It’s time once again for Name That! I haven’t done this for a while, but it’s fun, and I’m gonna do it again.
Following is a list of fictional books and stories and plays — that is, not books of fiction but books mentioned within other media. There are a few ringers in there, just to keep you honest: some real books with fictional authors, for instance.
Try to identify both the fictional author of the book and where the reference comes from.
Naturally, you are encouraged to add your own — and not to Google for the answers.
Death and Taxes
Fast Cars
A Rock and a Hard Place: One Boy’s Triumphant Story
The Lonely Buddha
A Match Made in Space
Edmund: A Butler’s Tale
The Red Book of Westmarch
Samuel’s Castle
The Savage Secret
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Venus on the Half-Shell
Anslem
Babes in Babylon
Deep Six
The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism
Copper Silver Gold: An Indestructible Alloy
Love Hurts
The Corpse Danced at Midnight
Carnovsky
The Adventures of Black Jesus
The Necronomicon
Springtime for Hitler
The Green Enemy
The Courtship of Lord Strathmorlick
Yes: “Death and Taxes” was by Karen Eiffel, from the movie Stranger Than Fiction.
“Edmund: A Butler’s Tale” was E. Blackadder, writing as Gertrude Perkins.
“Copper Silver Gold” is referenced in Gödel, Escher, Bach, supposedly written by Egbert B. Gebstadter.
MadtheSwine = 1
Sigmagirl = 1
Robot Arm = 1
Biffy the Elephant Shrew = 1
Well, Venus on the Half Shell is of course a real book by the fictional Kilgore Trout. Really written by Philip Jose Farmer, though Trout is a character in Kurt Vonnegut’s books.
Then since no one else has, I’ll take the other other easy one: Necronomicon is by the “mad Arab” Abdul Alhazred, and is cited in numerous H.P. Lovecraft stories.
Yes: “Fast Cars” was a book by Paul Sheldon in Stephen King’s Misery.
“A Match Made in Space” was by George McFly in Back to the Future.
“The Red Book of Westmarch” was by Bilbo Baggins and others.
“Venus on the Half-Shell” was indeed by Kilgore Trout… sort of.
“The Necronomicon” was by Abdul Alhazred.
“Springtime for Hitler” was the fictional play by Nazi enthusiast Franz Liebkind in The Producers.
For points on “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”, surely you can name at least one contributor?
H2G2 most recently edited by Vann Harl, previously Lig [forgets surname], who is actually the official editor, missing, presumed fed. He may have been sacked when Infinidim Enterprises took over, however, making Vann Harl the editor (rather than acting editor). Other previous incumbents include Stagyar Zil-Doggo, and Roosta may also have written for it, though this is unclear. I don’t think any other contributors are named, apart from the founding editor, whose name also escapes me.
Incidentally, I don’t think Ford Prefect should count; surely he is more likely to have written under the name “Boy who cannot adequately explain what a Hrung is, neither why it should choose chose to collapse on Betelgeuse 7”.
The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism: Crap. This was “The Book” in 1984. Who the hell was the author? Not O’Brien. The “evil” guy who was always the target of the Two Minutes’ Hate. Shit!! It’s on the tip of my tongue. Must. Not. Go. Look. It. Up.
Argh, I can’t stand it. Guess I get only half a point.
Yes, Ford Prefect was one of the contributors to the Guide… barely.
“The Savage Secret” was one of Joan Wilder’s books in Romancing the Stone.
“The Corpse Danced at Midnight” was a book by Jessica Fletcher from the TV show “Murder, She Wrote.”
“The Adventures of Black Jesus” is indeed Huey Freeman, from The Boondocks.
We’ll give a point for Dead Cat’s unnecessarily thorough listing of all the people known to contribute to the Guide.
