Facts at your finger tips

BHARAT V. EPUR

The Britannica Quizmaster India: Volume One, published by Encyclopaedia Britannica India Pvt. Ltd. and Popular Prakashan is a handy-sized paperback with a well-designed layout of all varieties of questions with a choice of multiple answers. This volume, the first in an anticipated series of similar books, is a welcome compilation of various interesting facts from the Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica.

The book is not the first one to be brought out by Encyclopaedia Britannica on this subject. There was an earlier book, titled The Encyclopaedia Britannica Quiz Book published by Pocket Books in 1973. This trend-setting book was one of the first such books to be published. It set the standards that were followed by the many that followed. However, as this was published for an American readership, the entire content was geared towards the U.S. only.

The Britannica Quizmaster was, however, published specifically for India keeping the Indian buyer and reader in mind. This is reflected in the design, the content and the price.

The book has been divided into two halves, the first containing the Questions, and, the second, the Answers. There are almost 500 questions that have been classified into six categories, namely, Geography; History; Literature, Art, Culture, Religion and Mythology; People and Events; Science; and Sports. The Answers section also presents succinct explanations that add considerable value to the curious reader. This feature is probably the most noteworthy of the entire book.

There is a preponderance of questions in the Geography, History, Science and Sports (including a sub-section on the Olympics) categories. In the first two of these categories, all the questions pertain to India, which is truly commendable. In the latter two categories, one can find questions relating to other countries also. In all these categories, some of these factoids are well known. However, one does also comes across a number of less well-known but interesting, facts. It was indeed a revelation that the games of racket and ball (including real tennis in Great Britain, royal tennis in Australia, and court tennis in the United States) originated from a 12th- and 13th- century French handball game called jeu de paume (game of the palm) and that in 1873, Major Walter Wingfield invented a game called Sphairistike, from which modern outdoor tennis evolved.

The People and Events category is given lesser weightage. However, the focus here is once again on India. The people and events covered here are primarily historical in nature. Current events are given short shrift. Maybe they will be covered in the subsequent volumes that are scheduled to be brought out soon. The omnibus category of Literature, Art, Culture, Religion and Mythology not only makes for strange bedfellows, but also contains far too few questions to do justice to any of these diverse subjects.

An innovative and useful feature of this book is a "Did you know?" section that appears on every page. This section contains snippets of information on various subjects - all presented in a snappy manner, in alphabetic order, classified as per the above mentioned categories. This section makes for enjoyable and casual reading. It also serves as a reference source, thanks to the alphabetised presentation.

The organisation behind this commendable venture not only has access to a vast storehouse of information but also an enviable panel of experts on which to rely upon. This is evident from the scope of the subjects covered in this volume, as well as, from the detailed information presented along with each answer. Sadly, despite this, a few errors have cropped up. The most glaring is in the Sports section. There is a question on the different variations of the game of Kabaddi, namely, Surjeevani, Gaminee and Amar. Surjeevani should read as Sanjeevani, a variation of Kabaddi where one player is revived against one player of the opposite team who is out.

The paper and print quality of this volume is of a very good quality, considering the very affordable cover price of Rs. 100. However, one would have loved to see at least a few visual clues. On the whole, this book is a welcome addition to the bookshelf of not only the avid quizzer but also the casual reader with an inquiring mind.

The Britannica Quizmaster India: Volume One; Published by Encyclopaedia Britannica India Pvt. Ltd. and Popular Prakashan Price: Rs. 100

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