Baby Themed Crossword Puzzle Answers for Culture Vulture
The Best Crossword Puzzle Books, Co-ordinate to Will Shortz and Other Crossword Obsessives
If there was always a time to become into crosswords, this is it. And not just considering we're all stuck at domicile: As Will Shortz, the New York Times crossword editor and 1 of the best-known names in the game, told us, "We're living in the golden age of crosswords — they've never been every bit interesting or as well made every bit they are now, partly because they're not every bit bookish as they used to exist, the themes are more than interesting, and they connect more to real life." And while you can do a daily crossword if yous have a print newspaper subscription (or puzzles online, including New York's past Matt Gaffney, which go up every Sunday night), there's something satisfying most moving page by page through a puzzle book. To become a sense of the best books out there, nosotros talked to Shortz and three other crossword experts almost their favorites.
Elizabeth Gorski, the editor of Crossword Nation and a crossword contributor to The New Yorker, recommends Simon & Schuster's Mega Crossword serial (total disclosure, she has contributed to the serial) and says she likes to give the books as gifts because they are skillful "intermediate-level" puzzles. Only there's something in the books for puzzlers of all kinds, co-ordinate to Gorski: "I like Mega'southward variety of puzzles: You lot'll find crosswords made by folks of all ages and backgrounds. There's something for everyone — simple 15x puzzles, big Lord's day-sized crosswords, themelesses of various sizes, literary themes, and tricky rebuses." If you lot're merely getting into crosswords, the Mega books might be a good place to start. "I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them for beginners, as well," says Gorski. "At that place's no law-breaking in looking upward an respond or two to nudge y'all along while solving. I liken it to musical written report — whether we're studying the viola or solving puzzles, it's important to review our mistakes if nosotros want to strop our skills." Gorski notes that the paper in the Mega Crossword books is "high quality," which is important "because y'all won't destroy the page when you 'accidentally' stab the puzzle with your pen or pencil while recoiling from a bad pun" (or while crossing out mistakes) and that the pages are perforated so that you can tear out a few puzzles rather than carrying the whole book effectually.
Both Adrienne Raphel, author of the new book Thinking Inside the Box: Adventures With Crosswords and the Puzzling People Who Can't Live Without Them, and New York Magazine literary critic and crossword enthusiast–writer Molly Immature recommend collections of Times crosswords. "You lot can't go wrong with whatsoever of Volition Shortz's for the New York Times, depending on whether you lot want easy (Mon) or fiendish (Saturday)," says Raphel. For those starting out, attempt a Monday volume, which come up in various sizes (you can buy one with 50 puzzles or 200) and which will first getting you into shape for those more difficult days further in the week.
Matt Gaffney, who writes crosswords for New York, told us that this drove, which has 72 puzzles and is edited by "living baby boomer legend" Stanley Newman ("legend" isn't an overstatement — his puzzles are syndicated globally to over 100 newspapers) is another worthy Mon-level crossword-puzzle book. "They're unproblematic, fun puzzles," says Gaffney.
And while the puzzles in the Easy As Pie book aren't really food-themed, fear not: At that place are plenty of food-centric crosswords in Erik Agard'due south Nutrient for Thought. "It's a food-themed book of crosswords, written by the greatest crossword writer of the millennial generation," says Gaffney. "Agard is one of the seven puzzle writers in The New Yorker's rotation, and he's besides a iii-time Jeopardy! champ — he's the kind of puzzle author where you lot can sense his cleverness in pretty much every puzzle he makes." Gaffney suggests this book for puzzlers of all levels.
"Y'all can get a whole book of whichever twenty-four hour period best suits your solving level, whether it is Monday, Tuesday, or beyond," says Young. "I, a 'badass solver,' prefer the Saturday collections." Immature told us that the Saturday puzzles are "the trickiest, with the about sophisticated grids," though they do lack the themed clues of the earlier weekday puzzles. If you're a regular Times crossword solver, try ordering a book from a few years agone. "I like to buy older books because it is less likely that I will have previously solved the puzzles within," says Young.
"Right at present, I'd go for whatever of the Lord's day Omnibus collections," says Raphel of the Times' extra-large, 21-letter-past-21-letter puzzles (a standard crossword is 15 x 15). "It's like getting a 2,000-piece instead of a 1,000-piece jigsaw — I like to leave ane lying around the house and let my hidden encephalon simmer on these all 24-hour interval, or all week, or all … any amount of time." Raphel says these are "the juiciest puzzles."
If you want to pair your 5 p.grand. glass of Merlot with an on-theme puzzle volume, Gaffney suggests Drunk Crosswords: "They're alcohol-themed puzzles from ii A-plus list Gen-X crossword writers." The puzzles are on the medium-difficult level, and include cocktail puns and clues based on drinking games.
If you want a petty history with your crosswords, Raphel suggests ethnomusicologist and crossword editor Ben Tausig's The Curious History of the Crossword. "Each affiliate dives into some aspect of crossword culture: A particularly thoughtful section charts the troubling underrepresentation of women in prominent crossword publications during the finish of the 20th century," says Raphel. Alongside the history, you'll find a "treasure trove" of 100 puzzles from the past 100 years, to celebrate the 100th ceremony of the crossword class in 2013.
"My number one proposition is Games mag," says Immature. "It'due south a at present-defunct magazine stuffed with puzzles and terrific design. The tone of the magazine is very 'Hark! My fellow nerds — let us feast upon puzzles!'" Immature says the magazines, which were edited past Shortz in the early 1990s, take crosswords every bit well as cryptic crosswords, "the devilish mistresses to normal crosswords" and "an overwhelming basket of solvable challenges."
Editor'southward note: This particular gear up of back issues is sold out, just y'all tin find many other Game Magazine problems from diverse Ebay sellers .
Shortz is also a fan of the difficult, cryptic crosswords mentioned by Young. "What I like to do most are ambiguous crossword puzzles in the British style, but by American puzzle-makers — in that location are some really squeamish ones that take appeared in the Nation magazine for years and years." Shortz explains that the difference betwixt American and British puzzles lies in the wording of the clues. "American crosswords have straightforward clues, whereas in the British style, you have clues that involve anagrams, homophone reversals, and other kinds of wordplay." Shortz's preferred puzzles from the Nation are available in collections, which he calls "addictive and actually well made."
And if all of your puzzling has left you inspired to write your ain puzzle, Raphel told us nigh the Crossword Constructor'southward Handbook, which you can buy online as a PDF. Raphel says that the author, Patrick Berry, is "the so-called 'Thomas Pynchon of crosswords' — an innovative wizard, regular constructor for the New York Times, The New Yorker, etc.," and that the tome is "ane of the best books on construction out there — actually clear instructions and insider tips."
Raphel as well suggests having a crossword puzzle lexicon on hand, which is not the same every bit your regular sometime Webster'southward: "It'southward sort of the zedonk of word reference guides, a hybrid of a dictionary and thesaurus, and incredibly useful. For each entry, it'll requite you helpful other words and related phrases, with their lengths," she says. A crossword-specific dictionary will help verse you in some puzzler lingo: "So if you see 'A1' equally clue for a four-letter answer, the dictionary will allow you know that information technology might be 'all-time' or 'tops.'"
And if all of this puzzling has you wanting to learn more virtually the history and arts and crafts, pick up a re-create of Raphel'due south new volume, Thinking Inside the Box: Adventures With Crosswords and the Puzzling People Who Can't Live Without Them, which Shortz told us he "highly recommends for anyone who loves crosswords."
Nosotros may be biased, but our list of the best crossword-puzzle books wouldn't be complete without New York Crosswords: 50 Big Puzzles, which includes l recently published crossword puzzles by expert conundrum Cathy Allis and a archetype puzzle from the New York archives, made by Stephen Sondheim in 1968.
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Baby Themed Crossword Puzzle Answers for Culture Vulture
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