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Quiz about Old Favorites Best Sellers From the 1950s
Quiz about Old Favorites Best Sellers From the 1950s

Old Favorites: Best Sellers From the 1950s Quiz

This quiz highlights books on the New York Times best seller lists in the 1950s.

A multiple-choice quiz by john62450. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Author
john62450
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
377,322
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
8 / 10
Plays
636
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
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Question 1 of 10
1. 1950: The winner of the 1950 National Book Award was number 16 on the February 19, 1950 New York Times Fiction Best Seller List. Written by Nelson Algren and made into a movie starring Frank Sinatra, the plot follows a World War II veteran with a morphine addiction. Name that best seller. Hint


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Question 2 of 10
2. 1950: The number one best seller on the New York Times March 26, 1950 Fiction Best Seller List was a novel by John Hersey. The book is in the form of a diary, kept by by a Polish Jew during World War II. Name that book. Hint


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Question 3 of 10
3. 1951: The March 25, 1951 best seller list included a James Jones novel that was set in a military base in Hawaii. The movie version starred Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Cliff and Deborah Kerr. Name that book. Hint


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Question 4 of 10
4. 1952: A Herman Wouk novel, made into a film starring Humphrey Bogart, was the number 1 best seller for the week of July 13, 1952. The story takes place on a minesweeper during World War II. Name that best seller. Hint


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Question 5 of 10
5. 1953: Saul Bellow placed a novel on the New York Times best seller list in October 1953. The novel's opening line is: "I am an American, Chicago born..." Name that best seller. Hint


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Question 6 of 10
6. 1955: A novel by Herman Wouk was a best seller in October 1955. The novel followed a Jewish girl, who aspired to be an actress. The story was made into a movie, starring Natalie Wood. Name that best seller.
 Hint


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Question 7 of 10
7. 1956: In March 1956 a political novel by Edwin O'Connor was number 1 on the New York Times best seller list. The novel was made into a movie, starring Spencer Tracy. Name that book. Hint


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Question 8 of 10
8. 1957: A novel by Grace Metalious was the number 2 best seller on the March 24 New York Times fiction best seller list. The novel was set in a small New England town and described the secrets and hypocrisy in the small town. The book was made into both a movie and a television series. Name that best seller. Hint


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Question 9 of 10
9. 1958: In September 1958 a Vladimir Nabokov novel was the number 1 on the New York Times best seller list. It was rated the fourth best novel of the twentieth century by Modern Library. Name that best seller. Hint


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Question 10 of 10
10. 1959: Boris Pasternak authored what novel, which made the New York Times best seller list for fiction in May 1959? A movie starring Omar Sharif followed. Name that novel. Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. 1950: The winner of the 1950 National Book Award was number 16 on the February 19, 1950 New York Times Fiction Best Seller List. Written by Nelson Algren and made into a movie starring Frank Sinatra, the plot follows a World War II veteran with a morphine addiction. Name that best seller.

Answer: The Man with the Golden Arm

 In "A Walk on the Wild Side" Algren wrote: "Never play cards with a man named Doc. Never eat at a place called Mom's. Never sleep with a woman whose troubles are worse than your own." This quote is sometimes referred to as Algren's three rules of life.
2. 1950: The number one best seller on the New York Times March 26, 1950 Fiction Best Seller List was a novel by John Hersey. The book is in the form of a diary, kept by by a Polish Jew during World War II. Name that book.

Answer: The Wall

 "The Wall", written in diary form, recounts the German occupation of Warsaw from late 1939 to early 1943. The fictional diarist, Noach Levenson, is said to be based on Emanuel Ringelblum, who wrote "Notes From the Warsaw Ghetto".
3. 1951: The March 25, 1951 best seller list included a James Jones novel that was set in a military base in Hawaii. The movie version starred Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Cliff and Deborah Kerr. Name that book.

Answer: From Here To Eternity

 James Jones was born and raised in Robinson, Crawford County, Illinois. His other novels included "Some Came Running" and "The Thin Red Line".

Jones witnessed the Pearl Harbor attack. In a 1958 interview with "The Paris Review" Jones said: "I've made some strides in trying to understand myself, I think. And I think that in my life I'm less afraid of being thought a coward than I used to be."
4. 1952: A Herman Wouk novel, made into a film starring Humphrey Bogart, was the number 1 best seller for the week of July 13, 1952. The story takes place on a minesweeper during World War II. Name that best seller.

Answer: The Caine Mutiny

 Herman Wouk also wrote "The Winds of War" and "War and Remembrance".

"The Caine Mutiny" won a Pulitzer Prize in 1952. In 1954 the novel was made into both a movie and a Broadway play. The movie version was the second highest grossing film of 1954.
5. 1953: Saul Bellow placed a novel on the New York Times best seller list in October 1953. The novel's opening line is: "I am an American, Chicago born..." Name that best seller.

Answer: The Adventures of Augie March

 "The Adventures of Augie March" won the National Book Award for fiction in 1954.

In 1976 Bellow won the Nobel Prize for literature.

Born in Canada, Bellow's family moved to Chicago when he was nine years old.
6. 1955: A novel by Herman Wouk was a best seller in October 1955. The novel followed a Jewish girl, who aspired to be an actress. The story was made into a movie, starring Natalie Wood. Name that best seller.

Answer: Marjorie Morningstar

 Herman Wouk's "The Caine Mutiny" won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1952. He also wrote "War and Rememberance" and "The Winds of War".

Wouk's parents had emigrated to the United States from Russia. Wouk was born May 27, 1915 in the Bronx.
7. 1956: In March 1956 a political novel by Edwin O'Connor was number 1 on the New York Times best seller list. The novel was made into a movie, starring Spencer Tracy. Name that book.

Answer: The Last Hurrah

 O'Connor won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1962 for his book "The Edge of Sadness", the story of a New England priest. He also authored the play "I Was Dancing".
8. 1957: A novel by Grace Metalious was the number 2 best seller on the March 24 New York Times fiction best seller list. The novel was set in a small New England town and described the secrets and hypocrisy in the small town. The book was made into both a movie and a television series. Name that best seller.

Answer: Peyton Place

 Originally titled "The Tree and the Blossom", Metalious' agent insisted on changing the name of the novel and "Peyton Place" was selected, as that fictional location was the setting of the story.

In response to several critical book reviews, Metalious said: "If I'm a lousy writer, then a hell of a lot of people have lousy taste."
9. 1958: In September 1958 a Vladimir Nabokov novel was the number 1 on the New York Times best seller list. It was rated the fourth best novel of the twentieth century by Modern Library. Name that best seller.

Answer: Lolita

 Stanley Kubrick directed the movie version of "Lolita", which starred James Mason, Sue Lyon and Shelly Winters.

Nabokov translated "Lolita" into Russian, his native language.
10. 1959: Boris Pasternak authored what novel, which made the New York Times best seller list for fiction in May 1959? A movie starring Omar Sharif followed. Name that novel.

Answer: Doctor Zhivago

 Pasternak was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1958. He was unable to accept the award and died in 1960. Pasternak's son, Evgenii, accepted the Nobel Prize for his father in 1989.
Source: Author john62450

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