Reading notes: Cruciverbalism
This feels like a book I would have checked out of the games section of the library as a 12-year-old (in 1995), in the best way. It is not available electronically. This sort of extremely opinionated book about a sport, game, or puzzle can often be very good.
- The lists of crosswordese are useful enough, but the Wikipedia lists are better for serious students.
- The anti-Eugene-Maleska rant (really, a throughline) is a highlight, and also a window into the history of the New York Times.
- Now that I've read that editors look for clues that seem hard but are actually easy, it seems obvious. (And it enriches the solving experience to know that "fake-hard" clues exist and to guess which ones they are.)
Recommended.
Published 2023-05-18.