Tom, Dick and Harry in Literature Quiz

Answer: Thomas Hughes

Thomas Hughes was author of "Tom Brown's School Days" (1856). This novel is set in an English public school. Dr Thomas Arnold was the headmaster of the school. Although Thomas Hughes frequently denied it, it was a semi-autobiographical account of the author's school days at Rugby. Hughes claimed the character of Tom Brown was based on at least twenty boys.

Answer: "Tom Jones" by Henry Fielding

This bawdy novel caused a public outrage when first published in 1749. Dr Samuel Johnson commented "I scarcely know a more corrupt work". A year later, the book was blamed for two earthquakes which hit London. The Bishop of London said that the earthquakes were a sign that God was angry with those who read books such as "Tom Jones".

Answer: "Uncle Tom's Cabin" by Harriet Beecher Stowe

"Uncle Tom's Cabin: Life Among the Lowly" was published in 1852. This anti-slavery novel broke all sales records at that time by selling half-a-million copies by 1857 (outsold only by the Bible). The book was very controversial. After its publication, Harriet Beecher Stowe travelled America and Europe speaking out against slavery.

When she met President Abraham Lincoln in 1862, he allegedly greeted her by saying, "So you are the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war!" (meaning the Civil War).

Answer: Samuel Langhorne Clemens

Mark Twain was the pseudonym of Samuel Langhorne Clemens. Twain was the first author to type a manuscript and also to double-space it for the convenience of his editor. Mark Twain claimed that the manuscript in question was "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer", however, Bill Bryson states in his book, "Made in America", that "his (Twain's) memory was faulty.

It was in fact "Life on the Mississippi"." Mark Twain based his characters on real people. Tom Sawyer was a combination of several boys, including himself.

Answer: Thomas Hardy

Thomas Hardy was an English writer and poet. He is famous for a number of books set in the fictional county of "Wessex" which was an amalgamation of Dorset (where he was born), Berkshire, Wiltshire, Somerset, Hampshire and Devon. Some of the more well-known Wessex novels include "The Mayor of Casterbridge", "Far from the Madding Crowd", "Tess of the D'Urbervilles", "The Return of the Native" and "Jude the Obscure".

Answer: sperm whale

Moby Dick was a white sperm whale. Few people realise that Herman Melville based his novel on a true story. A Nantucket ship, the Essex, was whaling off the coast of South America in 1820 when it was rammed by a whale. Melville received his information from Owen Chase, the mate on the Essex who kept the ship's log.

Answer: All of these answers are correct as they are the same person

This author is best known by his real name, Philip K. Dick (the K stands for Kindred), but he has also been published under the names Jack Dowland and Richard Phillips. A number of his books have been made into movies including "Total Recall" (1990), "Imposter" (2002) and "Minority Report" (2002).

A recurrent theme throughout his books is artificial or alternate realities. One of my favourite Philip K. Dick quotes is "Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away."

Answer: Dick Francis

Like Lester Piggott, Dick Francis was also a well-known jockey. He was named Champion Jockey in 1953-54 and was a jockey for the late Queen Mother for four seasons from 1953 to 1957. He retired from racing in 1957 after a bad fall and found a new career as a journalist and fiction writer. His first novel, "Dead Cert", was published in 1962.

Answer: Famous Five

Dick was a member of the Famous Five, along with his brother Julian, sister Anne, cousin Georgina (known as George) and George's dog Timmy. The Famous Five series has always been popular with young readers, partly because the children go off and have wonderful adventures with minimal interference from their parents!

Answer: Dick and Jane

The "Dick and Jane" readers were developed by Zerna Addis Sharp and Dr William S. Gray during the late 1920s. At that time they revolutionised the way children were taught to read. Generations of children have been raised on these books. Dick and Jane had a little sister Sally, Spot the dog and Puff the kitten.

In Australia, we had Dick and Dora instead of Dick and Jane, Nip instead of Spot and Fluff instead of Puff.

Answer: seven

According to a live on-line interview on Scholastic.com on the 3rd February, 2000, Rowling stated that she intends to write seven books, one for each year that Harry is at school at Hogwarts. In answer to the question "Do you think that you will write about Harry after he graduates from Hogwarts? Isn't there a University of Wizardry", Rowling replied "No, there is no University for Wizards.

At the moment, I am only planning to write seven Harry Potter books. I won't say "never", but I have no plans to write an eighth book." She has subsequently reiterated this in a number of interviews.

Answer: Harold Robbins

Some of Harold Robbins best-known novels include "79 Park Avenue", "The Carpetbaggers", "The Betsy" and "The Pirate". Most of his novels have been made into films or television miniseries. Robbins claimed that all his characters were based on real people, including celebrities such as Lana Turner ("Where Love Has Gone"), Hugh Hefner ("Dreams Die First"), Howard Hughes ("The Carpetbaggers") and Jean Harlow ("The Carpetbaggers").

Answer: Breaker

Lieutenant Harry Harbord Morant was more commonly known as "Breaker" Morant, a nickname he earned because of his skill with horses. Many of his poems were published in "The Bulletin" magazine between 1891 and 1903, but it was not until 1980 that the first collection of his work was published.

In that same year, the movie "Breaker Morant", directed by Bruce Beresford, was released. Morant is also famous for two quotes; firstly "Live every day as if it were your last; some day you'll be right" and secondly, "Shoot straight, you bastards and don't make a mess of it" (allegedly his last words).

Answer: Harry Flashman

George MacDonald Fraser is well-known as the author of a series of Flashman books. However, Harry Flashman was originally the creation of Thomas Hughes, author of "Tom Brown's School Days" (1857). This novel is set in an English public school. Although Thomas Hughes frequently denied it, it was a semi-autobiographical account of the author's school days at Rugby under the headmastership of Dr Thomas Arnold. "Flash" Harry is the school bully who makes Tom's life a misery.

Answer: Jack Higgins

Harry Patterson/Jack Higgins was born in 1929. His first book, "Sad Wind From The Sea", was published under his real name, Harry Patterson, in 1959. He later decided to adopt a pseudonym and chose Jack Higgins, after his great uncle of the same name. He also writes under the names Martin Fallon, Hugh Marlow, James Graham and Henry Patterson.