Wordplay: The Official Companion Book (Paperback)

~ Will Shortz (Author)
Key Phrases: crosswords that makes, puzzle tournament, theme answers, The New York Times, Will Shortz, Shortz Says (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Think Inside the Box!
Solve Puzzles from the Hit Movie, Learn to Construct Your Own Crosswords, and Much More
 
“Irresistible...punsters, linguists, and crossword puzzle fanatics everywhere couldn’t ask for a more bracing tribute.... Buoyant and exhilaratingly brainy.”
---Variety on the movie Wordplay
 
Are you a crossword fan? Or have you always wondered about the appeal of these puzzles but never tried them yourself? With the premiere of Wordplay, a documentary about crossword puzzles, legendary New York Times puzzle editor Will Shortz, and the legions of solvers who devour his creations, here’s your chance to become a part of the puzzle craze!
• Featuring some of the greatest puzzles from The New York Times and the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament
• With an introduction by Will Shortz; the story of how he created the famous “Wordplay” crossword from constructor Merl Reagle; the inside crossword dope from Jon Stewart, Ken Burns, and others; and the inside story of the movie’s creation from producer Christine O’Malley and director Patrick Creadon
• Learn how to create your own crossword; read what Bill Clinton and Bob Dole thought of the famous 1996 “Election Day” crossword; try the only New York Times crossword that can’t be solved completely with a regular pen or pencil (hint: it features the Indigo Girls), and much more!
 
“Wordplay [has] potential to capture the commercial audience that made hits out of documentaries such as Spellbound and Mad Hot Ballroom.”
---Associated Press
 
Visit the Wordplay movie Web site at www.wordplaythemovie.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1st edition (June 13, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312364032
• ISBN-13: 978-0312364038
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #120,011 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful, intelligent, curiosity-satisfying, September 9, 2006

By	Daniel P. Smith "Daniel P. B. Smith" (Massachusetts, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    (VINE VOICE)

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What an enjoyable book! It is so intelligently done, and provides so many satisfying answers for this curious reader. It is not a book version of the movie, nor is it an advertisement for the movie.

It is truly _complimentary to_ the movie. Everything in the book should be interesting to anyone who would be interested in the movie, and vice versa, but there is practically no overlap.

It is almost as if the filmmakers gathered and organized the material that they thought would be interesting to people who like crossword puzzles, and sorted it out into two piles, one labelled "cinematic" and one labelled "literary" (or "cruciverbal?"), and made the movie using the material in one pile and the book using the material in the other.

It illustrates the different editing styles by showing puzzles edited by Margaret Farrar, Will Weng, Eugene Maleska, and Will Shortz. It illustrates the ascending difficulty level by giving New York Times puzzles from Monday through Sunday. (I'm not a puzzle fanatic, I'd always assumed the Sunday puzzle was the _hardest_).

It gives a number of examples of some puzzles that champion solvers and enthusiasts considered their favorites. And I like them, too. In a way this book is a "best crossword puzzles"--as chosen by the people you saw in the movie.

It also gives you a chance to solve the puzzles that flashed by in the movie, including the "Wordplay" puzzle itself, and the puzzles that Ellen Ripstein solved to win the championship.

It gives information on how people construct puzzles, and what the rules for a properly constructed puzzle are considered to be. It gives directions for submitting puzzles to the Times--even telling us that the Times pays $135 for a daily puzzle, and $700 for a Sunday puzzle.

I think that anyone who enjoys crosswords would enjoy this book regardless of whether or not they had not seen the movie, although of course the book makes you want to see the movie (and vice versa).

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very much a companion to the movie, June 19, 2006

By	Sarah J. Anderson - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A reversal of the common "loved the book? See the movie!" setup, this is a nice way to continue the movie experience after leaving the theatre. In its attempt to be a stand-alone volume for folks who can't get to the movie, however, it gets a bit redundant for those of us who have had the chance to see it.

Each main player in the film has a Q&A section, similar to the video at wordplaythemovie.com. For those interested in construction, Merl's on-screen puzzle is fleshed out with lists of discarded theme clues and unused diagrams. For those interested specifically in Times puzzle construction, a small chart supplies Monday, Wednesday, and Friday clues for the same fill, and the requirements for submission to the Times are clearly laid out.

The puzzles included are some of the constructors' and competitors' favorites, a few written specifically for the book, and all eight puzzles of the 2005 American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. Each tournament puzzle lists both the champions' time AND the time you'd need to finish it in to make the top 50 (for most people, this is a more reasonable goal time than trying to hang with the top 3 or 4).

In short, a handy stopgap between theatre release and DVD release. Or, something to do between tournaments.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hand in hand..., August 21, 2006

By	James Hiller (Beaverton, OR) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (VINE VOICE)

... with the movie, does this Wordplay book fit in. If you enjoyed the movie, then you will certainly enjoy the companion book to it. Will Shortz, puzzleman extraordinaire, has edited the NYT crossword for the last umpteen years, and the movie and companion book celebrates his humble brilliance.

The book features each of the people in the movie in a brief Q and A session, and includes over 50 crossword puzzles for a solver to enjoy, some of them featured in the movie, including the infamous Clinton/Dole puzzle. I had purchased Will Shortz' favorite puzzle book immediately after seeing the movie (I literally walked straight to the nearest bookstore to purchase it!), and some of the puzzles repeat.

I loved Wordplay. I loved the book. And you will too!