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Fiendish and inimitable, Boatman is widely regarded as one of
Britain's most challenging and innovative compilers of cryptic
crosswords. In this book, you'll find fifty of his puzzles from the
Guardian, with an additional bonus crossword that was first
published online in the Genius slot. So much more than a puzzle
book, here Boatman tells the story in his own words behind the
development of each crossword: how he thought of the theme, the
ideas that didn't make it into print and the unlikely coincidences
that emerged afterwards. You'll discover his working methods and
the lively relationship between setter and editor, be able to enjoy
extra teaser clues and hear from the solvers who took the time to
comment on the puzzles when they were first published. All the
crosswords in this collection have been freshly typeset to make
solving them an even greater joy, with full solutions and
explanations of all the wordplay.Expect many hours of pleasure
here, whether you're coming to Boatman's puzzles for the first
time, looking for older pieces you may have missed in print,
rediscovering half-forgotten favourites or returning to try again
with a few that may have defeated you the first time round.
Boatman is back with fifty more puzzles from the Guardian and an
additional five bonus puzzles previously only available online,
including the notorious Referendum Day puzzle that was able to
predict the result of the UK’s vote over its membership of the
European Union with complete confidence. Get inside the mind of one
of Britain’s most challenging and innovative crossword compilers,
as he tells the story behind the development of each puzzle: how he
thought of the theme, the ideas that didn’t make it into print
and the odd connections that emerged afterwards. Expect talk of
crosswords and coincidences, politics and particle physics. Solve
extra clues and hear from solvers who enjoyed the puzzles when they
were first published. Dave Gorman writes: Put the kettle on.
That’s my advice. Boatman’s puzzles are best served with a cup
of tea. If a crossword is painting pictures with words, then every
setter has his or her own style. Some create clues that remind me
of a Heath Robinson cartoon – full of intricate detail and
connections – while others bring to mind the simple brush strokes
of an Al Hirschfeld caricature, where there can be almost nothing
on the page and yet, somehow, Liza Minelli’s face is staring back
at you. Boatman’s puzzles are Magic Eye posters. You stare at
them for a while and then suddenly something three dimensional pops
out as your eyes defocus. When you first scan through a puzzle, a
theme may be apparent. Words will be repeated. Newspaper,
newspaper, newspaper, Guardian, red-top, newspaper, newspaper,
Independent. It may make you feel dizzy. So put the kettle on. Make
that cup of tea. Relax. Defocus. He’s a devious sod and he enjoys
going back to the same source and coming back with something
different. And you know that it will always be different. No two
‘newspapers’ are ever the same. That’s his thing. Don’t be
dizzied by it. Dance with it. Enjoy. Then enjoy again as you get
the insight from the commentaries that follow. Mine’s white with
no sugar. Ta.
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