Marc Romano

If you're one of those people whose eagerness to get to the New York Times crossword puzzle every day sometimes worries you a little, you'll want to have a look at this book, which profiles some of the more puzzle-obsessed among us. The book isn't without its problems: for example, if you're annoyed by an intrusive narrative voice, you'll want to steel yourself for Romano's -- he's quite taken with himself, and rarely lets five pages go by without his reminding you that he's a polymath who show more speaks a few languages and went to Yale. Also, I think Romano overstates the popularity of crosswords -- if there's such a phenomenon as "America's crossword obsession," I sure haven't noticed it. (Sudoku, sure, but crosswords?) Still, this book gives an engaging history of the Times crossword, details the process for building the puzzles and profiles some of the builders (most notably Brendan Emmett Quigley, who's revered among many solvers), and also gives some pretty good tips for honing your puzzling skills. show less

A crossword history is a sure thing right? I liked the book, didn't love it due to the snobbishness of the Author. I actually really disliked this guy enough to want to stop reading. I'm glad I didn't because the non-personal bits of this book are quite good. A good read for any crossword lover!

An interesting and intriguing look at the crossword obsession. Too bad the author is a pompous, self-absorbed prick. When he wasn't talking about himself the book was actually quite good, but he can't get out of the way for long without letting you know how brilliant he is. My entire family is rather crossword obsessed and before reading it this seemed like it would make a good present. Unfortunately, I don't think I could give or recommend this book to anyone.

I found it under-reported -- who did he really talk to besides Will shortz and Quigley? -- and the author overly impressed with his own cleverness. A big disappointment on a promising topic.