oneoflifeslollopers's review
4.0
You know a book has taken a hold of you when you find yourself suddenly noticing its subject in everyday life. There I was, watching Britain’s Hidden Heritage with one of the hosts trawling through archives of Country Life magazine when I noticed she had opened the compendium at the crossword page. Suddenly I was so intensely curious: I wonder who wrote that particular crossword, I wonder what type of crossword it was, I wonder if it was hard to solve, if it contained any secret clues and I was struck by how much a book about crosswords had influenced me.
Let’s hit the road. Let’s hunt down the most curious crosswords out there, the most dubious, the ground-breakers and the head spinners, the slurs and secret messages. Let’s riffle (and rifle) the papers of the world to single out clues that can’t be believed – or solved.
I’ve never been a fan of crosswords; to me they were intimidating, utterly bewildering things and the only ones that didn’t make me feel completely moronic were the ones in the back of gossip magazines. My life plan was always to avoid the crossword, thus avoiding the obvious spotlight pointing out my stupidity and ignorance.
This all changed when Jason Steger mentioned Cluetopia on The First Tuesday Book Club a few months ago. I was immediately intrigued by the concept – who knew that crosswords could contain such a wealth of information and insight into history and I was looking forward to seeing the world through a pastime I wasn’t even sure was that popular anymore. The first crossword was developed in 1913 and in the 100 years since the world has undergone some dramatic changes. Author David Astle takes us on a journey through those 100 years to show how the world has shaped the evolution of the crossword, but also how the humble crossword can give us many insights into our world.
I had not really imagined that a crossword would really exert much influence over the world – but one of the great things about this book is the education I have received. When I thought of crosswords, my mind conjured up images of middle aged couples in dressing gowns sitting down on Sunday morning to some toast, tea and the crossword. Crosswords to me seemed inherently British so it was a surprise to me to discover that the hobby exists in many cultures, crossing language and cultural barriers to create something truly unique and adored by many.
Then there’s the history side of things – not just the crossword timeline, but the human misadventures that blaze in the background. Crosswords are windows on an evolving world. As we travel, you will find each puzzle a porthole, a peephole, allowing us to glance at places where people do things differently.
David Astle showed me not only the worldwide significance of the crossword and its many offshoots but also to care about them. Not only does his own passion for crosswords shine out of every page, but he also manage to convey the individual AHA! moments of some of the most famous setters as they stumbled across their first crossword, with many having very different approaches and appreciations for their lifelong friend. Astle’s writing is humorous and he has a very friendly, engaging tone. Each chapter starts with a clue that, though I knew I’d never be able to guess the answer, had such an enjoyable, anecdotal journey from clue to answer while detailing another year of history.
It’s a delightfully quirky history that contains conspiracy theories, declarations of love and proposals, even an announcement of declining health. There’s the total mindfuckery of the crossword in Chapter 1962 which includes answers but not clues that determined cruciverbalists are STILL trying to solve. There’s also the feature of new words included with each chapter that provide great examples of how the world is changing and expanding each year – like in in 1958 when tandoori entered the mainstream vocabulary.
Whether you’re a fan of the crossword or not there’s plenty to enjoy in Cluetopia and it is a fascinating insight into a worldwide club of people who share a secret language and a love of words.
Zigging and zagging through the century, we’ll navigate the maze using crosswords as our stepping stones and clues as our comfort. I don’t anticipate we’ll meet a monster on our path, but then again I can’t promise anything in black or white.
Let’s hit the road. Let’s hunt down the most curious crosswords out there, the most dubious, the ground-breakers and the head spinners, the slurs and secret messages. Let’s riffle (and rifle) the papers of the world to single out clues that can’t be believed – or solved.
I’ve never been a fan of crosswords; to me they were intimidating, utterly bewildering things and the only ones that didn’t make me feel completely moronic were the ones in the back of gossip magazines. My life plan was always to avoid the crossword, thus avoiding the obvious spotlight pointing out my stupidity and ignorance.
This all changed when Jason Steger mentioned Cluetopia on The First Tuesday Book Club a few months ago. I was immediately intrigued by the concept – who knew that crosswords could contain such a wealth of information and insight into history and I was looking forward to seeing the world through a pastime I wasn’t even sure was that popular anymore. The first crossword was developed in 1913 and in the 100 years since the world has undergone some dramatic changes. Author David Astle takes us on a journey through those 100 years to show how the world has shaped the evolution of the crossword, but also how the humble crossword can give us many insights into our world.
I had not really imagined that a crossword would really exert much influence over the world – but one of the great things about this book is the education I have received. When I thought of crosswords, my mind conjured up images of middle aged couples in dressing gowns sitting down on Sunday morning to some toast, tea and the crossword. Crosswords to me seemed inherently British so it was a surprise to me to discover that the hobby exists in many cultures, crossing language and cultural barriers to create something truly unique and adored by many.
Then there’s the history side of things – not just the crossword timeline, but the human misadventures that blaze in the background. Crosswords are windows on an evolving world. As we travel, you will find each puzzle a porthole, a peephole, allowing us to glance at places where people do things differently.
David Astle showed me not only the worldwide significance of the crossword and its many offshoots but also to care about them. Not only does his own passion for crosswords shine out of every page, but he also manage to convey the individual AHA! moments of some of the most famous setters as they stumbled across their first crossword, with many having very different approaches and appreciations for their lifelong friend. Astle’s writing is humorous and he has a very friendly, engaging tone. Each chapter starts with a clue that, though I knew I’d never be able to guess the answer, had such an enjoyable, anecdotal journey from clue to answer while detailing another year of history.
It’s a delightfully quirky history that contains conspiracy theories, declarations of love and proposals, even an announcement of declining health. There’s the total mindfuckery of the crossword in Chapter 1962 which includes answers but not clues that determined cruciverbalists are STILL trying to solve. There’s also the feature of new words included with each chapter that provide great examples of how the world is changing and expanding each year – like in in 1958 when tandoori entered the mainstream vocabulary.
Whether you’re a fan of the crossword or not there’s plenty to enjoy in Cluetopia and it is a fascinating insight into a worldwide club of people who share a secret language and a love of words.
Zigging and zagging through the century, we’ll navigate the maze using crosswords as our stepping stones and clues as our comfort. I don’t anticipate we’ll meet a monster on our path, but then again I can’t promise anything in black or white.
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