1 comments about New York Times Acrostic Omnibus, Volume 5, The.

1. I received this book a couple weeks ago and have been hooked on it! The puzzles are much more challenging than the ones Middleton creates for other publications. Warning--these have not been proofread very carefully; there are lots of errors (nearly one per puzzle)in the numbering/correspondence between grid and word list. Also, the type face sure wasn't chosen for its readability--the grid is "over-inked" and hard to read, and the numbers in the word list are very tiny. Despite this, they are still excellent solving. The book would have benefited by being spiral bound. One has to tear out (no perforations) each puzzle to be able to solve it.

No comments about Will Shortz Presents Sudoku Delight: 150 Fast, Fun Puzzles.

No comments about Jumbo Crosswords Challenge: A New Adventure in Puzzling.

No comments about Webster's English to Portuguese Brazilian Crossword Puzzles: Level 7.

5 comments about The Crossword Obsession: The History and Lore of the World's Most Popular Pastime.

1. Torturous. Not only is this book not for the crossword dillettante, it should be a disappointment to the hardcore solver whose only delight perhaps might come from seeing his friends' names in print.

   A haphazardly constructed tome, "Crossword Collection" is little more than transcribed interviews with the crossword world's major players and reads like a book in search of an editor. It's as if Amende did all the research for the book and then chose not to write one. There's something to be said for letting the people interviewed speak for themselves, but a little editing is in order as quote after quote after quote sucks the life out what must be an interesting group of people.

   There's something disappointing when a good idea for a book is poorly executed. For a well-written, humorous look at a similar world, stick to "Word Freak," Fatsis' book about competitive Scrabble.




2. I wouldn't call this book particularly well written. There's some history, but the book doesn't provide a long, captivating narrative of the development of the puzzle, or a psychoanalysis of the folks who become addicted to their daily puzzle. Rather, the book is more or less a collection of comments and insight from many of the creators of currently-published crosswords -- how they got into puzzle creation, how they sold their first puzzle, how long it takes them to solve the Sunday NY Times puzzle, etc. The book is behind-the-scenes reality show on crossword puzzles. After reading it, you'll have a good sense of how puzzles are created, how they are edited, what makes a puzzle good, what makes a puzzle bad (or unpublishable), and how the daily crossword puzzle ends up as a final product in your morning newspaper. You'll learn about the preferences of different editors (now I finally know why my collections of NY Times crosswords edited by Will Shortz are SO MUCH MORE FUN TO SOLVE than the NY Times crosswords edited by Eugene Maleska). You'll learn about the evils of "crosswordese" (if you're reading this -- you know what I'm talking about -- words like etui). The book contains biographical shorts of the various crossworders who contributed -- they come from varied backgrounds, from Will Shortz, who majored in crossword puzzles in college (seriously) to dentists and physical therapists and lawyers who got sucked in by their hobby. The book also contains some very good puzzles and their solutions -- though I wouldn't recommend this book if your only interest in in solving puzzles. Overall, a great selection if you want to get to know the clever people and the detailed process that deliver crossword puzzles to the rest of us -- it may be of limited interest to anyone else.



3. Don' bother to buy the book. Anyone can send a survey to people of like minds then use their replies to write a book. I was very disappointed n the contents of the book but glad that I had purchased it used not new.



4. I enjoy puzzles of all types and I also enjoy finding how things work.Can't say that I am fanatic solver,but usually worked at the daily one in the local paper.For many years,while commuting to work in Montreal (Montreal Star),New York(New York Times and The NY Daily Post),Toronto(Toronto Star);entertained me.
   I enjoyed this book because it covered crosswords from A to Z.It was interesting to read about the business and the community who are behind the constructing and publishing them.As with most things the personalities are very interesting.
   As to who this book is for;I would think casual solvers would enjoy it just as I did;and of course "experts" who may even think of trying to construct puzzles would find it a gem.It would be a great reference for anyone who wanted to get serious about puzzles.
   I would suggest that before starting to read this book that one should scan it first.There are excellent references at the back;particularly the Glossary and Biographies that I wish I had known about before I was half way through the book.I would also suggest reading the Customer Reviews,which are well done and I submit are better than mine.



5. This is a tedious book. It is a compilation of raw data that hasn't been refined. The author splices and dices transcripts of surveys results which are then arranged in categories. But she fails to flesh out the story. There are some interesting facts and figures, but overall, I'm sorry I bought it. I love crosswords, but this book was a let down.

No comments about Silver Screen Crosswords to Keep You Sharp (AARP).

No comments about The Ultimate Womens Basketball Trivia and Puzzle Book (Quiz Book).

No comments about Crosswords to Exercise Your Mind (Crossword).

1 comments about Random House All Weather Crossword Omnibus (Newsday).

1. This collection of crossword puzzles is a good balance: not too easy, not too difficult, small enough to take with you. I enjoy working crossword puzzles as a break from reading.

No comments about The New York Times Crosswords 101: The Easiest Puzzles from The New York Times.