Cruciverbalism: A Crossword Fanatic's Guide to Life in the Grid [Hardcover]

Stanley Newman (Author), Mark Lasswell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 31, 2006

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? Or the secret rules that guide the selections of clues and answers? Or how to outsmart the constructor by understanding his mindset? A few tips about how to improve solving skills wouldn't hurt, either. Putting it all together in an accessible and witty "guide to life in the grid" is just what everybody wants and needs. CRUCIVERBALISM will help people become better solvers and have more fun doing crosswords. It will also pull back the curtain on puzzle–making itself, outlining the history of crosswords, showing how they have evolved over the past century, and how rules and the mindsets of puzzle editors have changed over time. It will pass along the guidelines the author provides to his stable of puzzle constructors, and tidbits such as the "100 essential words" for the pursuit of crossword happiness. Finally, it will recount the decade–long battle between Old Guard and New Wave constructors, bringing in a cast of colorful characters living in a world of words. The book will be a combination of crossword self–help, wisdom, trivia and stories that will fascinate today's millions of avid puzzlers.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Crossword puzzle fans will eat up this entertaining stew of history, arcana and personalities in this memoir–cum–instruction manual by longtime Newsday crossword editor Newman and Wall Street Journal deputy books editor Lasswell. And woven into the mix is a great lesson in how to engineer a midlife career switch. Newman, an advocate of "new wave" crosswords, gleefully describes his "war" with "pedantic" Eugene Maleska, the New York Times crossword editor from 1977 to 1993, a David-vs.-Goliath tale. But Newman doesn't neglect the nuts and bolts about difficulty levels (contrary to popular belief, Sunday isn't the hardest puzzle of the week: it's about midweek-level, but bigger), the types of clues used by constructors and the most effective ways to approach puzzle solving (start with an easy clue and try to fill in that entire section before moving on). Newman touts the health benefits of puzzling, citing studies that show it can help ward off Alzheimer's and senile dementia. He also provides some interesting trivia bits, among them, that the late Seagram's chairman Edgar Bronfman's passion for puzzles helped Newman finance a Lincoln Town Car, and many of the puzzles appearing in daily newspapers are constructed by prison inmates. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Crossword puzzle fans--solvers and constructors alike--will find a wealth of useful tips in this book by Newsday's crossword editor (and world record holder for the fastest solving of a New York Times crossword). The book is part autobiography, part how-to guide, and part manifesto: while telling us how he got to be a full-time puzzle editor, Newman both rails against editors and constructors who try to hold back the evolution of the crossword and celebrates the new wave of constructors and solvers, the brave men and women who risk their reputations on the front lines of the new crossword battlefield. Yes, the author does take his subject a little too seriously (and he has a troubling hate-on for former New York Times crossword editor Eugene Maleska), but he also has a good sense of humor, and his knowledge of his field appears to be virtually encyclopedic. For veteran crossworders, a fascinating glimpse into their special world; for newbies, an introduction to a world that can be intellectually stimulating and, at the same time, childishly petty. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Harper; 1st Printing edition (October 31, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060890606
• ISBN-13: 978-0060890605
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #526,528 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and potentially outstanding, but diminished by unnecessary pettiness and self-promotion,, April 12, 2008

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Reader - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Cruciverbalism: A Crossword Fanatic's Guide to Life in the Grid (Hardcover)

This work is marred by unexpected self-aggrandizement and mean-spiritedness. In the first chapter, the author lets us know he was able to beat competitors to win three major crossword competitions in a row. He also tells us he was brave enough to attack, in writing, Eugene Maleska, then crossword editor of the New York Times. Dr. Maleska's approach, and one of his apparent flaws as Mr. Newman sees it, was to encourage and use many crossword clues based on classical and obscure references, including Latin words, rather than the more pun-oriented wordplay, and contemporary references approach used by most modern crossword constructors. There is some irony that Mr. Newman's book is titled, "Cruciverbalism - A Crossword Fanatics's Guide..." rather than simply "Crosswords - A Fanatics's Guide ..."

Word play and current references make crossword puzzles accessible to a wider audience, while less common "academic" references often inform and educate. Thus, it is appropriate to contrast and discuss each of these approaches, and consider if one approach is always more appropriate and desirable, or if both should co-exist to appeal to different audiences, or to the same audiences at different times. However, Mr. Newman's comments are not just a reasoned explication and evaluation of these two construction approaches. Rather, his attacks are ad hominem, and appear to reflect a strong and extended personal animosity that has continued even after Dr. Maleska death in 1993.

Mr. Newman has, to me, the ill-manners to note that after Dr. Maleska's death he, Mr Newman, was assigned to edit Dr. Maleska's puzzles. To quote Mr. Newman, this is what the phrase "spinning in his grave" was invented for.

During Eugene Maleska's tenure at the New York Times he produced irritation and anger among some solvers and many constructors, not primarily by his approach to crossword construction which many disagreed with, but more by his notoriously sharp rejection letters to crossword constructors whose work he would not accept. An earlier perceptive reviewer told Mr. Newman to "deal with it"; I agree. Mr. Newman's obsession with Dr. Maleska, and the author's self-promotion, fatally damages what should otherwise have been an outstanding work.

Some reviewers here refer to the author as "Stan". Whether they already know him or not, its clear many folks hold him in high regard. Additionally, the book carries a short endorsement from the current and widely respected NY Times crossword editor. Thus, this work appears atypical of Mr. Newman's attitudes and relationships in the crossword world.

The author is clearly in the top tier of crossword solvers and constructors, and very well versed in the business side of crossword publishing. This work already contains some quite fascinating anecdotes and stories about crossword solvers and constructors, discussion of solution strategy, as well as some interesting history about the growth of the U.S. crossword interest/obsession. Its list of 100 essential words for crosswords puzzles is excellent. If the egregious personal attacks and egocentric references could be removed from any later editions, and the work expanded -- the relatively small format, page count, and margins make this almost more pamphlet-sized than book-sized -- to include more for Mr. Newman's clearly outstanding knowledge of crossword solution strategies, history, construction, and the crossword business this would be an exemplary work for crossword enthusiasts.

The often stated, "It's Not What You Say, It's How You Say It" applies here. Mr. Newman's stories and anecdotes are frequently informative and often fascinating. Rewritten with less animus, this would be an exceptional work. Unfortunately, in its current state, it reflects an inappropriate pettiness, and contains so much vain and boastful writing that it cannot be highly rated.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful insider's look into the crossword world!, November 15, 2006

By 

David M. Tack (Fargo, ND United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Cruciverbalism: A Crossword Fanatic's Guide to Life in the Grid (Hardcover)

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.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for crossworders!, December 24, 2006

By 

Willard L. Goode Jr. "bgoodejr" (Gulfport, FL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Cruciverbalism: A Crossword Fanatic's Guide to Life in the Grid (Hardcover)

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.