The New York Times Will Shortz's Funniest Crossword Puzzles: From the Pages of The New York Times [Spiral-bound]

The New York Times (Author), Will Shortz (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 12, 2004

50 great New York Times crosswords that will make you chuckle, chortle, groan, or moan!

As regular puzzlers know well, crossword puzzles can be funny, full of wordplay, puns, jokes, and verbal trickery of all kinds. Under the editorship of crossword legend Will Shortz, The New York Times has become particularly renowned for its fun-filled, pun-oriented puzzles.

Now Will Shortz has chosen 50 of his top picks for the most side-splitting puzzles from the pages of the The New York Times and collected them all in this volume. Once you start these crosswords, you won't be able to stop (laughing, that is)!

* Special introduction by Will Shortz
* Puzzles chosen by Will Shortz for their inventive themes, featuring jokes, puns, and all sorts of word-related fun
* Spiral binding lets pages lie flat for easy puzzling

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[Will Shortz] is the crossword king."
- Steve Kroft, 60 Minutes

"The prince of crossword puzzlers."
- Greenwich Magazine

"The Riddler's got nothing on Will Shortz."
- Time Out New York

"Will Shortz is [the crossword book world's] John Grisham."
- Martin Arnold

About the Author

Will Shortz has been the crossword puzzle editor of The New York Times since 1993. He is also the puzzlemaster on NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday and is founder and director of the annual American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. He has edited countless books of crossword puzzles, Sudoku, KenKen, and all manner of brain-busters.

Product Details

• Spiral-bound: 64 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (August 12, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312324898
• ISBN-13: 978-0312324896
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.7 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #450,914 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From the Board Games Editor at BellaOnline.com, December 4, 2005

By 

Megan Romer (Lafayette, LA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New York Times Will Shortz's Funniest Crossword Puzzles: From the Pages of The New York Times (Spiral-bound)

These crossword puzzles are, for the most part, easy to medium difficulty. The twist is that they're "funny". By funny, I mean kind of corny, but in a good way. People who are familiar with NY Times puzzles will recognize this type of puzzle: there's often a gimmick or particular style of pun that shows up in 3 or 4 large clues in the puzzle. They often show up in Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday puzzles.

I can easily recommend this book, it's a great one to do on airplanes to stave off the grumpiness that most people feel while traveling. It also makes for a nice go-to book when you know you want a quicker or less difficult puzzle. A great gift, for yourself or someone else!

55 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not exactly hilarious....., February 19, 2005

By 

Joyce Awramik (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The New York Times Will Shortz's Funniest Crossword Puzzles: From the Pages of The New York Times (Spiral-bound)

I got this book for a Christmas present and finished it fairly quickly. It was pleasant. The puzzles are a mixed lot of difficulty, mostly on the easier side. The "funny" part involves puns and wordplay and the humorous quotation format.
Good for medium level solvers.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not So Hot, January 4, 2007

By 

Mary E. Chalmers (Sewickley PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The New York Times Will Shortz's Funniest Crossword Puzzles: From the Pages of The New York Times (Spiral-bound)

I didn't like these puzzles much. They had some amusement value, but my chief complaint was that they were too easy. Maybe even easier than the Monday New York Times puzzle.