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Thinking Inside the Box: Adventures with Crosswords and the Puzzling People Who Can't Live Without Them
A delightful, erudite, and immersive exploration of the crossword puzzle and its fascinating history by a brilliant young writer
The crossword is a feature of the modern world, inspiring daily devotion and obsession from not just everyday citizens looking to pass the time but icons of American life, such as Bill Clinton, Yo-Yo Ma, and Martha Stewart. It was invented in 1913, almost by accident, when a newspaper editor at the New York World was casting around for something to fill some empty column space for that year's Christmas edition. Practically overnight, it became a roaring commercial success, and ever since then has been an essential ingredient of any newspaper worth its salt. Indeed, paradoxically, its popularity has never been greater, even as the world of media and newspapers, its natural habitat, has undergone a perilous digital transformation. But why, exactly, are its satisfactions so sweet that over the decades has it become a fixture of breakfast tables, nightstands, and commutes, and even given rise to competitive crossword tournaments?
Blending first-person reporting from the world of crosswords with a delightful telling of its rich literary history, Adrienne Raphel dives into the secrets of this classic pastime. At the annual American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, she rubs shoulders with elite solvers of the world, doing her level best to hold her own; aboard a crossword themed cruise, she picks the brains of the enthusiasts whose idea of a good time is a week on the high seas with nothing but crosswords to do; and, visiting the home and office of Will Shortz, New York Times crossword puzzle editor and NPR's official "Puzzlemaster," she goes behind the scenes to see for herself how the world's gold standard of puzzles is made.
Equal parts ingenious and fun, Thinking Inside the Box is a love letter to the infinite joys and playful possibilities of language, and will be a treat for die-hard cruciverbalists and first-time solvers alike.
The crossword is a feature of the modern world, inspiring daily devotion and obsession from not just everyday citizens looking to pass the time but icons of American life, such as Bill Clinton, Yo-Yo Ma, and Martha Stewart. It was invented in 1913, almost by accident, when a newspaper editor at the New York World was casting around for something to fill some empty column space for that year's Christmas edition. Practically overnight, it became a roaring commercial success, and ever since then has been an essential ingredient of any newspaper worth its salt. Indeed, paradoxically, its popularity has never been greater, even as the world of media and newspapers, its natural habitat, has undergone a perilous digital transformation. But why, exactly, are its satisfactions so sweet that over the decades has it become a fixture of breakfast tables, nightstands, and commutes, and even given rise to competitive crossword tournaments?
Blending first-person reporting from the world of crosswords with a delightful telling of its rich literary history, Adrienne Raphel dives into the secrets of this classic pastime. At the annual American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, she rubs shoulders with elite solvers of the world, doing her level best to hold her own; aboard a crossword themed cruise, she picks the brains of the enthusiasts whose idea of a good time is a week on the high seas with nothing but crosswords to do; and, visiting the home and office of Will Shortz, New York Times crossword puzzle editor and NPR's official "Puzzlemaster," she goes behind the scenes to see for herself how the world's gold standard of puzzles is made.
Equal parts ingenious and fun, Thinking Inside the Box is a love letter to the infinite joys and playful possibilities of language, and will be a treat for die-hard cruciverbalists and first-time solvers alike.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published March 17, 2020
108 people are currently reading
2544 people want to read
About the author
Adrienne Raphel
6Ìýbooks18ÌýfollowersAdrienne Raphel is the author of What Was It For (Rescue Press, 2017), winner of the Rescue Press Black Box Poetry Prize; and the chapbook But What Will We Do (Seattle Review, 2016), winner of the Seattle Review Chapbook Contest. Her work has also appeared in such publications as the New Yorker online, POETRY, the New Republic, the Paris Review Daily, and Lana Turner Journal. Born in New Jersey and raised in Vermont, Raphel holds an MFA from the Iowa Writersâ€� Workshop and a PhD from Harvard. She teaches in the Princeton Writing Program and is currently working on a book about crossword puzzles.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 190 reviews
October 29, 2020
Let me preface this by saying I love crosswords. I've been solving the NYT, plus 2-3 other puzzles a day, for more than 20 years. A book about crossword puzzles doesn't have to do much to make me happy. If ever there were a book that had a target audience, it is this one, for me. So it is not lightly that I ask, how in the name of all things holy did this absolute shit storm of a book ever get published?
It is an absolutely incoherent read, jumping from one boring, esoteric topic to another with no rhyme or reason, and only occasionally touching on crossword puzzles. It reads as if the author had spent a year or so jotting down random notes about things that made her think of crossword puzzles, and then just compiled a book by stapling them all together, with no editor in sight. And if it were just this, just a weird, boring collection of notes about crossword puzzles, I still could have found some joy in reading it, because again, I LOVE crossword puzzles.
But it is so much worse. The author can't stop giving sly clues to the reader about how enamored she is with herself and her own intellect. At one point she describes writing a letter to Stephen Sondheim about his love of crosswords. Sondheim graciously wrote a quick note back to her that he doesn't do crosswords anymore, just cryptics. And the author incorporated this into the book by saying that he "didn't have a 'crossword coterie' (my words, not his)". So she basically included a whole section on Sondheim, who had absolutely nothing to say to her, and went out of her way to QUOTE HERSELF in talking about their conversation, and THEN point out that this brilliant phrase was hers, not Sondheim's. It's mind boggling.
And it gets worse. The extent of her research in writing this book appears to be watching Wordplay, the excellent documentary about crosswords, and reading through an obscure blog, Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle. And rather than talking to Michael Sharp (aka Rex Parker), she just uses scores of verbatim quotes from his website. Not only from him, but from random anonymous posters in the comments section. The whole credibility of her research rests on some random person making a throwaway comment on a blog read by maybe a couple of hundred people.
And it gets worse. Early in the book, for no apparent narrative-based reason, she discusses the very real problem of under-representation of women and minorities in the crossword construction business. In fact, the book is set up as if this were to be the central issue, specifically as it relates to Will Shortz and the notoriously white male-centric New York Times Crossword puzzle. She sets this issue up as if she's going to say something important about it and then, bam, nothing. She spends the rest of the book fawning over Shortz like a high school student gushing over their favorite pop star. And then has the gall to briefly mention the issue again in the afterward, for maybe a sentence.
And it gets so much worse. Rating this book "one star" feels unfair to any other books that I have rated such, because Thinking Inside the Box is worse. I don't have the energy to relive all of the atrociousness that was this book, but just know that midway through you have the pleasure of reading a ten page recap of a Sex in the City episode, that briefly mentioned crossword puzzles at the very beginning. And that was the most entertaining part of the whole book.
EDIT: I felt obligated to come back here, six months after reading this book, to confirm that this is literally the worst book I've ever read. That's not hyperbole. This one comes in last. I'm currently reading a similarly narrowly focused book about libraries, something else I love, The Library Book, by Susan Orlean. It's set up in exactly the same fashion, but it's everything that this book should have been. Colorful anecdotes about random Los Angeles Public Library patrons and staff, a backdrop of a fascinating plot to burn down the library as a side story... that's how you do this genre. It's a great example of how an author can insert herself into the narrative without detracting from the story. Susan Orlean occasionally shares her personal thoughts and opinions, and discusses her role in interviewing certain players, but she does so in a reserved and charming way. You finish the book feeling like she is very much someone who you would want to have as a guest at a party. After finishing Thinking Outside the Box, Adrienne Raphel feels like somebody who just ruined the party with her loud, obnoxious, self-absorbed, self-congratulatory personality. Man, I hated this book.
It is an absolutely incoherent read, jumping from one boring, esoteric topic to another with no rhyme or reason, and only occasionally touching on crossword puzzles. It reads as if the author had spent a year or so jotting down random notes about things that made her think of crossword puzzles, and then just compiled a book by stapling them all together, with no editor in sight. And if it were just this, just a weird, boring collection of notes about crossword puzzles, I still could have found some joy in reading it, because again, I LOVE crossword puzzles.
But it is so much worse. The author can't stop giving sly clues to the reader about how enamored she is with herself and her own intellect. At one point she describes writing a letter to Stephen Sondheim about his love of crosswords. Sondheim graciously wrote a quick note back to her that he doesn't do crosswords anymore, just cryptics. And the author incorporated this into the book by saying that he "didn't have a 'crossword coterie' (my words, not his)". So she basically included a whole section on Sondheim, who had absolutely nothing to say to her, and went out of her way to QUOTE HERSELF in talking about their conversation, and THEN point out that this brilliant phrase was hers, not Sondheim's. It's mind boggling.
And it gets worse. The extent of her research in writing this book appears to be watching Wordplay, the excellent documentary about crosswords, and reading through an obscure blog, Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle. And rather than talking to Michael Sharp (aka Rex Parker), she just uses scores of verbatim quotes from his website. Not only from him, but from random anonymous posters in the comments section. The whole credibility of her research rests on some random person making a throwaway comment on a blog read by maybe a couple of hundred people.
And it gets worse. Early in the book, for no apparent narrative-based reason, she discusses the very real problem of under-representation of women and minorities in the crossword construction business. In fact, the book is set up as if this were to be the central issue, specifically as it relates to Will Shortz and the notoriously white male-centric New York Times Crossword puzzle. She sets this issue up as if she's going to say something important about it and then, bam, nothing. She spends the rest of the book fawning over Shortz like a high school student gushing over their favorite pop star. And then has the gall to briefly mention the issue again in the afterward, for maybe a sentence.
And it gets so much worse. Rating this book "one star" feels unfair to any other books that I have rated such, because Thinking Inside the Box is worse. I don't have the energy to relive all of the atrociousness that was this book, but just know that midway through you have the pleasure of reading a ten page recap of a Sex in the City episode, that briefly mentioned crossword puzzles at the very beginning. And that was the most entertaining part of the whole book.
EDIT: I felt obligated to come back here, six months after reading this book, to confirm that this is literally the worst book I've ever read. That's not hyperbole. This one comes in last. I'm currently reading a similarly narrowly focused book about libraries, something else I love, The Library Book, by Susan Orlean. It's set up in exactly the same fashion, but it's everything that this book should have been. Colorful anecdotes about random Los Angeles Public Library patrons and staff, a backdrop of a fascinating plot to burn down the library as a side story... that's how you do this genre. It's a great example of how an author can insert herself into the narrative without detracting from the story. Susan Orlean occasionally shares her personal thoughts and opinions, and discusses her role in interviewing certain players, but she does so in a reserved and charming way. You finish the book feeling like she is very much someone who you would want to have as a guest at a party. After finishing Thinking Outside the Box, Adrienne Raphel feels like somebody who just ruined the party with her loud, obnoxious, self-absorbed, self-congratulatory personality. Man, I hated this book.
June 6, 2020
The thing about this book is, it's terrible. Just bad. You should not read it. Please believe me.
I should be 100% the target audience for a book like this. I find crossword puzzles fascinating and complete several of them every day. I like doing them, reading about them, watching documentaries on them, and even occasionally trying to create them (though unlike the ostensibly penniless student-author, I can't afford to take trans-Atlantic cruises devoted to them). But I honestly can't remember the last time I read such a blatantly, transparently, insultingly bad piece of writing. The other negative reviews here pretty much sum up my thoughts (especially this one, which aptly notes that the book "reads as if the author had spent a year or so jotting down random notes about things that made her think of crossword puzzles, and then just compiled a book by stapling them all together."), so I'll try not to belabor the point. But I do feel compelled to note that, to top it all off, according to her lengthy acknowledgements section, this utter shambles of a self-satisfied vanity project apparently was the author's dissertation -- or perhaps an artificially inflated version of it. But people: someone gave her a degree for this.
The writing itself, taken out of context, is passable. But the narrative, the research, the coherence, the editing -- dear god, the editing; as awful as it all is, the merest hint of competent editing might have given it some semblance of a redeeming quality -- the book taken as a whole is almost incomprehensibly amateurish, lazy, sloppy, shallow, and painful to read.
I generally don't even write reviews here anymore. I just click on my little stars and move on. But this time I felt a duty to do my small part in warning people away. I slogged through the whole thing, hoping there would at least be enough crossword-related trivia nuggets to make it worthwhile. There weren't. Instead, whenever the author (accidentally?) stumbles onto something interesting (e.g., the arcane NYT puzzle-selection process, the historical exclusion of non-white/non-male crossword constructors in that publication, even the aforementioned crossword cruise that should have been such an easy way to titillate the average crossword-lover's voyeuristic impulses), she immediately backs down, tosses out an inane factoid or unrelated and uninteresting footnote, and moves on to the next chapter. She clearly lacks either the ability or the interest to write the book that crossword lovers want.
So please, save your money. Respect your own time and intelligence more than the author does. Go do a crossword puzzle or two. Someday, someone will write the book you are looking for, but this is not it.
I should be 100% the target audience for a book like this. I find crossword puzzles fascinating and complete several of them every day. I like doing them, reading about them, watching documentaries on them, and even occasionally trying to create them (though unlike the ostensibly penniless student-author, I can't afford to take trans-Atlantic cruises devoted to them). But I honestly can't remember the last time I read such a blatantly, transparently, insultingly bad piece of writing. The other negative reviews here pretty much sum up my thoughts (especially this one, which aptly notes that the book "reads as if the author had spent a year or so jotting down random notes about things that made her think of crossword puzzles, and then just compiled a book by stapling them all together."), so I'll try not to belabor the point. But I do feel compelled to note that, to top it all off, according to her lengthy acknowledgements section, this utter shambles of a self-satisfied vanity project apparently was the author's dissertation -- or perhaps an artificially inflated version of it. But people: someone gave her a degree for this.
The writing itself, taken out of context, is passable. But the narrative, the research, the coherence, the editing -- dear god, the editing; as awful as it all is, the merest hint of competent editing might have given it some semblance of a redeeming quality -- the book taken as a whole is almost incomprehensibly amateurish, lazy, sloppy, shallow, and painful to read.
I generally don't even write reviews here anymore. I just click on my little stars and move on. But this time I felt a duty to do my small part in warning people away. I slogged through the whole thing, hoping there would at least be enough crossword-related trivia nuggets to make it worthwhile. There weren't. Instead, whenever the author (accidentally?) stumbles onto something interesting (e.g., the arcane NYT puzzle-selection process, the historical exclusion of non-white/non-male crossword constructors in that publication, even the aforementioned crossword cruise that should have been such an easy way to titillate the average crossword-lover's voyeuristic impulses), she immediately backs down, tosses out an inane factoid or unrelated and uninteresting footnote, and moves on to the next chapter. She clearly lacks either the ability or the interest to write the book that crossword lovers want.
So please, save your money. Respect your own time and intelligence more than the author does. Go do a crossword puzzle or two. Someday, someone will write the book you are looking for, but this is not it.
April 9, 2020
Hi there! My name is Diane and I'm a cruciverbalist.
Literal translation from the Latin: cross-word afficianado.
If you love doing crosswords, this book is entertaining and informative. If not, you'll just be bored. I found it a restful retreat for bedtime reading.
Literal translation from the Latin: cross-word afficianado.
If you love doing crosswords, this book is entertaining and informative. If not, you'll just be bored. I found it a restful retreat for bedtime reading.
May 3, 2020
I must say this is quite possibly the worst book I have read in my adult life. I cannot believe this was published as it is. This jumps around at a nonsensical pace from esoteric references, to humble brags, back to mundane facts, forward to more unconnected descriptions of very minimally relevant instances where the crossword is mentioned in pop culture, and back to more humblebrags about the author's family. I doubt the Marriott hotel in Stamford, Connecticut is described in as much mundane detail on the hotel's own website as it is in this book. It's honestly the biggest struggle to even make it through one page without asking myself, "Why am I still reading this?? How did this person get paid to write this?? What was going through the editor's mind? How are there so many 4-5 star reviews on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ??" I love the NYT crossword, I do find the history of it very interesting. I, in fact, read Rex Parker after I finish each puzzle because I appreciate hearing another's perspective on our shared experience. This author provides none of that intrigue or relatability. I can imagine if you DON'T like the crossword already this book would convince you to never even attempt one. I'm sure some people would say "maybe you just didn't get it." Those are the exact people this book is written for. Rant over.
June 15, 2020
Very disappointing. I guess I got too hyped when I first saw this book combined two of my favorite activities, reading and crosswords. There were some interesting chapters that focused on the history of crossword puzzles, the making and construction of crosswords, and the national tournament. I thought the part about how the British surreptitiously used a crossword contest to find people to serve as codebreakers during World War II was really interesting - I wish the author spent more time on that.
Then there were chapters (an entire chapter devoted to Vladimir Nabakov, crosswords that appear in fictional books, and something about a painting containing a pipe) that seemed to serve little purpose other than to fill pages. There didn't seem to be much cohesiveness from one chapter to another and read like individual essays that didn't flow together.
Definitely would not recommend to others.
Then there were chapters (an entire chapter devoted to Vladimir Nabakov, crosswords that appear in fictional books, and something about a painting containing a pipe) that seemed to serve little purpose other than to fill pages. There didn't seem to be much cohesiveness from one chapter to another and read like individual essays that didn't flow together.
Definitely would not recommend to others.
March 11, 2021
Author Adrienne Raphel explores the history of the crossword and her own interest in it. I enjoyed things pertaining to the crossword's history and to the crossword in the mystery genre most. When she began discussing computer tournaments and exploring more technical aspects, I lost interest. Obsessive crossword enthusiasts will enjoy the book; more casual enthusiasts will like some parts and not others. Most readers will find themselves wanting to work one or attempt to create one.
June 14, 2020
I love all things crossword-related, so I was really excited about this book. It was nice to learn about the history of word games and how crosswords have evolved over time and in different countries, which I haven't read much about before. (Vladimir Nabakov wrote the first Russian-language crossword?!) But the structure of the book made it really hard to get into. It jumped from topic to topic without warning in a way that was genuinely confusing. I think it might have done better structured as a book of essays on crosswords rather than trying to weave a narrative out of a bunch of dissimilar parts.
June 11, 2022
twas aight! some parts very interesting (history particularly) and some parts were alright but had pretty long parts imo (ACPT, pipe chapter). loved the shortz insights
2.5 stars, extra .5 for teaching me the software i need to download to make my own crossword! definitely inspired me to get to constructing one day and added the “be published in the NYTimes Games section� to my bucket list
2.5 stars, extra .5 for teaching me the software i need to download to make my own crossword! definitely inspired me to get to constructing one day and added the “be published in the NYTimes Games section� to my bucket list
March 24, 2020
Man, I love crosswords and was really excited to read this, but I couldn't finish it b/c the author mentions Ernie Bushmiller without talking about Nancy at all.
June 5, 2020
I love crossword puzzles, so I thought that this book would convey the uniqueness of the occupation. I found the book flat and some parts had only a tenuous relation to the crossword subject.
May 21, 2022
2.5/5
some stories were interesting, others were boring. each paragraph seemed a little out of place
some stories were interesting, others were boring. each paragraph seemed a little out of place
May 4, 2023
1 / 5 🎧
little boring for my taste, but still had some interesting anecdotes.
little boring for my taste, but still had some interesting anecdotes.
May 1, 2021
Meandering, repetitive, and unstructured are just a few of the adjectives that come to mind when describing this book. What started out as an interesting history of the crossword puzzle, the book soon devolved into a series of disjointed chapters about whatever random crossword-related item had popped into the author's mind.
We get stand-alone sidelights about Nabokov, crossword puzzles in fiction, a crossword cruise, and many other topics that fall flat primarily because of how little of interest the author has to say beyond recitation (or why she's even telling us about them). They seem to be intended to show the author's breadth of research rather than say anything meaningful about crosswords (this reads like the dissertation the author mentions in the acknowledgments). What should have been the most interesting and light-hearted chapter, about the crossword championships in Connecticut, instead sounds like a "what I did on my summer vacation" essay for school, complete with long-winded descriptions of the hotel. We have minimal insight into the competitors, and barely a sense of the competition, its fun, or tension.
This is a short book (~250 pages) and about 2/3 of the way in, I just started skimming to the end. It was clear that there was nothing special I was going to miss.
The books talks about how precise crossword puzzles must be - the clue-making, the themes, the editing, the creativity, etc. How ironic that this book misses the mark on every one of those parameters.
Strongly not recommended, especially to anyone who loved the documentary "Wordplay"
We get stand-alone sidelights about Nabokov, crossword puzzles in fiction, a crossword cruise, and many other topics that fall flat primarily because of how little of interest the author has to say beyond recitation (or why she's even telling us about them). They seem to be intended to show the author's breadth of research rather than say anything meaningful about crosswords (this reads like the dissertation the author mentions in the acknowledgments). What should have been the most interesting and light-hearted chapter, about the crossword championships in Connecticut, instead sounds like a "what I did on my summer vacation" essay for school, complete with long-winded descriptions of the hotel. We have minimal insight into the competitors, and barely a sense of the competition, its fun, or tension.
This is a short book (~250 pages) and about 2/3 of the way in, I just started skimming to the end. It was clear that there was nothing special I was going to miss.
The books talks about how precise crossword puzzles must be - the clue-making, the themes, the editing, the creativity, etc. How ironic that this book misses the mark on every one of those parameters.
Strongly not recommended, especially to anyone who loved the documentary "Wordplay"
September 10, 2021
What about Thinking Inside the Box by Adrienne Raphel? Start with a clue: A puzzling puzzler writes a puzzling book. That is, Raphel’s book is bewildering to me; it’s a peculiar collection of chapters, populated with highs and lows.
Highs. The book’s highs are informative and interesting; they make for enjoyable reading. For instance, Raphel explains how constructors, often relying on software, create crossword puzzles starting from a blank grid…how the New York Times editorial team selects what to publish from the numerous submissions received each week…what has been the evolving editorial NYT approach to crossword puzzles over the years (think “old school� vs. “new school,� or clever vs. merely definitional, or the inclusion of brand names vs. no way, not allowed!)
Lows. Raphel’s book is plagued by lows, particularly chapters that raise the question “What’s that doing here?� Examples: Vladimir Nabokov’s take on crossword puzzles…the parallels between puzzles and mystery novels…the relationship between the long-ago British hyacinth hysteria and the growing fascination with crosswords. All this is sprinkled throughout the scattershot organization of the book, an organization that is more collection of essays than unified whole.
So, choose your clue to define Thinking Inside the Box. Perhaps “Highlights, low lights.� Or “Hit and miss.� How about “Diamonds and rust�? To summarize, I enjoyed—and learned from—portions of the book, but often I was just puzzled. On second thought, I haven’t a clue.
Highs. The book’s highs are informative and interesting; they make for enjoyable reading. For instance, Raphel explains how constructors, often relying on software, create crossword puzzles starting from a blank grid…how the New York Times editorial team selects what to publish from the numerous submissions received each week…what has been the evolving editorial NYT approach to crossword puzzles over the years (think “old school� vs. “new school,� or clever vs. merely definitional, or the inclusion of brand names vs. no way, not allowed!)
Lows. Raphel’s book is plagued by lows, particularly chapters that raise the question “What’s that doing here?� Examples: Vladimir Nabokov’s take on crossword puzzles…the parallels between puzzles and mystery novels…the relationship between the long-ago British hyacinth hysteria and the growing fascination with crosswords. All this is sprinkled throughout the scattershot organization of the book, an organization that is more collection of essays than unified whole.
So, choose your clue to define Thinking Inside the Box. Perhaps “Highlights, low lights.� Or “Hit and miss.� How about “Diamonds and rust�? To summarize, I enjoyed—and learned from—portions of the book, but often I was just puzzled. On second thought, I haven’t a clue.
March 26, 2020
This book rekindled my love of crossword puzzles and sent me down a rabbit hole of crossword puzzle-themed items such as a documentary, a short story, and several cozy mysteries. The book itself starts off with a brief history of crossword puzzles and their instantaneous appeal, goes on to talk a bit about the construction of crossword puzzles, allows us to hang out with Will Shortz (who I have admired since his Games Magazine days),and eventually takes us all the way to the crossword championships. A very satisfying read that inspired me to download and subscribe to the NYT's Crossword Puzzle app.
December 30, 2021
giving this one 5 because some of these reviews are so rude and whiny. if you're looking for an academic history of crosswords, go to jstor idiot!!
January 4, 2023
Do not read my review. Read the other reviews on this site because they are CRAZY.
August 26, 2021
More years ago than I care to admit (50+) I came across a magazine article on how crossword puzzles are constructed. Black squares between words need to be symmetrical � if there is a black square 3 blocks down and 4 blocks in in the northwest section, there needs to be one 3 blocks up and 4 blocks in in the corresponding southeast corner, for example. Did not think much about it for a couple of months until we were assigned, as a major part of the grade for the course a “project� of our choosing related to Earth Science.
I decided a great way to an “A� would be to construct a crossword puzzle using primarily words from the Earth Science textbook. After all, the prof wrote it, how could he not be impressed? Turns out easier said than done! Selecting words for length and letter combinations, construction of the 15x15 square with the black sections laid out in appropriate symmetrical fashion was a far more difficult and time consuming task than I anticipated but I kept plugging.
Finally, turned in a document labeled “Earth Sciences Crossword� � down and across clues, blank puzzle with the black squares and word squares and one fully filled in with the answers, as well as a cross reference to the text where the specific word came from.
I was called to the professor’s office the next week. “What is this?� he asked, “I have never seen anything like it.� Turns out that since he recently moved to the U.S. from Iran, he had never done one! Once I explained how it worked, what it meant and what was involved in the design he seemed impressed by the amount of work, if not the end product.
Don’t think I got the A, but the book “Thinking Inside the Box� caught my attention and got me thinking of those days. The book is an interesting diversion into all things crossword � history, construction (computers do a lot of heavy lifting these days), competitions, roles of press, etc. so for the crossword nut, this book is a fascinating journey. For regular folks, maybe not so much. My relationship with crosswords these days tend to be doing the daily “Mini� published by the NY Times � quick and easy, entertaining and not too taxing.
The book is well researched and written and entertaining if you have ever had a curious streak about the great pastime of playing with words.
I decided a great way to an “A� would be to construct a crossword puzzle using primarily words from the Earth Science textbook. After all, the prof wrote it, how could he not be impressed? Turns out easier said than done! Selecting words for length and letter combinations, construction of the 15x15 square with the black sections laid out in appropriate symmetrical fashion was a far more difficult and time consuming task than I anticipated but I kept plugging.
Finally, turned in a document labeled “Earth Sciences Crossword� � down and across clues, blank puzzle with the black squares and word squares and one fully filled in with the answers, as well as a cross reference to the text where the specific word came from.
I was called to the professor’s office the next week. “What is this?� he asked, “I have never seen anything like it.� Turns out that since he recently moved to the U.S. from Iran, he had never done one! Once I explained how it worked, what it meant and what was involved in the design he seemed impressed by the amount of work, if not the end product.
Don’t think I got the A, but the book “Thinking Inside the Box� caught my attention and got me thinking of those days. The book is an interesting diversion into all things crossword � history, construction (computers do a lot of heavy lifting these days), competitions, roles of press, etc. so for the crossword nut, this book is a fascinating journey. For regular folks, maybe not so much. My relationship with crosswords these days tend to be doing the daily “Mini� published by the NY Times � quick and easy, entertaining and not too taxing.
The book is well researched and written and entertaining if you have ever had a curious streak about the great pastime of playing with words.
April 14, 2020
I am a lapsed cruciverbalist. One who no longer seems to incorporate crosswords into daily life, but misses them, thinks of them fondly and hopes to reestablish the connection. This book appealed to me on many levels, not the least of which was hoping it’ll spur me into action and back on crosswords. Plus when I’m passionate (albeit inactively) about something, it’s always great to learn more about it. This might be the second book I read about crosswords, but not remembering the first one, there’s no field of comparison. Instead and purely on its own merit, this was a great read. It tells you all you need to know about crosswords from their inception, to the early champ solvers, to creators, rule outliners and, of course, practitioners of the art, for there is an art to it. The book has an excellent layout, it encompasses every aspect of learning, from historical (how it all came to be) to practical (how to construct one) to entertaining (competitions and so on). Crosswords came into being randomly, were refined over time and now became a significant force of intellectual refinement, albeit it seems for almost exclusively a certain socioeconomic class of people. Reading this book I was almost unable to believe I ever walked away from that much fun, I mean I still have the crossword books and all. And it is a pleasurable pursuit, for people who love words and wordplay, there’s such a satisfaction in a puzzle well done. And so for all my love of crosswords and love of good books, this was a great read. About as entertaining as one might hope for nonfiction to be, interesting, fun, written in a compelling manner by an erudite (even the footnotes were a delight) and engaging author. Very enjoyable read. May it renew connections for old fans and inspire new ones to the awaiting numbered squares and cleverly constructed clues. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.
March 24, 2023
I like crosswords, and so I dove into this book without reservations.
It's a book filled with a lot of historical stuff, plus a fair amount of first person activity by the author.
It's all pleasant and enjoyable, but the book reads like a batch of random blog posts cobbled together to form the pretense of a book. There's a lack of any sort of unifying theme, or through line.
Nothing wrong with it, just left me feeling a little unsatisfied.
It's a book filled with a lot of historical stuff, plus a fair amount of first person activity by the author.
It's all pleasant and enjoyable, but the book reads like a batch of random blog posts cobbled together to form the pretense of a book. There's a lack of any sort of unifying theme, or through line.
Nothing wrong with it, just left me feeling a little unsatisfied.
May 16, 2020
Having gotten very into crosswords in the last six months, I found this very enjoyable! Lots of interesting tidbits and fascinating crossword trivia sprinkled throughout.
January 7, 2022
Solid 3. Will shorts has made crosswords and word puzzles sort of second nature to everyday life. The book covers history, how to make a good crossword puzzle, far more difficult than you might think. And other aspects of the industry that has grown up around it since the daily crossword was first printed in a newspaper. Some chapters are long and drag; others cover angles you would not have thought of (the gender and other biases in the industry). Doesn’t make me want to expand my puzzle habits, overall, however.
July 10, 2021
3.5 stars. Some of the Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ reviews are seriously harsh! I like crossword puzzles and do them occasionally, though I am not very good at them. This book was a nice introduction to the history of crossword puzzles and how they have evolved over time. There are sections that are repetitive and at times the author does go on too long describing details such as the interior of a conference room, but overall the book was entertaining.
April 20, 2022
Yes, this is a book about crosswords. If you do the crossword, know who Will Shortz is, or have opinions on the (over)use of the word OREO, it might be for you. If not, I’d give it a pass.
Highs included learning more about the history of the crossword, how they’re constructed, and the NYT editorial team’s approach to the puzzle. Lows included sections about mystery novels and René Magritte and far too much information about the Marriott in Stamford, CT.
Three stars from me.
Highs included learning more about the history of the crossword, how they’re constructed, and the NYT editorial team’s approach to the puzzle. Lows included sections about mystery novels and René Magritte and far too much information about the Marriott in Stamford, CT.
Three stars from me.
March 5, 2020
I'm rotten at crosswords but love them, anyway. This is such a lovely, comprehensive book. Definitely a gift for any cruciverbalist in your life.
May 28, 2022
I picked this book up because it was shortlisted for SPL’s “Hobby or Skill� Book Bingo category—and because I’ve been crossword-obsessed of late! I enjoyed lots of parts of the book, especially some of the earliest history of the puzzle format (who knew that people in the 1920s were clutching their pearls about crosswords spelling the end of reading!). But, like many other reviewers have stated, my ultimate impression was this book could have benefited from better editing. The author goes on absolutely random tangents about things like Magritte and Sherlock Holmes and even excerpts entire obscure poems. I found the overall effect quite baffling. I think it would have been better to focus on interviewing more constructors, editors, speed solvers, fans, etc and keep things a bit more matter-of-fact.
November 25, 2024
3.5/5
I kind of dig crosswords now and then (the majority are just too difficult for me) so this book definitely sparked my interest. Raphel is a superfan and I appreciate her love of the puzzle. I like that there's a lot of insightful and entertaining stories about the puzzle that include its history, originators, famous fans, massive obsessive fandom, and her personal connections with the puzzle. This book is a little dry and could've been written a bit better with more of her personality put into it but overall I enjoyed this one. It's not A.J. Jacobs' "The Puzzler" nor Oliver Roeder's "Seven Games", but "Thinking Inside the Box" is a good book for those interested in learning more about the crossword. FYI, these Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ reviews for this book are way too brutal and it's not nearly as awful or unreadable as some are saying it is.
I kind of dig crosswords now and then (the majority are just too difficult for me) so this book definitely sparked my interest. Raphel is a superfan and I appreciate her love of the puzzle. I like that there's a lot of insightful and entertaining stories about the puzzle that include its history, originators, famous fans, massive obsessive fandom, and her personal connections with the puzzle. This book is a little dry and could've been written a bit better with more of her personality put into it but overall I enjoyed this one. It's not A.J. Jacobs' "The Puzzler" nor Oliver Roeder's "Seven Games", but "Thinking Inside the Box" is a good book for those interested in learning more about the crossword. FYI, these Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ reviews for this book are way too brutal and it's not nearly as awful or unreadable as some are saying it is.
May 20, 2021
At times this was glorious—the characters of the crosswording world are colorful and drove this book forward whenever they had the chance to step into the story. But other parts were just too dry; I was excited to learn the history of the crossword, and it was an interesting read, but I thought Raphel could strengthen those more dense chapters by remembering the whimsical premise of the book itself. It’s supposed to be fun—it’s an entire book about crosswords!—so include the same artistic language and personal ideas that make the first-person chapters so engaging. I also felt there were a few asides that didn’t have an obvious purpose, or at least didn’t justify their length: namely, the chapter about crosswords and mysteries and the stuff about memory.
Anyway, I enjoyed it because I enjoy crosswords, but it left me wanting.
Anyway, I enjoyed it because I enjoy crosswords, but it left me wanting.
May 8, 2020
If you love crosswords, you must read Thinking Inside the Box.
It started in 1913 with a quick fill-in for a newspaper’s Sunday FUN color section. In 1924, the first crossword book was published, which included a sharpened pencil for $1.35. That same year saw the humble crossword puzzle have its first national tournament.
Crosswords are still a popular mind expander 107 years later. Now, there are mobile apps and online puzzles. But books continue to sell well too. If you enjoy an occasional crossword puzzle and would like to learn more about their history, read Thinking Inside the Box. It’s an entertaining and fully researched history of the puzzle. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars!
Thanks to Penguin Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.
It started in 1913 with a quick fill-in for a newspaper’s Sunday FUN color section. In 1924, the first crossword book was published, which included a sharpened pencil for $1.35. That same year saw the humble crossword puzzle have its first national tournament.
Crosswords are still a popular mind expander 107 years later. Now, there are mobile apps and online puzzles. But books continue to sell well too. If you enjoy an occasional crossword puzzle and would like to learn more about their history, read Thinking Inside the Box. It’s an entertaining and fully researched history of the puzzle. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars!
Thanks to Penguin Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.
December 15, 2020
Definitely recommended for crossword fans! I'm a crossword constructor with a few puzzles published in the major outlets, and I've read just about all the crossword thinkpieces out there, but there's some good new content here. The stories of the first crossword celebrities and the Sex and the City scene breakdown were especially memorable.
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