Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Berkley Trade (2002), Edition: First Edition, Fourth Printing, Paperback, 384 pages
Description
This lively, detailed history of the crossword puzzle not only gives us a few clues about how and why these puzzles became so popular, but also introduces us to the people behind the story and the surprising role crosswords have played in our world. From square one to the last word, this marvelous tribute includes: * Origins of the modern crossword puzzle, with examples of early word games * Insider tips from competition champs and prominent puzzlemakers * General solving strategies and secrets * Crossword controversies, such as "crosswordese" * Cluing and construction for the Will Wengs of tomorrow-including information on the latest computer software for the puzzle constructor * All about crossword tournaments and contests * Valuable reference section-including websites for crosswords and research websites * PLUS: A special bonus selection of challenging puzzles!… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member mamajoan
In my opinion this book suffers from having been written by someone who is involved in the crossword business but is not a professional writer. It's a topic I'm very interested in, as a crossword fan, and there's a lot of good info here about the crossword biz; the history of crosswords; the
Example: It's interesting to know that there are a variety of people constructing crosswords for the major markets in the US nowadays, and that some people specialize in this or that area of crossword constructing and so forth. But do I really need to see a long list of constructors' names followed by who their favorite constructors are? Not really.
For a lot of this book, it looks like the author sent a questionnaire to a large group of crossword-biz VIPs, and compiled their responses together. So a typical section might consist of twenty or more people's responses to the question "What's your favorite part of creating a puzzle?" or "What's the hardest part?" or "How long does it take you to construct a puzzle?" The result is pages and pages of one-paragraph responses that all read sort of the same ("Four to five hours." "About three hours." "About half a day." "Anywhere from an hour to four hours." etc.) and it gets mind-numbing after a while. I wish the author had included a bit more substance and a bit less of what seems like ego-stroking for the industry VIPs. The above example could have been easily summed up with a bit of prose, e.g. "The time it takes for the average constructor to make a puzzle varies between one and twelve hours" and then maybe a FEW of the more interesting/wordy responses -- rather than just listing out all the responses with no accompanying text to tie it all together.
Overall, a lot of interesting stuff here but the publishers should really have hired a professional writer to write it, at least to collaborate with the author. If you're like me -- a pretty serious crossword fan but with no real interest in learning how to construct crosswords -- you'll enjoy a lot of the tidbits, but you can also do a lot of skimming.
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various people who are or have been important in the evolution of the crossword; how crosswords are constructed; and so forth. But the interesting stuff is pretty badly padded with boring, repetitive insider stuff that isn't of much interest to the average crossword fan. Example: It's interesting to know that there are a variety of people constructing crosswords for the major markets in the US nowadays, and that some people specialize in this or that area of crossword constructing and so forth. But do I really need to see a long list of constructors' names followed by who their favorite constructors are? Not really.
For a lot of this book, it looks like the author sent a questionnaire to a large group of crossword-biz VIPs, and compiled their responses together. So a typical section might consist of twenty or more people's responses to the question "What's your favorite part of creating a puzzle?" or "What's the hardest part?" or "How long does it take you to construct a puzzle?" The result is pages and pages of one-paragraph responses that all read sort of the same ("Four to five hours." "About three hours." "About half a day." "Anywhere from an hour to four hours." etc.) and it gets mind-numbing after a while. I wish the author had included a bit more substance and a bit less of what seems like ego-stroking for the industry VIPs. The above example could have been easily summed up with a bit of prose, e.g. "The time it takes for the average constructor to make a puzzle varies between one and twelve hours" and then maybe a FEW of the more interesting/wordy responses -- rather than just listing out all the responses with no accompanying text to tie it all together.
Overall, a lot of interesting stuff here but the publishers should really have hired a professional writer to write it, at least to collaborate with the author. If you're like me -- a pretty serious crossword fan but with no real interest in learning how to construct crosswords -- you'll enjoy a lot of the tidbits, but you can also do a lot of skimming.
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LibraryThing member Wombat
Approximately 90% of this book is selections from interviews with leading puzzle constructors, editors, and solvers. It's all divided by topic---e.g., how do you come up with themes? What makes a good clue? etc. There are bits of history and advice about constructing and solving puzzles. Probably
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only of interest to a hardcore crossword fan who at least recognizes a lot of the "big names." Otherwise, it's just a lot of names that are hard to keep straight saying similar things in different ways. For me about 10% of the book was interesting, the other 90% was a waste of time Show Less
LibraryThing member princemuchao
The only redeeming factor about this book is the crossword puzzles included within. The book is largely composed of interview answers in much the same way as "Live From New York" is, but the difference between reading what Bill Murray has to say and what Norman Wizer has to say is enormous.
Language
Original publication date
2001-10
Physical description
384 p.; 7.72 inches
ISBN
0425186822 / 9780425186824
Other editions
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