Non-fiction Flashcards
Who wrote Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells which has become the standard reference work to the fells of the English Lake District?
ALFRED WAINWRIGHT
Which book by Stephen Hawking published in 1988 is widely referred to as “the most unread book of all time“?
A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME
Which former prime minister the son of a music hall and circus performer wrote More than a Game a history of cricket; and My Old Man a history of Music Hall?
JOHN MAJOR
The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire published in 1776 was written by which English historian?
EDWARD GIBBON
Field Guide to the Birds of the West Indies was written by which American ornithologist whose name was appropriated by an English author for a fictional spy of the same name?
JAMES BOND
Which book written by Robert Baden-Powell in 1908 was a rewrite of his earlier book Aids to Scouting?
SCOUTING FOR BOYS
Married Love which was banned as obscene in the USA was written by which campaigner for women’s rights who founded the first birth control clinic in Britain?
MARIE STOPES
Which 1976 book by Richard Dawkins introduced the term ‘meme’ and popularised the gene-centred view of evolution?
THE SELFISH GENE
A Bridge Too Far by Cornelius Ryan tells the story of which failed Allied attempt to break through German lines at Arnhem in 1944?
OPERATION MARKET GARDEN
Credited for laying the foundations for macroeconomicsThe General Theory of Employment Interest and Money was written by which British economist?
J. M. KEYNES
The Destruction of Dresden and Hitler’s War were written by which English author and Holocaust denier?
DAVID IRVING
Which book by Izaac Walton first published in 1653 is a celebration of the art and spirit of fishing?
THE COMPLEAT ANGLER
The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World which was adapted into a television documentary for Channel 4 was written by which Scottish-born Professor of History at Harvard University?
NIALL FERGUSON
Which German philosopher and social scientist co-authored The Communist Manifesto with Karl Marx?
FRIEDRICH ENGELS
Poverty A Study of Town Life written by the social reformer and industrialist Seebohm Rowntree details Rowntree’s investigation of poverty in which city?
YORK
The French Revolution: A History which was an inspiration for the Dickens’ novel A Tale of Two Cities was written by which historian and social commentator?
THOMAS CARLYLE
Which actor comedian and TV presenter wrote The Ode Less Travelled a book about writing poetry which was published in 2005?
STEPHEN FRY
Hegemony or Survival: America’s Quest for Global Dominance is a study of the “American Empire” written by which American linguist and political activist who was an outspoken opponent of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War?
NOAM CHOMSKY
Gilbert White is best known for a book about the natural history of which village in Hampshire where he was born in 1720?
SELBORNE
Which novelist and art critic who died in 2017 wrote the essay on art criticism Ways of Seeing as an accompaniment to a 1972 BBC series?
JOHN BERGER
The Feminine Mystique was written by which leading figure in the women’s movement in the United States in 1963?
BETTY FRIEDAN
Which Chinese general and military strategist is traditionally credited as the author of The Art of War?
SUN TZU
Sometimes claimed to be one of the first works of modern philosophy The Prince is a 1513 political treatise by which Italian writer?
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI
What is the name of the four-volume history of Britain and its colonies written by Winston Churchill?
A HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH-SPEAKING PEOPLES
Which former United States Secretary of State wrote On China in 2011 aged 88?
HENRY KISSINGER
Ten Days that Shook the World is a book by American journalist and socialist John Reed about which Revolution which Reed experienced firsthand?
OCTOBER REVOLUTION (RUSSIA 1917)
Descended from a line of wealthy Sephardi Jews who wrote Jerusalem: The Biography which was made into a three-part series shown on BBC Four and presented by the author?
SIMON SEBAG MONTIFIORE
Which 1973 collection of essays by E. F. Schumacher is a study of economics and its purpose and supports the use of appropriate technology?
SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL
Written by Ralph Nadar and published in 1965 which book criticises American car manufacturers for resisting the introduction of basic safety features?
UNSAFE AT ANY SPEED
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference which seeks to explain and describe the sociological changes that mark everyday life is the first book by which Canadian pop sociologist?
MALCOLM GLADWELL
Which 1962 book by Rachel Carson documents the detrimental effects on the environment of the indiscriminate use of pesticides and led to a nationwide ban on DDT for agricultural uses?
SILENT SPRING
A Professor of Modern History at Oxford who wrote The Last Days of Hitler in 1947 but is best known for ‘authenticating’ the forged Hitler Diaries in 1983?
HUGH TREVOR-ROPER
Which book by Steven Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner is a sequel to Freakonomics and has the subtitle Global Cooling Patriotic Prostitutes and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance?
SUPERFREAKONOMICS
A Hard Road to Glory: A History of the African American Athlete is a three-volume set written by which tennis player who won three Grand Slam titles?
ARTHUR ASHE
Which American biologist wrote the 1968 book The Population Bomb which asserts that the world’s human population would soon increase to the point where mass starvation ensued?
PAUL EHRLICH
The original Shell Guides series of guidebooks were published on a county-by-county basis under the editorial control of which poet laureate?
JOHN BETJEMAN
Lost for Words: The Mangling and Manipulating of the English Language was written by which television quiz show host in 2005?
JOHN HUMPHRYS
With sales of more than 26 million copies worldwide which business book by Spencer Johnson features four characters: two mice and two little people?
WHO MOVED MY CHEESE?
Which book by Robert Hughes covers in detail the transportation of criminals from England to Australia and the history of those penal colonies?
THE FATAL SHORE
Which Canadian author first became known internationally for her anti-globalisation polemic No Logo published in 1999?
NAOMI KLEIN
The Consolations of Philosophy The Architecture of Happiness and Religion for Atheists are books by which Swiss-born British author?
ALAIN DE BOTTON
Which of the Mitford sisters wrote The American Way of Death which exposed abuses in the funeral home industry?
JESSICA
Almagest and Geography are works by which 2nd century mathematician astronomer and geographer?
PTOLEMY
American anthropologist Margaret Mead’s best known book is based upon her research and study of youth on the island of Ta’u in which island group?
SAMOA
Which book by Jon Ronson which was made into a 2009 film starring George Clooney describes the U.S. Army’s exploration of New Age concepts and the potential military applications of the paranormal?
THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS
The Sceptical Chymist published in 1661 was written by which Irish scientist?
ROBERT BOYLE
Which 1970 book by Dee Brown covers the history of Native Americans in the American West in the late 19th century? The title of the book refers to an 1890 massacre of the Lakota.
BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE
The Book of the Law is the sacred central test of which religion founded by Aleister Crowley?
THELEMA
Micrographia the first book to illustrate plants and animals as seen through a microscope was written by which English polymath?
ROBERT HOOKE
Modern Painters by John Ruskin was primarily written as a defence of the work of which British artist?
J.M.W TURNER
