eyes of a fictional crew member Roger Byam, although based on the real crew member Peter Heywood. Byam is being court-martialed, for although he did not participate in the mutiny, he is assumed to have participated since he remained on board the 'Bounty' after the insurrection.

Answer: The USS Caine

"The Caine Mutiny", written by Herman Wouk, was published in 1951 and earned its writer the Pulitzer Prize. The story is based on Wouk's own personal experiences as a U.S. Navy officer during WWII on a couple of different destroyer-minesweepers in the Pacific theater. A film--"The Caine Mutiny"--was made from the novel and starred Humphrey Bogart.

Answer: The Pequod

The 'Pequod', of course, is the name of the primary vessel in Herman Melville's "Moby Dick", which was published in 1851 and is considered one of the 'Great American novels'. The story is based on the events surrounding the ship the 'Essex', which was a whaling vessel that sank after being attacked by a sperm whale. Upon its publication, the book met with mixed reviews; some praised it for its unique style while others condemned it for its convoluted mixture of romanticism and lengthy realistic portrayal of the tedious goings-on onboard a whaling ship.

Answer: The Orca

"Jaws", the film, is perhaps more familiar to people than the book written by Peter Benchley--a story that has a few major differences from that told by the movie. For one thing, Hooper, played by Richard Dreyfuss in the movie, dies in the book. "Jaws" was published in 1974 and remained on the best seller list for around 44 weeks. According to Wikipedia, it was based on a conglomeration of real life events, including the catching of several great whites off Long Island and Block Island in 1960 and the Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916 that resulted in four deaths over twelve days.

Answer: The Ghost

Jack London's "The Sea Wolf" was published in 1904. It is, as Wikipedia states, "a psychological adventure novel ... about a literary critic ... who comes under the dominance of Wolf Larsen, the powerful and amoral sea captain." The first printing of 40,000 books was sold out before they were even published because of the great success of his previous novel, "The Call of the Wild".

The story is primarily fictional, but Larsen is based loosely on Captain Alexander McLean, who sailed the Pacific Northwest and was at one time the sheriff of Nome, Alaska.

Answer: The Nautilus

"Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea" was published in 1869 by the French writer Jules Verne. Interestingly, the measurement 20,000 leagues does not refer to the depth the 'Nautilus' reached, but rather to the distance it traveled around the earth.

At 20,000 leagues, the 'Nautilus' circumnavigated the globe 2.7 times. Of further note, the name Nemo is from the Latin for 'No man', which is a direct reference to Odysseus's name he uses when he faces the Cyclops in "The Odyssey".

Answer: The Patna

"Lord Jim", written by Joseph Conrad, was published in 1900. Interestingly, the 'Patna' does not sink, and the Muslim passengers are rescued. Jim is eventually subjected to an official court of inquiry for his reprehensible behavior and failure to do his duty. During this part of the novel, he is befriended by Marlow, the very same character that narrates Conrad's "Heart of Darkness".

The abandonment of the 'Patna' and the ensuing inquiry are probably based on a similar event that occurred in 1880; the crew of the 'Jeddah' abandoned their Muslim pilgrims to Mecca on a sinking ship, lied about the event, and then were exposed when the ship and its passengers were eventually rescued by a French ship.

Answer: The Demeter

The epistolary novel "Dracula" by Bram Stoker was published in 1897 and has single-handedly been responsible for countless theatrical, film, and television productions concerning the myth of vampires. Although the book was not a bestseller during its own time, it was praised by critics as a work greater than those of Mary Shelley, Edgar Allen Poe, and Emily Bronte ("Wuthering Heights").