Home > Media > Books > Barbara Berliner et al - The Book of Answers: The New York Public Library Telephone Reference Service's Most Unusual and Entertaining Questions
Barbara Berliner, Melinda Corey, New York Public Library Telephone Reference Service, George Ochoa - The Book of Answers: The New York Public Library Telephone Reference Service's Most Unusual and Entertaining Questions
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Once upon a time, there were these things called books where we could spend hours, if so inclined, looking up information we needed and moving, page after page, through scads of information that perhaps we didn't want but we found intriguing.
All that has changed, of course, with the arrival of online everything--dictionaries, archives, research sites, blogs and more. Who needs books?
Well, while it's a trip down memory lane, and yes, while it could also be done online, a book like "The Book of Answers: The New York Public Library Telephone Reference Service’s Most Unusual and Entertaining Questions" provides a treasure trove of amusement and, yes, information.
This book is a compilation of just a few of the 6.2 million questions the library’s reference librarians asked over the span of about two decades. Published in 1992, just the eve of the arrival of the Internet to the public, the librarians put together hundreds of answers to questions, some sane, some nuts, that they receive every day.
And of course, the arrival of the Internet just altered how they work, it didn’t put them out of business. Many people aren’t connected to the Internet or their access is limited; others simply don’t know how to search for information or want someone else to look it up for them. The library continues to publish an official reference book; this Book of Answers is simply for fun.
Divided into 27 categories of questions, starting with American history and ending with “Twelve Trick Questions and Popular Delusions,” the questions and answered are presented in a quick, simple format.
I’ve decided to present my favorite questions from several categories; you may prefer others.
American History:
Q. When did the first strike in the United States take place?
A. In 1776, in New York, when members of the Journeymen Printers Union struck against their local shops.
American Statistics:
Q. Is Chicago the windiest city in the United States?
A. Far from it; With an average wind speed of 10.4 miles per hour, Chicago ranks 16th; Here are the top 5:
1. Great Falls, Montana, 13.1
2. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 13
3. Boston, Mass., 12.9
4. Cheyenne, Wyoming, 12.8
5. Wichita, Kansas, 12.7
Animal World:
Q. Is the phrase “dog days” related to dogs?
A. It dates back to Roman times, when it was believed that Sirius, the Dog Star, added its heat to that of the sun from July 3 to Aug. 11, creating exceptionally high temperatures. The Romans called the period “Dies caniculares,” or “days of the dog.”
Crime and Criminals:
Q. How did inexpensive handguns come to be called Saturday Night Specials?
A. Detroit lawmen coined the term in the late 1950s and early 1960s when they realized that Saturday night holdups were committed with handguns purchased in quick one-hour trips to Toledo, Ohio. There, guns could be bought at filling stations and flower shops for $5 or $10, without time restrictions.
The English Language:
Q. What are the five most frequently used letters of the alphabet?
A. In order of frequency, e, t, o, a and n. (Least used: k, j, x, z and q. But you knew that.)
Popular Culture:
Q. In the Wizard of Oz, what is Dorothy’s last name?
A. Gale.
The Question and Answer Hall of Fame:
Q. What is the rank of hands in poker?
A. From highest to lowest: Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pairs, One Pair, High Card (no pair).
Royalty and World Leaders:
Q. In the British line of peerage, which is more important, a baron or an earl?
A. The earl ranks higher, but is by no means at the top. From highest to lowest:
Duke and Duchess, Marquess and Marchioness, Earl and Countess, Viscount and Viscountess, Baron and Baroness.
And, from the final chapter:
Q. Are poinsettias poisonous?
A. Despite rumors that the slightest nibble on this Christmas flower will result in death, poinsettias are not poisonous to humans.
Q. What were Nathan Hale’s last words?
A. Legend claims that when sentenced to death in 1776 by the British for spying, he proclaimed, “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” But British officer Captain Frederick Mackenzie reports in his diary that Hale said, “It is the duty of every good officer to obey any orders given him by his commander in chief.”
All in all, this is a useful, if sometimes dated book (Don’t use any of the sports-related questions to settle bar bets, for example.)
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