This book is dedicated to the memory of my father, who must take

much of the blame for my obsession with crossword puzzles. Chave

Manley solved six puzzles a day (two each in the Daily Mail, the Daily

Express and the Daily Telegraph) and one a week--usually on a Sunday

afternoon--in the Radio Times. Until, that is, his son (with elder sister

Jean's help) began filling the odd word in the 'small puzzle' of the

Express and the 'quick crossword' of the Telegraph. By my teens I was

hooked and was pestering my father to explain how the cryptic

puzzles worked. Soon the back page of the school common-room

Times was being inked in, and not long after I left school I made my

crossword setting debut with the London Evening News, followed within

18 months by Radio Times. Then a few years later a whole new world

opened up with the discovery of the Observer's Ximenes and The

Listener.

Not everyone has a father--or even a close friend--to explain the

mysteries of the cryptic crossword, but I know that there are many in

the ranks of the would-be solvers. 'You need a twisted mind for

crosswords,' they say wryly--or else they denounce crosswords as a

'waste of time' without sounding convincing about it. The fact is that

you do need to twist your mind to solve any problem, but why not?

'Problem-solving' is very much the fashion at the moment in the

school curriculum. And there are, I believe, some real benefits in

struggling with a good crossword: mental discipline and an increased

vocabulary are two. But the benefits must not be overstated.

Crosswords are primarily for fun, but isn't the swimming pool more

enjoyable once you can swim?

Curiously, there have been very few books actually about

crosswords; those that I know of are listed in the bibliography at the

back. There is of course an insatiable demand for actual puzzles, and

those who want a good selection should not be disappointed by the

offerings in this book. My priority, though, has been to tutor the

reader in the basic essentials and the essentials at the more advanced

level. Chambers 20th Century Dictionary has long been the basic 'word

bible' for the advanced crossword solver, but there has been little