This is a book that time has passed by. There are seventeen pages of terse "rules" one should follow when creating a crossword. Included are such helpful tips as using a "one-time ribbon" on your typewriter to get the best results, and "the solution must be the correct answer for the clue." There are very few examples of cluing given. There's a short history and bibliography of reference books (heavily weighted towards UK puzzles, as this book was published there). But then the rest of the book -- some one-hundred-plus unnumbered pages -- are filled with blank puzzle grids of all designs. There's no indication that many publishers can't use odd-sized grids, although the constructor is encouraged to ask for a style sheet before submitting. There's a tiny paragraph that suggests using a theme in your puzzles -- by the early 1980s, that was becoming more of a requirement, and is now considered almost mandatory.

I paid a dollar for my copy, and I still feel that was way too much. Aspiring constructors should hunt down the now out-of-print Random House Puzzlemaker's Handbook or Crossword Puzzle Challenges For Dummies (good news: Patrick Berry has a revised e-book, now called Crossword Constructor's Handbook, available on his web site).

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LT Haiku:

Now out-of-date guide
on writing crossword puzzles;
better books exist. ( )