Q 01/05

Besides being an author, what was the creator of Perry Mason by profession?

A) A lawyer

B) A judge

C) A journalist

D) A police detective

Answer · why

A) A lawyer

He defended poor Chinese and Mexican immigrants early in his career and stayed in practice until his first Mason novel sold in 1933.

Q 02/05

How many Perry Mason novels did Gardner write?

A) 82

B) 95

C) 110

D) 130

Answer · why

A) 82

Add four short stories. The series ranks third among the top ten best-selling book series of all time.

Q 03/05

Which real Los Angeles defence attorney inspired the character of Perry Mason?

A) Clarence Darrow

B) Melvin Belli

C) Jerry Giesler

D) Earl Rogers

Answer · why

D) Earl Rogers

Gardner took the name Perry Mason from the Perry Mason Company, publisher of a magazine he read as a child.

Q 04/05

Gardner borrowed the name Perry Mason from the publisher of which magazine he read as a boy?

A) Boys' Life

B) Youth's Companion

C) The Saturday Evening Post

D) Argosy

Answer · why

B) Youth's Companion

The first novel appeared in 1933 and had Mason describe himself as a specialist in getting people out of trouble.

Q 05/05

What was the title of the first Perry Mason novel, published in 1933?

A) The Case of the Howling Dog

B) The Case of the Lucky Legs

C) The Case of the Sulky Girl

D) The Case of the Velvet Claws

Answer · why

D) The Case of the Velvet Claws

Much of it is set at the Pierpont Inn near Gardner's old law office in Ventura, California.