The Big Book of Crossword Puzzles: 288 Puzzles for the Crossword Fanatic [Paperback]

Olivia Carlton (Author), J. Baxter Newgate (Author), Emily Cox (Author), Henry Rathvon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 12, 2002 | Series: Crossword

Crossword fans rejoice! Here's a collection of puzzles designed to boggle your brain, stimulate your solving skills, and engage and entertain you for hours. Test your knowledge of trivia, history, pop culture, vocabulary, and literature, and see if you can decipher clever clues, playful puns, and tricky twists. You'll need to keep historical context in mind when you try your hand at a selection of classics from the 1950s and 1960s. Test your mettle against contemporary champions with puzzles that were worked out under tournament conditions by three top solvers. See if you're championship caliber by comparing your times with theirs--although just finishing these puzzles is an accomplishment of which to be proud. Exercise your mind with theme puzzles created by some of the most talented crossword constructors around. A soft cover and spiral binding make it easy to settle in with your chosen puzzle, and all solutions are included.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Sterling (December 12, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402701616
• ISBN-13: 978-1402701610
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,161,563 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A must for the crossword puzzle addict, September 9, 2003

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Big Book of Crossword Puzzles: 288 Puzzles for the Crossword Fanatic (Paperback)

A crossword puzzle is generally built by following an overall theme, whether it is modern pop culture, geography, politics, history or basic vocabulary. This collection of crossword puzzles is different, in that it is a combination of all of them, being composed of four separate collections.
The puzzles of the first collection were taken from magazines published in the `50s and `60s, and none of the clues have been updated to reflect changes. Therefore, a clue such as "Mild expletive" must be interpreted in that context. References to political and entertainment celebrities also must be examined in a historical light.
Puzzles in the second section were all taken from the U.S. Airways in-flight magazine "Attache", which debuted in 1997. The third section is made up of puzzles that were given to top crossword experts under tournament conditions. Much more difficult than the others, this group of puzzles will stretch your capabilities to the limits.
The fourth and final section is also made up of puzzles that were created in the `50s and `60s. As was the case with the first set, it is best to think twice before responding, as you may be thinking fifty years after the fact. Solutions to all of the puzzles are included, so you have everything you need to pit yourself against the experts and time as you try to solve these mind straining crosswords.
The crossword puzzle page of newspapers is generally one of the most popular pages in each issue. Properly done, they are challenging, frustrating and yet fun to do. The puzzles in this collection certainly fit that description.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well worth the cost., April 10, 2003

By 

B. Van Buskirk (Dover, New Jersey USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Big Book of Crossword Puzzles: 288 Puzzles for the Crossword Fanatic (Paperback)

If you like crosswords that are fun to do without resorting to stacks of reference materials, then this book is for you. Lots and lots of clever puzzels you can complete in an hour or so. One word of advice : take the first 70 or so puzzels and give them to someone just beginning to do crosswords as I found them too easy to enjoy. The other 200+ puzzels were great. These crosswords are not the brain twisters from the New York Times which require experience, determination, and research to complete. These puzzels are challenging without being frustrating. Give it a try.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mixed Bag, February 18, 2006

By 

Kathy (Walnut Creek, CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Big Book of Crossword Puzzles: 288 Puzzles for the Crossword Fanatic (Paperback)

I'm not a champion crossword puzzle solver so some of these are ridiculously hard for me. I prefer the straight ahead puzzles without gimmicky tricks. Many of these puzzles are from the '50s and '60s so they meet my criteria (especially since I grew up in that era). A number of them, however, are way too hard for me or else too cute (e.g. answers where one of the letters is incorrect, etc.). I would have rated it a "3" for me but I realize that many people want variety so I gave it a "4".