Reddit mentions: The best crosswords puzzles books

I highly recommend the USA Today app for getting started with crossword puzzles. The app is free, unlike NYT, which is a yearly subscription. The puzzles aren't as difficult, and it has a feature where it will tell you if the letter is wrong right away, which I found really helpful when I was starting out.

I also recommend looking into getting a puzzle book like The NYT Best of the Week Series for Monday or The NYT Light and Easy Crossword Puzzles. With books like these, you have the answers in the back, and there's something nice about working with pen/pencil and paper.

Once you start doing crossword puzzles regularly, you'll learn that there are tricks the constructors use that can help you find the answer. For example, if a clue ends with a question mark, like Friday's clue for 17-Across, Split tickets?, you know it's a play on words or unconventional answer, which in this case is STUBS. If the clue didn't have the question mark, you'd be thinking along the lines of the action of splitting tickets, a more literal interpretation. Also, if the clue is abbreviated in some way, like another example from Friday, 35-Down, Pres. Obama's signature achievement, you know the answer is also abbreviated (ACA, or Affordable Care Act). Another tip: NYT doesn't do it, but a lot of puzzles will let you know how many words are in the answer, which is really helpful.

You'll also start to learn certain words that are used a lot because they help the puzzle "work", like:

• EPEE, a fencing or dueling blade
  
• ESAU, Isaac's son in the Bible
  
• ORR, as in Bobby, one of the greatest hockey players ever
  
• YSL, the initials of designer Yves Saint Laurent
  
• ENE/ESE, shorthand for compass points east north east and east south east
  
  Obviously I am really into crossword puzzles, and could talk about them longer than anyone would want to listen. I'm so excited that my post has sparked the interest in you, and I wish you many happy hours of puzzling! Feel free to message me if you have other questions or want to know more.

I'm quite lucky to have nimble fingers it seems, but I stick to mostly simple stuff. Stars and cranes keep me occupied when watching telly as I can focus better if my hands are busy. I literally have about a kajillion stars in jars and pots around my room.

I draw with pencils and pastels, and the watercolours. I don't have many pics of the other craft stuff, none of the crochet but heres one of tiny stars and cranes in vials on top of origami cubes. And the kumihimo isn't the most exciting =) It all just keeps me from getting bored.

Japanese is a very pretty language~ Hard but pretty. Judging from your wishlist you're starting to learn kana? That easy kana workbook is pretty good, I used it a while back. When you want something to practice it with, I heartily recommend this easy japanese crossword book as it's all straight translations using kana. Pencil --> えんぴつ(enpitsu) type thing =)

1. I've been trying on and off for more than 10 years to learn Japanese. Last year I had a chance to actually go over and try my (really poor) Japanese skills and had a great time. I want to continue to learn so next time I go over I can have a better conversation with my wife's grandmother, aunt and uncle.
   
   
2. I already have a bunch of books but the crossword book that /u/spencerkami linked for someone else looks like a great way to practice. A kana chart or flash cards would also help to keep it fresh in my mind.
   
   
3. Here is a cover of one of my favorite bands Asian Kung Fu Generation by one of my favorite cover bands Goose House
   
   
4. Akazukin Chacha is a great show that is full of Japanese word jokes. For example at the beginning of this episode she is trying to turn the fuzz in the air in to a cloud (kumo) but it turns in to spiders (also kumo) instead.
   
   Also I just wanted to thank /u/spencerkami for the links posted on another one of the comments. They look like great learning resources.

Next up: crosswords. As you've noted, crosswords can vary wildly in quality depending on the publisher or editor. For a good portion of the last twenty years, ever since Will Shortz signed on as editor, the quality has generally been pretty good, and they're certainly hard to avoid if you go to a bookstore. I think it would be a mistake to say that they're the "best" crossword currently being published. Many people have noticed a decline in fill quality as of late, and when I solve, I get the distinct feeling that the puzzle is still meant for someone, on average, significantly older than me (I'm 31).

So here are some alternative crossword publishers for you to consider:

1. Peter Gordon. Gordon used to be the editor of the New York Sun crossword, which was arguably better than the New York Times on a day to day basis. Unfortunately, the Sun discontinued their crossword, so Gordon has moved onto bigger and better things. He has a pretty good online subscription service called Fireball crosswords that publishes an often very hard puzzle once a week by all sorts of great constructors. If diabolical, creative themes are your thing, I suggest giving Gordon-edited crosswords a try. The Fireball series has made its way into bookstores.
   
   Brendan Emmett Quigley: Maybe the most prolific current constructor, Quigley offers two crosswords a week at his website. He has a penchant for filling his crossword with words and phrases that are very topical. He also has a pretty good published book called Sex, Drugs and Rock n Roll Crosswords
   
   American Values: The AV Club used to publish a weekly crossword, but recently cancelled that feature. Luckily, it survives in the form of the American Values crossword. What separates this crossword from the rest is its irreverence. Other crosswords will shy from a sex reference or from using the phrase ASSHOLE. Each crossword feels like it was actually written in the 21st century and not by your grandfather.
   
   Matt Gaffney: Gaffney publishes a crossword once a week at his website and has two collections of his website work published under the Mental Floss Crosswords banner. Gaffney's crosswords are a little bit different in that they have a "meta" answer. Basically you solve the crossword, but then there is a final layer that you have to unwrap to find the puzzle's final answer which is a single word or phrase. On his website, you have the chance to submit that answer for a chance at a prize. In the books, you're just doing it for fun. I personally think that the cost of these intricate puzzles is that the crossword fill suffers as a result, but it's generally fairly good quality (and because of the extra challenge, I don't feel as bad picking up a reference book or Googling).
   
   This really just scrapes the surface, and I could go on and on and on (I haven't talked about Frank Longo's collection of vowel-less crosswords or Evan Birnholz's new website Devil Cross or lots of other stuff. But this is a good start.
   
   

oh yes, we sure do know this battle. THE BEST thing my boyfriend and I have ever done is decide to do crosswords together. we ordered the same copy of the new york times little black and white crossword book, and now we do them on skype, on the phone while one is sitting in traffic, and when we're actually together! it's so much better than watching something together because you can always stop to talk and get sidetracked. and every answer/clue is another conversation starter! we have such an awesome time with it and it totally eliminated the whole "what did you do today?" nature of our long distance communication. he even got me a crossword necklace this valentine's day. i know it's nerdy, BUT IT'S GREAT. make sure you start on Mondays if you're doing NY times though. we love the book we got. i highly recommend.

http://www.amazon.com/Times-Little-Black-White-Crosswords/dp/B001F7AXJ0

Good clue setting is often described as 'an art' and think I'd agree. After solving my favourite setters' puzzles I am usually lost in admiration for their enormous skill and inventiveness.

So, as with any other creative activity, there is no magic formula for how to 'do' it. Some people, it seems, are just naturally gifted, while others have to work very hard to become even half decent.

For me, a minimum first step is to thoroughly learn the basics by becoming proficient as a solver. For that I always recommend using The Guardian's free archive – with the weekly Everyman, Quiptic and Monday's cryptics generally being a bit easier, so good for beginners – in conjunction with the FifteenSquared parsing site, where every clue's construction is explained and regular users discuss their likes and dislikes in each puzzle.

With that said there are some good setting tips to be had here and I'd heartily recommend The Chambers Crossword Manual as an excellent book for budding setters to learn the basics.

I love this! I have quite a few workout items on my wishlist, since you like to do surprises I will link you my list and you can decide which workout item to get if I win :) For a game I think you should add some Soduku books they are good for the brain and fun to do.

How about something to relax like this gorgeous soft throw, luxe candle, and cozy crosswords book? Or if she prefers boozing over crosswords, you can include a bottle of her favorite drink and perhaps this beautiful set of stemless glasses?

Get yourself a cryptic crossword book, and read through some clues thinking about them, then looking up the answers. Start on the next crossword, and before you look the answer, underline the word you think might be the definition, or mark those that you think are anagrams of some kind (always remember to count letters and compare to how long the answer should be!), or jot down thoughts one what a certain word might mean - flower can be river (something that flows), so bear that in mind for wordplay clues. As you go through one to the next, phase out looking at the answers, and phase in answering the ones you are now able to do (personally, I find anagrams the easiest to identify and the easiest to solve).

Also, what really helped me is to try and make them yourself! Take one that already exists, or auto generate one, and then try to build clues that lead to the answer. Doing it this way forces you to think of words in new ways (backwards, mixed up, bits of other words, different languages, etc). And you get the satisfaction of completing a grid.

Have fun!

If you're just getting one skein, I vote for a bulky one, so that there's enough to make something out of and green is the best color in general, so this one in peapod.

I'd really like this crossword puzzle book, happy hooker. :)

I learned from this book. New copies go for ridiculous prices, but it seems that you can buy used copies that aren't all that used. The book is stellar; the authors remain my favorite setters.

American cryptics are typically more "logical" and adherent to the "rules" in their cluing, and therefore easier. Many British cryptics take a lot of liberties, which, yeah, make them really difficult if you're not used to them. (I mostly can't do them.) Their colloquialisms don't help, either.

I started a blog a few years ago that aimed to teach cryptic solving (and helped me practice setting!), but I fell off the wagon a few posts in. Maybe I'll pick it up again.

The Best Word Search Book Ever Made (So Far)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1790119855/

Only $5.00 right now, I set the price as low as I could because I just released it and want to be in the best position to get the so-important early surge of sales and reviews. It was $4.44 earlier today because sometimes Amazon mysteriously changes the prices... You missed out on $0.54, maybe you'll find it in your couch cushions.

It's a book of 115 word searches that are a little more difficult – and a lot more engaging – than what you might be used to. Good mix of different kinds of twists on the traditional puzzle, but nothing too crazy. Good for all ages but probably a little too difficult in places for kids under twelve.

Most of the puzzles are "large print" but some of the search word lists are probably too small for people with vision problems. I tried to incorporate as much accessibility as possible, but for some puzzles was unable to do that without compromising the content.

Reviews are always appreciated. It's a tough business!

Thanks everyone, there are a lot of interesting puzzles in this thread.

Even if you don't see Doctor Zeez, he's probably around somewhere.

You don't have to, but man, cryptics are the best stuff ever. This is a really good book to start.

Hi mate

If you're keen and have some money to invest, I suggest Ximenes' pioneering book - https://www.amazon.com/Ximenes-Art-Crossword-D-S-Macnutt/dp/190340004X - good to see how clues have evolved, as well as explanations.

(A bit later I can reply to this thread with some books from my collection and recommend some picks plus some insights into the pros/cons of the books. cheerio).

Although not explicitly answering your question,


I really liked Chernev's other book


I haven't really gone through Alekhine's best games book but it's of course really good.


Why not finish Logical Chess just for completion's sake?

You can see from the print at the bottom that this is from Games Magazine, which is still a thing. Also Panda Magazine is an online-only publication that focuses more on puzzles and less on articles.

The "puzzlehunt" community, which typically prepares some really cool, hand-crafted, well-tested puzzles, runs events on a small, medium, and large scale, some of which may be in a city near you or available for download.

The Almanaq series of books (one, two) also have some cool puzzles like this.

https://www.amazon.com/Times-Shortz-Picks-Favorite-Puzzles/dp/0312645503

If you want a print book, this one is a selection Will Shortz made of some particular favorites of his. By its nature this includes puzzles that stretch the art in various ways. They are not all Thursday puzzles but many have gimmicks. Shortz gives each a little intro describing what appealed to him about each.

Otherwise, I'd say browse Thursdays in archives. That's where the tricksy ones fall during the week.

Also, crosswordfiend blog puts together a post annually with the puzzles that garnered the most praise. These often are constructor tours de force.

http://www.crosswordfiend.com/blog/best-puzzles-of-2015/

http://www.crosswordfiend.com/blog/2016/03/03/the-2015-orca-awards-best-gimmick-crossword/

I read this comment and remembered the Lefthanded Crosswords book I saw in the bookstore the other day! Added that to the list :)

1. I'd really like this crossword book. You do simple puzzles in Kana (two of the Japanese alphabets). It's really useful because it's hard to become fluent in alphabets you're not using often naturally.
   
   
2. I'd probably say that the most valuable lesson I've learned is positivity. I had depression for about a year during my sixth form and afterwards I feel like I had mastered the art of positivity. Most people say when they're depressed it feels like life is pointless, but all I could think of was that being miserable was pointless. It gave me absolutely nothing - the only way ANYthing, good or bad, would ever happen is if I DID something. Now, maybe similarly to you, I'm in my third year of undergraduate and though I'm struggling a lot with social anxiety, I never get depressed or disheartened. I think it's my best quality :)
   
3. I was schooled :D

Yeah there's plenty out there. I prefer the spiral-bound books as they are easier to write in. I don't have a Monday-only book but this looks good: https://www.amazon.com/New-York-Times-Best-Week/dp/1250133246