Crossword Books

The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition (2008)
Chambers, ISBN 0-550-10289-2
The most popular single-volume dictionary for compilers of UK advanced cryptics, thanks to its large vocabulary: this results from the inclusion of historical and dialect words as well as current English; the Edinburgh-based lexicographers have preserved the many quirky words and definitions that have endeared it to solvers over the years. Chambers 2008 (the 11th Edition) is now available and includes over 1000 new words and meanings. The Chambers page on this site includes additional Chambers history and trivia.
Order Chambers 2008 Now

The Oxford Dictionary of English, Second Edition (2005 revision)
Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-861057-2
Chambers includes very few proper names, so an "encyclopaedic dictionary" like this one is a useful complement. The ODE is a departure from Oxford's traditional dictionary style, focusing on current language use. Its encyclopaedic entries include brief biographies of famous people, as well as geographical features and place names. This is the Second Edition of the dictionary formerly known as the NODE (the official reference for Channel 4's Countdown program). The 2005 revision includes neologisms such as chugger, podcast, spendy and chav.
Order Now

Collins English Dictionary, Sixth Edition (2003)
HarperCollins, ISBN 0-00-710982-2
Another popular encyclopaedic dictionary. Note that the biographical entries present in previous editions have been removed in the Sixth edition. This has allowed the editors to include more dialect words and increase the coverage of scientific and technological terms.
Order Now

The Concise Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-860864-0
Significantly smaller than Chambers, Collins and the ODE, this is less helpful for solving or compiling advanced cryptics. However, it is often recommended for compilers of daily puzzles, as a guide to what solvers might reasonably know or be able to guess when away from home.
Order Now

The Oxford English Dictionary, Compact Edition
Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-861258-3
The dictionary of last resort for compilers striving to fill a grid with exceptional constraints. The OED quotes are also helpful when clueing unfamiliar words that aren't clearly defined in the single volume dictionaries. This "Compact Edition" is the most practical version for the home library: nine pages of the original edition are reduced to a single page, allowing the complete Second Edition of the OED to fit into one volume - a magnifying glass is provided to make the very small text readable.
Order Now

Chambers Thesaurus
Chambers, ISBN 0-550-10067-9
The thesaurus of choice for puzzles using The Chambers Dictionary as the main reference. Useful for revealing misleading or more tractable synonyms when writing clues; a source of inspiration for clue solvers. The simple alphabetical listing (instead of the classification approach of Roget) is more practical for crossword solving and setting.
Order Now

The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, Sixth Edition
Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-860720-2
The quotations book favored by compilers, hence most likely to help in solving puzzles based on quotations. This edition (informally known as ODQ6) was first published in September 2004, so is bang up to date.
Order Now

Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, 17th edition
Cassell, ISBN 0-304-35783-9
The in-print edition of Dr Brewer's famous reference book - a vast range of words and expressions, plus articles on characters in ancient myths and legends, folk customs, historical people and events. There's even a surprisingly apropos article under Crossword.
Order Now

Brewer's Dictionary of Modern Phrase and Fable
Cassell, ISBN 0-304-35871-1
This version of Brewer covers Twentieth Century topics in more depth, from Beatrix Potter to Harry Potter, Fleming's Rules to Dolly the sheep. Its 8,000+ articles describe the origins and meanings of recently coined words and phrases, many of which are hard to find in other general reference books. As such, it's often useful for researching quirky or ephemeral puzzle themes.
Order Now

Chambers Biographical Dictionary
Chambers, ISBN 0-550-10051-2
The best single-volume biographical dictionary, including over 17,500 individuals - remarkably comprehensive for its size. The most prominent lives are given extra coverage in special feature panels.
Order Now

Dictionary of Literary Characters
Chambers, ISBN 0-550-10127-6
The only dictionary of fictional characters currently in print. It includes over 6500 lengthy descriptions of characters from English Fiction. This revised edition includes characters from contemporary classics such as the Harry Potter books.
Order Now

The Oxford Companion to English Literature, Sixth Edition
Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-866244-0
A useful reference for puzzles involving literary themes. Coverage of the literature of the past predominates, but the latest edition has added entries on the likes of Nick Hornby and Germaine Greer at the expense of Sir Walter Scott amongst others. The editor has admitted to a spoof entry under PYCLETIUS (ostensibly a 2nd Century magic realist).
Order Now

Greer, Brian
How to Do the "Times" Crossword
HarperCollins, ISBN 0-00-710840-0
A guide to The Times daily puzzle written by master of the cryptic clue and former crossword editor Brian Greer. The introductory chapters include a brief history of the cryptic crossword, showing how the different clue types have their roots in established forms of wordplay. Later chapters analyze the clue types in more depth with lots of examples. There is an interesting account of how The Times's unique style developed from the first puzzle in 1930 to the present day.
Order Now

Gilbert, Val
"The Daily Telegraph" How to Crack a Cryptic Crossword
Pan, ISBN 0-330-48845-7
An introduction to The Daily Telegraph puzzle written by their crossword editor Val Gilbert. Daily Telegraph puzzles are usually easier than those in the other broadsheet papers, and this book is a good place to start if you haven't tried a cryptic crossword before. 30 example crosswords are included; most of these have the definition parts of clues in bold to help readers make the transition from definition-only to cryptic puzzles.
Order Now

Manley, Don
Chambers Crossword Manual, Fourth Edition
Chambers, ISBN 0-550-10220-5
A guide to cryptic crosswords from a British perspective; the full range of cryptic crosswords in the UK is covered, from the blocked grid puzzles in daily papers to barred thematic puzzles such as the Listener Crossword. As well as giving a staged introduction to cryptics for the solver, it also shows how to go about compiling crosswords. Includes many example puzzles. The Fourth Edition was first published in 2006.
Order Now

Cox, Emily and Rathvon, Henry
The Random House Guide to Cryptic Crosswords
Times Books, ISBN 0-8129-3545-4
A guide to cryptic crosswords from a North American perspective; both "block" and "variety" cryptics are covered. A thorough and entertaining introduction for beginners is followed by a few chapters on clue-writing and diagram construction for the aspiring compiler. There's a helpful section on wordplay indicators in an appendix. Includes 65 example puzzles, 50 being variety cryptics previously published in The Atlantic Monthly.
Order Now

Crowther, Jonathan
Collins A to Z of Crosswords
HarperCollins, ISBN 0-00-722923-2
This unusual book includes biographies of the more prolific crossword setters in the UK, who are usually anonymous or only known by a pseudonym. Each setter biography is accompanied by an example crossword to illustrate their style.
Order Now

Greef, Francois
The Hidden Code of Cryptic Crosswords
Foulsham, ISBN 0-572-02778-8
A new guide to cryptic crosswords, introducing all the cryptic clueing devices and showing how to analyze clues in terms of them.
Order Now

Macnutt, D S
Ximenes on the Art of the Crossword
Swallowtail Books, ISBN 1-9034-0004-X
The classic work on cryptic crossword construction by the setter who compiled for the Observer from 1939 to 1971. Macnutt's influence is such that Ximenean is now synonymous with high standards in clueing and grid construction. The book describes the construction and clueing of blocked and barred grid puzzles in great detail and is still very relevant to today's compilers. It has recently been reissued after a long period out of print.
Order Now

Fatsis, Stefan
Word Freak
Yellow Jersey Press, ISBN 0-222-406060-0
A fascinating book about the world of competitive Scrabble by an American sports reporter who becomes obsessed with the game. Chapters on the author's own experiences alternate with ones giving historical background on the game, its inventor (Alfred Butts) and subsequent owners.
Order Now

Eckler, Ross
Making the Alphabet Dance
Pan, ISBN 0-333-90334-X
A comprehensive study of recreational wordplay from the editor of Word Ways. Covers acrostics, palindromes, anagrams, lipograms, word squares, homonyms, word worms and isograms.
Order Now

Wylie, Michael and Eadie, Damian
Countdown - Spreading The Word
Granada Media, ISBN 0-233-99976-0
A behind-the-scenes look at the popular Channel 4 game show hosted by the late Richard Whiteley (due to be succeeded by Des Lynam) and Carol Vorderman. Countdown facts and history are interspersed with example word and number games you can try for yourself. The book also highlights some of the memorable "classic games" that have been seen during the series' 20 year run.
Order Now

Chambers Words for Crosswords and Wordgames
Chambers, ISBN 0-550-10125-X
Chambers Words lists all the words and phrases in the 2003 edition of The Chambers Dictionary. The lists are classified by length, then alphabetically, and presented in a fixed width font. The book includes phrases suggested in definitions, but not in bold type in the dictionary (eg slag off and boot up). Plurals and other inflections are only included if they are irregular or have a distinct meaning (eg briefs and kangaroos).
Order Now

Bradford, Anne R
Collins Bradford's Crossword Solver's Dictionary 2005 (Sixth Edition)
HarperCollins, ISBN 0-00-720894-4
This "reverse" dictionary is the last resort of the desperate solver and is invaluable for cracking British cryptic puzzles. For example, if you were unsure what See could indicate, this book would suggest C, Ely, Lo and Spot amongst others. The contents is the result of many decades' analysis of published puzzles by a devoted solver, so it includes all the indicators that are likely to crop up in crosswords. Longer listings are classified by answer length for extra help.
Order Now

Chambers XWD: A Dictionary of Crossword Abbreviations
Chambers, ISBN 0-550-10173-X
A unique new crossword reference that offers a reverse index to the abbreviations in The Chambers Dictionary. For example, if you look up without issue, it gives SP - such indicators are very hard to find in the dictionary itself if you only know the expansion; the book includes common indirect indicators, so it also gives SP under childless. The second half of the book gives the mapping from abbreviation to expansion, which will be useful to compilers.
Order Now

Bradford, Anne R
HarperCollins, ISBN 0-00-719158-8
A comprehensive book of thematic word lists. Over 500 subjects are covered from the obvious (birds, first names, poets, etc) to the comparatively obscure (muscles, soft drinks, huts, etc). Within each subject, the lists are classified by length and then alphabetically. This book is equally valuable to the compiler, as a source for themes or additional theme words.
Order Now

Chambers Crossword Dictionary, Second Edition
Chambers, ISBN 0-550-10081-4
This comprehensive reverse dictionary from the Chambers team makes another handy cheat book for solvers in need of inspiration. Unlike some crossword dictionaries, the various answers for each indicator word are classified by length; as you often know an answer length exactly or approximately, this helps narrow down the possiblities quickly. Extensive entries for categories of proper names (composers, ports, etc.) to some extent replace the need for the no longer available Chambers Word Lists and Word File. Tim Moorey (Owzat), Jonathan Crowther (Azed) and Don Manley (Duck) provide introductory articles.
Order Now

The Listener Crossword
Times Books, ISBN 0-00-714632-9
60 examples of "The World's Most Difficult Crossword" - themed cryptic puzzles originally published in The Times between 1991 and 1995. This is the first collection of Listener crosswords since 1980 and makes an excellent introduction to the world of thematic cryptics. It includes outstanding examples from compilers such as Sabre, Dimitry, Ploutos, Piccadilly, Apex, Mass and many others.
Order Now

Chambers Book of Azed Crosswords
Chambers, ISBN 0-550-10192-6
Using the pseudonym Azed, Jonathan Crowther compiles the cryptic crossword in The Observer, following in the tradition of his predecessor Ximenes. This is the first Azed collection for many years and features 100 puzzles originally published between 1981 and 2001, including 15 thematic crosswords. In competition puzzles, the clues awarded the first prize have been used in place of the original definition.
Order Now

Araucaria
Monkey Puzzles
Guardian Books, ISBN 1-843-54004-5
John Graham, perhaps better known as Araucaria is the most famous setter for The Guardian newspaper. This collection features 100 of his cryptic crosswords starting with his first puzzle which appeared in 1958.
Order Now

Dexter, Colin
Chambers Book of "Morse" Crosswords
Chambers, ISBN 0-550-10279-5
100 cryptic crosswords by author Colin Dexter originally published in The Oxford Times using the pseudonym Codex. The book also includes a brand-new Morse-themed crossword.
Order Now

Chambers "The Independent" Weekend Crosswords
Chambers, ISBN 0-550-10177-2
70 thematic cryptic crosswords from the The Independent's Saturday magazine. The puzzles were originally published between 1999 and 2001 and were compiled by setters such as Monk, Phi, Samson and Corylus. This is the first collection of such puzzles for a few years.
Order Now

The "Sunday Times" Mephisto Crossword
HarperCollins, ISBN 0-00-716533-1
50 cryptic crosswords from the Mephisto series in The Sunday Times. Mephisto puzzles are unthemed cryptic crosswords based on barred grids.
Order Now

Araucaria
Chambers Book of Araucaria Crosswords Volume 2
Chambers, ISBN 0-550-10195-0
100 Araucaria puzzles first published in 1 Across magazine. The collection includes alphabetical jigsaws and perimetrical jigsaws, plus lots of other puzzles with a variety of styles and themes.
Order Now

Jones, Peter & Dare-Plumpton, David
Latin Crosswords
Constable and Robinson Ltd, ISBN 1-84119-113-2
A collection of fifty crosswords with classical themes by Plausus of the Listener. Clues are in English, answers in Latin. The puzzles are graded from facillimum to difficillimum.
Order Now

Lamford, Paul & Laws, Mike
Improve Your Game - 50 Crossword Puzzles
Chameleon Books, ISBN 0-233-99728-8
Paul Lamford (Gap) and Mike Laws (Yorick, Jude, Fawley et al) get together to present this book on crosswords in the "Improve your Game" series. All the puzzles are thematic: Lamford's are based on blocked grids; Laws's range from blocked diagrams to barred ones, including familiar formats such as Eightsome Reels and some novel ones.
Order Now

Johnson, Tom
The Spectator Book of Crosswords
Pan, ISBN 0-330-48134-7
The Spectator started publishing thematic crosswords based on barred grids in 1971. This is a selection of the 100 best puzzles they have published since that time - from those by the original compiler Jac, through to puzzles representative of the current compiler team (Doc, Columba, Dumpynose and Ascot). Mass (now retired) is represented by several puzzles including three based on circular grids.
Order Now

Laws, Mike
"The Times" Crossword Book 7
HarperCollins, ISBN 0-00-716538-2
80 examples of "The World's Most Famous Crossword" - daily puzzles appearing in The Times, introduced by editor Mike Laws. This volume includes puzzles first published between July and December 2001.
Order Now

Laws, Mike
The "Times" Jumbo Cryptic Crossword Book 5
HarperCollins, ISBN 0-00-71463-1-0
50 jumbo cryptic crosswords from The Times, introduced by editor Mike Laws. This volume includes puzzles 178-227 (which appeared between August 1998 and May 1999). The series is being anthologized in full.
Order Now

The "Daily Telegraph" Cryptic Crossword Book 46
Pan, ISBN 0-330-49211-X
80 daily puzzles published in The Daily Telegraph. These crosswords are usually easier than those in The Times and make a good introduction to cryptic puzzles.
Order Now