Crossword Puzzles at 100: From Paper to Digital

In his book, The Curious History of the Crossword - 100 Puzzles From Then and Now, published in November 2013, author Ben Tausig describes the history of the crossword, from journalist Arthur Wynne's first puzzle published in the New York World newspaper on 21 December, 1913 to today’s puzzles, increasingly being found on digital devices such as desktop computers, mobile computers, tablets and smartphones. According to Tausig, "Crosswords are still very popular around the world in printed form, but more and more, puzzle fans are turning to digital puzzles to tackle." (Source: eWeek.com)

Starting Cryptic Crosswords with Puns and Anagram

In her post titled "Variety: Puns and Anagrams" posted on Wordplay, the crossword blog of The New York Times, Deb Amlen explains how if you’re not used to doing cryptic crossword puzzles then a great way to get started is by solving Puns and Anagrams. However, unlike cryptic crosswords which are solved using a set of fairly standard or strict "rules", anything is fair game in Puns and Anagrams. While this is true, this explanation by Mel Taub on solving Puns and Anagrams and some of the devices used in them may be helpful.