Celebrating 80 years of the Daily Telegraph Cryptic Crossword
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Product Description
Book Description
A beautiful-designed celebratory gift book, The Daily Telegraph 80 Years of Cryptic Crosswords is a unique collector’s edition. Since the first ever cryptic crossword was published on 30 July 1925, this diurnal puzzle has been challenging, infuriating and entertaining thousands of readers. Notoriously addictive, these crosswords are a unique testament to the development of the English language as well as the Telegraph newspaper. Beginning with the very first crossword and ending with a specially created puzzle for 2005, the anniversary edition interweaves 80 crosswords with history, narrative and anecdote. Readers can discover the origin of their favourite puzzle, chart its development across and beyond the 20th century, read interesting facts about language and censorship – particularly during WW II and the Cold War – and pit their wits against eight decades of expert crossword setters.
About the Author
Val Gilbert has been Crossword Editor at the Telegraph since 1977. Away from the newspaper, Val is the compiler of The Daily Telegraph quick and cryptic crossword books, The Sunday Telegraph quick and cryptic titles, and The Sunday Telegraph General Knowledge Crossword series, all published by Pan Macmillan. Her expertise and inside knowledge was passed on to crossword addicts in How to Crack a Cryptic Crossword , published in 2001.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The presentation can't be faulted (so much easier to idly jot answers on the sofa when you're holding a hardback!) and the 'once a decade' sections of material about things like the puzzle's setters and editors are interesting.
But the use of one puzzle per year shows just how much this puzzle has changed over the years. I'm supposed to be very good at this game, but there are some puzzles in the first couple of decades where I'm stumped by many of the clues. Perhaps the best method is to start at the back of the book and travel gradually backwards in time, so that you begin with puzzles of a more familiar style.
So why not 5 stars? Same reason as for most collections of cryptic crosswords - no explanations to show why the answers are the right answers.
But the use of one puzzle per year shows just how much this puzzle has changed over the years. I'm supposed to be very good at this game, but there are some puzzles in the first couple of decades where I'm stumped by many of the clues. Perhaps the best method is to start at the back of the book and travel gradually backwards in time, so that you begin with puzzles of a more familiar style.
So why not 5 stars? Same reason as for most collections of cryptic crosswords - no explanations to show why the answers are the right answers.
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
By S. Chudha
Format:Hardcover
This is not only a fantastically presented book, the content is flawless too.
Starting with the first Telegraph Cryptic Crossword from June 1925 this book races through the development of the cryptic crossword over the last 80 years - lots of entertaining, baffling and thrilling puzzles here combined with anecdote and entertaining explanations of clues. Loved it!
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By Jane Baker
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Brilliant! An amazing book with which to while away the winter months and perform mental gymnastics at the same time. Fascinating to see how the cryptic crossword has evolved from the first issue - a quintessentially British leisure time activity perhaps. Interestingly the first few are reasonably easy to solve. Not long before the false security of the crossworder is thwarted and the brain has to go into over-drive. I've bought several of these as gifts for crossword addicts amongst family and friends. They are unfailingly popular. What mystifies me is second-hand copies which claim to be "Acceptable" - have these been filled in in pencil and then erased? Super, super book - very attractively presented too with elegant dust-jacket.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Crosswords
For anyone who loves to do the Telegraph crosswords, this is a great gift at a great price. I have certainly enjoyed this book myself and have recently purchased another copy for... Read more
Published 16 months ago by JFT70
1.0 out of 5 stars
What book??????
Didn't get this book, Amazon messed up, but only told us WEEKS after it should have been delivered. Second time it's happened.So now we can't rely on them for present delivery. Read more
Published on 28 Jan 2010 by Mrs. Susan A. Hoyle
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