Customer Reviews

101 Cryptic Crosswords: From the New Yorker

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
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The "New Yorker" ran slender puzzle column for a couple of years in a marvelous attempt to introduce cryptic crosswords to a larger US audience. These 8 x 10 barred diagrams were composed by many of the finest constructors around: editer Fraser Simpson, Mike Shenk, Trip Payne, Patrick Berry, and "Monika Zook" (a pseudonym for a well-known puzzle-constructing duo), and others.

These 101 puzzles have been collected into a lovely spiral volume, with two per page, on nice heavy white stock. A few minor typographical oddities mar the typesetting (apostrophe s constructions are spaced out and some there are minor type size inconsistencies) -- perhaps the result of its production in Hong Kong -- but nothing that will trouble solvers.

The standard of wordplay is high in these gems, and because of their barred diagrams and extensive checked letters, you'll find that with practice one of them can be solved in under half an hour.

Solutions are clevely shuffled in the back so that when you look up the solutions (and explanations) you won't accidentally see the solution to the next puzzle in the sequence.

I solved these in the magazine years ago but am glad to have the collection in one place. A delight.

I've been learning to do Cryptics from Games Magazine (they have 2 in each issue), and this set from the New Yorker is, as others have said, easier. Still very nice and satisfying for those who like to roll through one in under an hour. They are light, but light in the realm of Cryptics. The instructions and tutorial puzzles are excellent for the beginner.
The quality of the book is excellent. The pages are nice and thick (so the ink doesn't run through). For something meatier try: ISBN 0812935128.

These compact puzzles are great for the cryptic fan who is still learning. They aren't as difficult as "Games" magazine's or Henry Hook's puzzles, so you won't be reaching dead ends all the time. While the puzzles are still very challenging, I recommend this collection for those who want to learn how to solve these fun, unique crosswords.

The "New Yorker" ran slender puzzle column for a couple of years in a marvelous attempt to introduce cryptic crosswords to a larger US audience. These 8 x 10 barred diagrams were composed by many of the finest constructors around: editer Fraser Simpson, Mike Shenk, Trip Payne, Patrick Berry, and "Monika Zook" (a pseudonym for a well-known puzzle-constructing duo), and others.

These 101 puzzles have been collected into a lovely spiral volume, with two per page, on nice heavy white stock. A few minor typographical oddities mar the typesetting (apostrophe s constructions are spaced out and some there are minor type size inconsistencies) -- perhaps the result of its production in Hong Kong -- but nothing that will trouble solvers.

The standard of wordplay is high in these gems, and because of their barred diagrams and extensive checked letters, you'll find that with practice one of them can be solved in under half an hour.

Solutions are clevely shuffled in the back so that when you look up the solutions (and explanations) you won't accidentally see the solution to the next puzzle in the sequence.

I solved these in the magazine years ago but am glad to have the collection in one place. A delight.

I love cryptic crosswords! Sometimes the answer is intuitive, but most of the time clue analysis is required.

This book lists the puzzle author with each puzzle, so it is easy to find a pattern between author and puzzle completion. Another plus- the answer portion is nonsequential, so that you can get a hint without getting the answers to the next 3 puzzles. Of course, it's most fun when you don't use the help at all!

I would classify these puzzles as medium in difficulty, certainly not as hard as some I've seen. Nontheless, they are challenging. I like to work on a set of puzzles at a time. If I get stuck on one, I move on to the next and continue in a cyclic manner.

I would suggest this book to those who may be: new to cryptics, bored with regular crosswords, casual puzzle solvers, and anyone who loves a good pun. I do not recommend these for those accustomed to difficult cryptics.

I became interested in cryptic crosswords after a friend gave me a subscription to "The Nation," which carries a weekly puzzle by Frank W. Lewis (recently retired; The Nation is now re-printing his older ones). The puzzles in this "New Yorker" collection are a bit easier with rarely any obscure words, and extremely economical clues. (I love Mr. Lewis but he tends to use some very obscure words in his solutions, and some of his clues contain extraneous words). The grid does take some getting used to if you are accustomed to the traditional format, but it takes doing only a few puzzles for the style to become familiar. Highly recommended!
Note that this book, like many puzzle books on Amazon, are part of the "4 for 3" deal (buy 4, get one of them free). My suggestion for an order would be this book, its sequel 102 Cryptic Crosswords (Mensa), Cryptic Crosswords 2 (Mensa Puzzle Books) (No. 2), and The Atlantic Cryptic Crosswords.

Easy (in terms of cryptic) crosswords that can be solved in about 1/2 hour. Mostly U.S. style, following strict clue construction rules. Few esoteric foreign words and places. Clues are not simply constructed using a computer thesaurus and anagram program. Nicely crafted. Very enjoyable, the best "easy" book I've seen. Spiral format is great.

The spiral bound format and good quality paper is great for puzzling. Two puzzles are squeezed onto every page, so there isn't loads of room for anagramming and such next to the clues, but there's space in the margins.

The puzzle formats are non-standard for American cryptics--there are no black squares. Bold lines indicate the ends of words, and all the grids are 8x10. At least half the letters in any given word are also used in crossing words, but you don't have the strict every-other-letter format. So for EARTH, you'd might pick up E_RT_ from other answers.

The answers have both grids and quick clue breakdowns (a couple of clues do get deeper explanations). The answers to adjoining puzzles are on different pages, so you don't accidentally see answers to the next puzzle.

As everyone else has stated, the puzzles are manageable, but still challenging (and the clues are always fair!). A great cryptic crossword puzzle book.

This book has been my constant companion. The spiral format makes it durable and easy to use. A good first book on cryptics. Hard enough to be fun, easy enough to be solvable, although I've yet to find one a beginner can do in an hour. (2 hours was my best time so far).

I mourned the demise of the New Yorker cryptic, and was elated (Editor hugs the tardy but joyous [6]) when I found this book. Cryptics are very popular in Britain and their former territories, though not as common here in the US. A must for those who enjoy wordplay.