Cruciverbalism

by Stanley Newman and Mark Lasswell

For the millions of people who do crosswords, the person behind the puzzle is always something of a mystery. What puzzler wouldn't want to know how a constructor thinks when putting together a puzzle?... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060890606
• ISBN13: 9780060890605
• Release Date: October 2006
• Publisher: Harper
• Length: 149 Pages
• Weight: 0.54 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.8" x 7.4"

Customer Reviews

A must-read for crossword puzzlers

Fascinating, entertaining and very informative. It has increased my enjoyment, motivation, and proficiency in doing crosswords.

Making crosswords even more fun

This little gem is a delightful read; filled with great tips for becoming a better solver. I may even try my hand at developing my own puzzles after reading this. It sounds like a great group of people involved in the creating aspect. List of most often found little words is a boon to new puzzle solvers.

No Cross Words for This One!

I'm a comfortable solver, still I thoroughly enjoyed Newman's wordplay and sense of playfulness that he brings to the genre. For my teens, just getting into crosswords, this book is even more valuable. His list of 100 most used words is a gem. How fun to find that there are others out there who are just as nuts about crosswords as I am. Recommended!

Great book for crossworders!

I was delightfully entertained and informed by this book about the how-tos and what-not-to-dos involved in crosswords. As an aspiring constructor and experienced solver, I found the chapters very helpful and the writing exremely funny, with many clever word usages that you might expect from a master wordsmith like Mr. Newman. The book has also inspired me to be more diligent and thorough in my crossword-solving, as he himself became when he sought to improve his own skills, as he sets out for us the stories of his own struggles and crossword conquests. This book should appeal to anyone, from the accomplished puzzle-solver to those of us who think: "we don't do crosswords". It's a most enjoyable evening's read, stimulating and extremely intelligent with lots of insightful anecdotes about the fascinating machinations from inside Mr. Newman's "world of the grid." It will have you running to Newsday or your local paper for the daily puzzle after you read it. Respectfully submitted, Kinsey...er, Bill Goode, Jr.

A wonderful insider's look into the crossword world!

As a longtime fan of anything crossword related, this book answered every behind the scene question I had. Newman relates tiffs between he and long time NY Times editor Eugene Maleska that sound more like heated rivalries between two all-star pro sports teams. Highly recommended to anyone, fan to fanatic, who wants to know more about what truly goes into creating the puzzles we love doing.