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Cluetopia
Crosswords are not as old as you think. The first one appeared a century ago, the little square keeping in remarkable shape. Cluetopia is here to toast the centenary, whizzing you through 100 years of remarkable clues, across the world, seeking the inside stories.
Come travel to New Guinea, Venezuela and Metropolis: every destination arising from a clue. Encounter love, murder, hoaxes, propaganda. Visit a Maori funeral, a Bass Strait oil-rig, a Russian game show-just some of side-trips locked inside a crossword.
With almost 100 mini-chapters, each one with a clue to crack, Cluetopia is a book for word lovers and puzzle fans. You'll see how crosswords capture the life around them, from prison cells to outer space. A holiday for the head, Cluetopia is as fun, as wild and as wordy as David's previous bestseller, Puzzled.
Come travel to New Guinea, Venezuela and Metropolis: every destination arising from a clue. Encounter love, murder, hoaxes, propaganda. Visit a Maori funeral, a Bass Strait oil-rig, a Russian game show-just some of side-trips locked inside a crossword.
With almost 100 mini-chapters, each one with a clue to crack, Cluetopia is a book for word lovers and puzzle fans. You'll see how crosswords capture the life around them, from prison cells to outer space. A holiday for the head, Cluetopia is as fun, as wild and as wordy as David's previous bestseller, Puzzled.
- GenresNonfictionPuzzles
308 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2013
51 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 23, 2018
ACROSS (4) A sign that helps find the answer. DOWN (5) A suffix from Ancient Greek.
ACROSS (5) Sculpture by Michelangelo. DOWN (5) Dictionary man from SBS’s “Letters & Numbers”.
Lovers of the weekly crossword shouldn’t miss Cluetopia: The story of 100 years of the Crossword by David Astle. It’s a masterpiece to be deciphered while readers are beguiled by the history of the black and white grid of boxes that have entertained and taught puzzlers for over a century.
Each of its 100 chapters contains a hint to David’s giant crossword that is sure to stump the best. It’s also fascinating to find out in which year the words gobsmacked, blog and snorkel first appeared.
If you've enjoyed one and you've got kids or you're a teacher David's done one for kids. He has put some of his best work into: WordBurger, a fun puzzler written for early primary-school age children. @SuzanneKing This book blurb was published by the Noosa Today 10 Aug 2017.
ACROSS (5) Sculpture by Michelangelo. DOWN (5) Dictionary man from SBS’s “Letters & Numbers”.
Lovers of the weekly crossword shouldn’t miss Cluetopia: The story of 100 years of the Crossword by David Astle. It’s a masterpiece to be deciphered while readers are beguiled by the history of the black and white grid of boxes that have entertained and taught puzzlers for over a century.
Each of its 100 chapters contains a hint to David’s giant crossword that is sure to stump the best. It’s also fascinating to find out in which year the words gobsmacked, blog and snorkel first appeared.
If you've enjoyed one and you've got kids or you're a teacher David's done one for kids. He has put some of his best work into: WordBurger, a fun puzzler written for early primary-school age children. @SuzanneKing This book blurb was published by the Noosa Today 10 Aug 2017.
December 22, 2016
I wanted to like this but in the end I didn't. I'd hoped for an insight into DA's clues as I find him the most mysterious of the cryptic setters but ultimately I was a bit bored. It doesn't help to read this in a sitting. It is probably best dipped into. Problem is I didn't find myself wanting to go back to it either.
March 23, 2018
ACROSS (4) A sign that helps find the answer. DOWN (5) A suffix from Ancient Greek.
ACROSS (5) Sculpture by Michelangelo. DOWN (5) Dictionary man from SBS’s “Letters & Numbers”.
Lovers of the weekly crossword shouldn’t miss Cluetopia: The story of 100 years of the Crossword by David Astle. It’s a masterpiece to be deciphered while readers are beguiled by the history of the black and white grid of boxes that have entertained and taught puzzlers for over a century.
Each of its 100 chapters contains a hint to David’s giant crossword that is sure to stump the best. It’s also fascinating to find out in which year the words gobsmacked, blog and snorkel first appeared.
If you've enjoyed one and you've got kids or you're a teacher David's done one for kids. He has put some of his best work into: WordBurger, a fun puzzler written for early primary-school age children. @SuzanneKing This book blurb was published by the Noosa Today 10 Aug 2017.
ACROSS (5) Sculpture by Michelangelo. DOWN (5) Dictionary man from SBS’s “Letters & Numbers”.
Lovers of the weekly crossword shouldn’t miss Cluetopia: The story of 100 years of the Crossword by David Astle. It’s a masterpiece to be deciphered while readers are beguiled by the history of the black and white grid of boxes that have entertained and taught puzzlers for over a century.
Each of its 100 chapters contains a hint to David’s giant crossword that is sure to stump the best. It’s also fascinating to find out in which year the words gobsmacked, blog and snorkel first appeared.
If you've enjoyed one and you've got kids or you're a teacher David's done one for kids. He has put some of his best work into: WordBurger, a fun puzzler written for early primary-school age children. @SuzanneKing This book blurb was published by the Noosa Today 10 Aug 2017.
April 11, 2023
If you are looking for a complete history of the crossword, then you should look elsewhere. David Astle's Cluetopia is something else entirely. Here, you will find 100 stories of crosswords and crossword designers. The stories that Astle has dug up are many-faceted and fascinating, and also very well-written. So if you want a lot of fascinating crossword trivia, you should consider this book.
January 13, 2024
A treasure trove of historical tidbits about the history of crossword puzzles. I really enjoyed reading each chapter, which covered a surprisingly diverse number of topics. I can only imagine how interesting it must have been to do the research for this book. To my surprise, the final chapter made me cry. A fitting conclusion indeed.
December 6, 2018
The story of the Crossword is indeed a long and interesting one. In particular the crosswords from countries all over the world and how they've been used in art. David Astle tells the various stories in a lively and engaging way and I was drawn in.
Definitely fun reading!
Definitely fun reading!
June 12, 2014
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.
November 17, 2013
Most readers enjoy word games, and few are more challenging than a crossword. Cluetopia celebrates the 100 years since the puzzle first appeared in the New York World as a column filler on a slow news day in 1913.
This is a book for crossword fans and trivia buffs, broken down into short chapters shaped by, "a landmark crossword for every year", from Arthur Wynne's small kite shaped diagram printed in 1913,to the first crossword puzzle book published in 1924, to the crossword that unwittingly shared national secrets during wartime and the first home-grown crosswords compiled by a Brisbane mum of seven.
The facts are fascinating and the writing is surprisingly accessible. Astle has a fine sense of humour and the tone of the text is almost conversational. Cryptic crossword fans will enjoy the unusual chapter headings titled with clues like, "Mad poet mugged by banjo player sees red while eating pickles (3,4)"
Astle also provides historical context to each chapter with snippets of world events and words added to our lexicon during the period. I would have preferred these had been placed at either the beginning or the end of each chapter rather than at the bottom of the first page, which I found distracting.
Interesting and entertaining I really enjoyed Cluetopia, though I do rather wish Astle had included a few crosswords in the book, just as an added bonus.
April 18, 2014
Thoroughly enjoyable read filled with historical tid-bits and interesting anecdotes. I envisioned DA recounting these tales as he used to talk excitedly on Letters & Numbers.
September 11, 2014
All went whoosh over my head. May revisit when I'm more clued up ;).
December 8, 2014
so interesting, who'd have thought it! lost me in the odd chapter, especially the ones about other languages, but the beauty of a book like this is it doesn't matter in the big scheme of things.
October 8, 2015
A very amusing read, with odd stories from all over the place. Some more explanation on how the cryptics work would be nice for us novices though...
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews