The Curious History Of The Crossword

DIV2013 marks the 100th anniversary of the crossword puzzle. Journalist Arthur Wynne had wanted to devise a new game for the back of the newspaper back in 1913, so he created a diamond grid and called it a “Word-Cross,� and thus the first crossword puzzle was born./divDIV Editor and crossword constructor Ben Tausig examines the curious history of the world’s most addictive game and its unusual upbringing. Accompanied by 100 unique and challenging puzzles from the past 100 years, he examines the evolution of grid shape, how basic expected knowledge of the reader has changed, the puzzles that break the “breakfast table rule� and more. Featuring puzzles from top constructors like Will Shortz, Brendan Emmett Quigley, Matt Jones, Cathy Millhauser, Maura Jacobson, and more. Try your pen or pencil on the crosswords your parents, grandparents, or great grandparents did decades ago!/div

This is not a comprehensive study of every sexual quirk, kink and ritual across all cultures throughout time, as that would entail writing an encyclopaedia. Rather, this is a drop in the ocean, a paddle in the shallow end of sex history, but I hope you will get pleasantly wet nonetheless. The act of sex has not changed since people first worked out what went where, but the ways in which society dictates how sex is culturally understood and performed have varied significantly through the ages. Humans are the only creatures that stigmatise particular sexual practices, and sex remains a deeply divisive issue around the world. Attitudes will change and grow – hopefully for the better – but sex will never be free of stigma or shame unless we acknowledge where it has come from. Based on the popular research project Whores of Yore, and written with her distinctive humour and wit, A Curious History of Sex draws upon Dr Kate Lister’s extensive knowledge of sex history. From medieval impotence tests to twentieth-century testicle thefts, from the erotic frescoes of Pompeii, to modern-day sex doll brothels, Kate unashamedly roots around in the pants of history, debunking myths, challenging stereotypes and generally getting her hands dirty. This fascinating book is peppered with surprising and informative historical slang, and illustrated with eye-opening, toe-curling and meticulously sourced images from the past. You will laugh, you will wince and you will wonder just how much has actually changed.

A crossword puzzle champion discusses the rules and regulations of doing crossword puzzles; offers facts about puzzle history and lore; and provides tips, techniques, and strategies for solving difficult puzzles.

From a New York Times-bestselling historian comes the story of how the alphabet ordered our world. A Place for Everything is the first-ever history of alphabetization, from the Library of Alexandria to Wikipedia. The story of alphabetical order has been shaped by some of history's most compelling characters, such as industrious and enthusiastic early adopter Samuel Pepys and dedicated alphabet champion Denis Diderot. But though even George Washington was a proponent, many others stuck to older forms of classification -- Yale listed its students by their family's social status until 1886. And yet, while the order of the alphabet now rules -- libraries, phone books, reference books, even the order of entry for the teams at the Olympic Games -- it has remained curiously invisible. With abundant inquisitiveness and wry humor, historian Judith Flanders traces the triumph of alphabetical order and offers a compendium of Western knowledge, from A to Z. A Times (UK) Best Book of 2020

"Of immense interest to those who enjoy recreational maths and puzzles . . . even the most hardened puzzler will find something new." -- Mathematical Gazette Puzzles are as old as history itself, following an arc like that of technology: centuries of slow progress, followed by rapid expansion in the 1800s, and an explosion of activity in the twentieth century. This collection by bestselling author David Wells, a Cambridge math scholar and teacher, follows that pattern. Its first part is devoted to puzzles from ancient Egypt and Babylon and subsequent sources, featuring those devised by Lewis Carroll, Eduard Lucas, Sam Loyd, and other master puzzlers of the Victorian era. The second part demonstrates the tremendous variety of twentieth-century puzzles. More than 560 puzzles are included, from the "mind sharpeners" of a medieval monk to the eighteenth-century Ladies' Diary, the Hindu Bhakshali manuscript, and riddles and popular rhymes. None requires any mathematics beyond the most elementary algebra and geometry -- and few require even that. Complete answers appear at the end.

This game changing guide to crosswords will improve your skills while exploring the hows, whys, and history of the crossword and its evolution over time, from antiquity to the age of LOL and MINAJ. Crossword puzzles have a language all their own. Packed full of trick clues, trivia about common answers, and crossword trends, Crosswordese is a delightful celebration of the crossword lexicon and its checkered history of wordplay and changing cultural references. Much, much more than a dictionary, this is a playful, entertaining, and educational read for word gamers and language lovers. The perfect present or gift for yourself, Crosswordese will be a hit with crossword puzzlers of all skill levels, word nerds, fans of all varieties of word games, and language enthusiasts. • BEYOND CROSSWORDS: Hooked on crosswords? Now you can discover even more to enjoy about the history and trivia behind the terms and clues you love. • FOR BEGINNERS, EXPERTS, AND WORD NERDS ALIKE: Beginners will find it a boon to their solving skills; veteran crossworders will learn more about the vocabulary they employ every morning; and those interested in language will have plenty of "Aha!" moments. • CROSSWORD PUZZLES INCLUDED! The author has specially created a number of puzzles based on the book's content inside!

These popular editions allow the reader and student to look beyond the scholarly ÊreadingÊ text to the more sensuous more collaborative more malleable ÊperformanceÊ text which emerges in conjunction with the commentary and notes. Each note each gloss each commentary reflects the stage life of the play with constant reference to the challenge of the text in performance. Readers will not only discover an enlivened Shakespeare they will be empowered to rehearse and direct their own productions of the imagination in the process.

A little gem of a memoir... The book adds up to more than a sum of its parts and lingers in the memory long after the final page. -- Sunday Telegraph Half a million people a day do it in the Telegraph. The Times claims almost as many, and the Guardian 300,000. Most people remember their first time, and everyone has a favourite. You can do it in bed, standing up, or on a train. You can do it alone, with a loved one or in groups. The Queen does it in the bath. It is not illegal, immoral or fattening. In fact it tops the Home Office list of approved entertainments for prison inmates. Crosswords are a very British obsession. Crosswords are a very British obsession. Pretty Girl in Crimson Rose is a personal reminiscence and a guide to solving crossword puzzles. But it is much, much more than a 'how-to' book. Each chapter is starts with a clue, and uses anecdote, history and autobiography to solve it, in the process describing something of what it means to love England. In the process, we encounter The Best Crossword Clue Ever, The Most Beautiful Clue in the World 'Pretty Girl in Crimson Rose' and the eccentric personalities behind such legendary compilers as the Guardian's Araucaria and The Times'Ximenes.