About Quoth
Quoth is a free daily puzzle for rediscovering the classics. Every day there's one passage from a great book, the same for everyone. You guess who wrote it, then keep reading: every puzzle ends with what happens next, what the book is about, and where to read the rest. The passages come from more than 100 authors, from Homer and Shakespeare to Jane Austen, Leo Tolstoy, Virginia Woolf and Ernest Hemingway, and from novels, plays, poems and short stories.
How to play
- Read the passage. A new one appears every day at 6am Pacific.
- Guess the author. You have six tries, and typos are forgiven: “Charles Dikens” still counts. If you're stuck, “See answer” ends the puzzle and shows who wrote it.
- Use hints if you need them. There are three: when it was written, its genre, and the author's country. Take them in any order.
- Name the book for a bonus. Get the author right and you have one try at the title. For a passage from a collection, it's the story or poem you're asked for.
- Keep reading. The results pick up where the passage leaves off and tell you about the book it came from, with a link to read it free and a link to buy it.
Scoring
Guessing the author is worth 100 points, and each hint you use takes 25 off. Naming the book (or the story or poem) adds 50, so the best possible score is 150. Sharing your result shows your guesses and hints as a grid of squares, without giving away the answer.
Where the passages come from
Every passage is quoted exactly, never paraphrased, from books in the public domain (in a published English translation for books first written in another language). The texts come from the carefully produced editions of Standard Ebooks or, where there isn't one, from Project Gutenberg. They're chosen so they don't give the answer away: no character names, no places from the book, no words from its title, and no famous opening lines.
Most book covers are the publisher's own, from Penguin Random House, and show the edition the “Buy on Amazon” link opens. The rest are Standard Ebooks' covers for its free editions.
What you read under “Keep reading” comes from the same public-domain editions as the passage, and most book summaries and descriptions are Standard Ebooks' own.
Questions
Is Quoth free?
Yes. When you buy a book through the “Buy on Amazon” link, Quoth earns a small commission as an Amazon Associate, at no cost to you.
Do I need an account?
No. Your stats and streak are kept in your browser. Signing in is optional and keeps them in sync across your devices.
How hard is it?
It varies from day to day. Some passages are from books you'll know at once; others are from authors you may be meeting for the first time, which is half the fun.
How can I get in touch?
Email hello@playquoth.app.