ACROSS OR DOWN,

THE BEST CROSSWORDS AROUND!

In 1924, Simon & Schuster published its first title, "The Cross Word Puzzle Book." Not only was it this new publisher's first release, it was the first collection of crossword puzzles ever printed.

Today, more than eighty years later, the legendary "Simon & Schuster Crossword Puzzle Book" series maintains its status as the standard-bearer for cruciverbal excellence. Published every two months, the series continues to provide the freshest and most original puzzles on the market. Created by the best contemporary constructors -- and edited by top puzzle master John M. Samson -- these Sunday-sized brain-breakers offer hours of stimulation for solvers of every level.

Can you take the challenge? Sharpen your pencils, grit your teeth, and find out!

Ultimate word search – over 190 pages!

200 New Puzzles -- From Easy to Just About Difficult

Su Doku, "the crossword without words," comes with a warning: it is seriously addictive. You don't need to be a mathematical genius to solve these puzzles; it is simply a question of logic and a little patience.

Piece together the world of Jane Austen in this exciting new 1000 piece jigsaw, inspired by the life and works of the prolific author. Featuring a wide cast of Jane Austen's contemporaries and characters, take a tour of Austen's world from the rolling hills of Derbyshire, via Hampshire and Lyme Regis, to the golden stone of the Bath skyline as your build this puzzle. All of your favourites are hiding in this busy and engaging scene, waiting to be found by you! From Mr Darcy walking the grounds of Pemberley, to Anne Eliot enjoying a seaside escape, discover hidden gems as you make this puzzle and enjoy the final scene. The perfect challenge for Janeites, or anyone who loves a good jigsaw, this puzzle full of whispered intrigues, harmonious weddings and proposals is sure to delight. The World of Jane Austen is the second in Laurence King's new series of jigsaw puzzles, following The World of Shakespeare, and includes a pull-out poster full of fun Austen facts

WILL SHORTZ, puzzle editor of The New York Times since 1993, founded and directs the annual American Crossword Puzzle Tournament and the World Puzzle Championship. He is the Puzzlemaster for NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday. Shortz lives in Pleasantville, New York.

Maleska and Samson have gone back to previous collections to find the best puzzles for this super book. Wordplay, puns, anagrams, step-quotes, funny and fanciful theme puzzles are all included, promising new fun for the many fans of the Simon & Schuster series.

Expand your mind as you lighten your load! Make use of those dull moments on the lavatory by teaching yourself how a starfish eats a clam, how to say "Hello" in every European language and what the dot over an "i" is called. Covering all types of trivia, from science and natural history to the different types of moustache, this little book contains enough fascinating facts to keep you learning throughout the year. You will pick up impressive knowledge and remarkable wisdom such as: The capital cities of every country The major bones in the human body The longest word you can spell using only the top row of letters on a keyboard The inventor of sticky tape The world's oceans and seas How bees make honey And much, much more. A superb addition to anyone's bathroom library, this book could help you win at your next quiz or at least give you a bunch of fun facts to spout when you're out and about. "Taking a dump just got a lot more interesting" Crapping Quarterly

Ultimate word search – over 190 pages!

Deductive Logico is back on the scene to investigate murders most foul in Murdle: More Killer Puzzles.

These fiendishly compulsive mini-mystery puzzles challenge you to find whodunit, how, where and why. Join Logico to uncover the buried secrets of the Violet Isles, solve the riddles of an ancient and mysterious scholar, and explore the haunted lands of Drakonia. Follow the clues, interview the witnesses and use the power of deduction to complete the grid and catch the culprit. Together, you'll unearth the dark truth beneath each murder and crack the code that can only be decrypted once you've solved them all!

Packed with perplexing puzzles, codes and maps, this is the ultimate casebook for the secret sleuth in everyone.

Sherlock: Baffled. Poirot: Befuddled. This must be a MURDLE!

This book is a perfect combination of almost all possible connotations of the names of the four suits of the deck. The different meanings, riding on fascinating, mind-boggling activities and exercises, will make you forget to keep a track of time! Watch out as you go through the pages. You might just Call a Spade a Spade, and then think again. You could get Hit by a Club! or even get Spoiled for Diamonds! You might even end up losing yourself in A Game of Hearts! Go with the flow and be ready to be swept off your feed by the enchanted appeal of this book.

This collection of verbal and visual challenges will help you stay sharp and stimulated as you embark on a new chapter in life Retirement is incredibly rich with possibilities - it's just a question of how to fill all that free time. Well, now that you've earned many an hour of peaceful freedom, how about a puzzle or two to prove you're still as clever as you always were? From quick-fire trivia questions to more leisurely crosswords and sudoku, whether you're a recent retiree, approaching the big day or have been enjoying your freedom for years, there's plenty in these pages to keep you busy and set your mind purring. Inside you will find a rich variety of puzzles for all tastes, including these: Find a whole new set of hobbies within a raft of word searches Spot the differences between various comical scenarios you might find yourself in Shuffle a bunch of anagrams to locate some objects that could come in handy Tackle the pictorial problems posed by a variety of rebus puzzles

Brain-eye coordination!

A Sherlock Holmes Escape Book: The Adventure of the Tower of London is a unique form of puzzle book, in which the reader must solve the riddles to escape the pages. The fourth title in this ingenious series of Sherlock Holmes Escape Books, The Adventure of the Tower of London is an exhilarating combination of escape room, puzzle book and adventure story. Inspired by the urban craze for escape rooms, where players tackle puzzles while trapped in a locked room, it is an escape room in the form of a locked book, filled with codes, ciphers, riddles and red herrings, and a clever Code Wheel set into the cover. In the latest adventure in the series, readers will take on the role of the world's foremost consulting detective, Sherlock Holmes. Holmes's nemesis Moriarty has locked Sherlock's friend, the musician Odon von Mihalovic, with the CrownJewels in a cage in Tower Bridge the night before a special ceremony is due to be held for the Queen. Holmes and Watson are themselves trapped in the nearby Tower of London by Moriarty, and they must work through the night and against the clock to find and free Odon from the cage to prevent him being disgraced in the ceremony the following morning. Combines riddles, logic puzzles, timed challenges, mathematical brain-teasers, maps and mazes.