Thinking Inside the Box
Adventures with Crosswords and the Puzzling People Who Can't Live Without Them
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Thinking Inside the Box
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Narrated by:
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Adrienne Raphel
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Written by:
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Adrienne Raphel
About this listen
“This cultural and personal history of crosswords and their fans, written by an aficionado, is diverting, informative, and discursive.” (The New York Times Book Review, Editors’ Choice)
A delightful, erudite, and immersive exploration of the crossword puzzle and its fascinating history
Almost as soon as it appeared, the crossword puzzle became indispensable to our lives. Invented practically by accident in 1913, when a newspaper editor at the New York World was casting around for something to fill empty column space, it became a roaring commercial success almost overnight. Ever since then, the humble puzzle has been an essential ingredient of any newspaper worth its salt. But why, exactly, are the crossword’s satisfactions so sweet.
Blending first-person reporting from the world of crosswords with a delightful telling of its rich literary history, Adrienne Raphel dives into the secrets of this classic pastime. Thinking Inside the Box is an ingenious love letter not just to the abiding power of the crossword but to the infinite joys and playful possibilities of language itself.
©2020 Adrienne Raphel (P)2020 Penguin AudioWhat the critics say
"Fascinating... Raphel is particularly good at shifting viewpoints.... Chapters, such as ‘This Is Not a Crossword,’ looking at the intersection between surrealism and crosswords, fairly sing.... Raphel’s approach is reminiscent of Mary Roach’s work, and even cruciverbalists well versed in their hobby’s history will discover something illuminating here. Nonpuzzling readers may discover a new hobby." (Library Journal)
"Raphel delivers an intriguing and informative look at the crossword puzzle.... This enjoyable survey illuminates many lesser-known aspects of a wildly popular pastime." (Publishers Weekly)
"For crossword puzzlers of every ilk, from solvers of the Monday-edition no-brainer to pencil-chewing addicts of the cryptic, Thinking Inside The Box is a gold mine of revelations. If there is a pantheon of cruciverbalist scholars, Adrienne Raphel has established herself squarely within it." (Mary Norris, best-selling author of Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen and Greek to Me: Adventures of the Comma Queen)