A fun way to learn some Spanish words, 12 Aug 2007
This is a little book of 25 Spanish crossword puzzles. Maybe puzzle isn't quite the right word here as each puzzle only consists of around six words! Still, it's only easy if you know all the words. You're likely to pick up some useful vocabulary even if you are an intermediate student as I could only manage to finish two puzzles unaided out of the 25. There's a list of the 150 Spanish words used at the back of the book and the solutions. I used to do a puzzle each day and found it sort of amusing. If you get bored with the puzzles, then you can always colour in the pictorial clues. Plus it's dirt cheap. Recommended.

A fun way to learn some Spanish words, 12 Aug 2007
This is a little book of 25 Spanish crossword puzzles. Maybe puzzle isn't quite the right word here as each puzzle only consists of around six words! Still, it's only easy if you know all the words. You're likely to pick up some useful vocabulary even if you are an intermediate student as I could only manage to finish two puzzles unaided out of the 25. There's a list of the 150 Spanish words used at the back of the book and the solutions. I used to do a puzzle each day and found it sort of amusing. If you get bored with the puzzles, then you can always colour in the pictorial clues. Plus it's dirt cheap. Recommended.


A Wide Variety of Australian culture & history, 01 Jul 2008
The author give us many short and lively factual bits on Australia's culture, history and natural features. He covers everyone from Paul Hogan (Crocodile Dundee movies) to Ned Kelly (Victorian-era hero/outlaw whose colorful life was told in 3 movies - one starring the late Heath Ledger). Kangaroos, deadly snakes & insects, fave sports like soccer and cricket, and the ancient aborigines are all featured in this armchair tour of the Outback country visited by Mark Twain in 1897.

A fun way to learn some Spanish words, 12 Aug 2007
This is a little book of 25 Spanish crossword puzzles. Maybe puzzle isn't quite the right word here as each puzzle only consists of around six words! Still, it's only easy if you know all the words. You're likely to pick up some useful vocabulary even if you are an intermediate student as I could only manage to finish two puzzles unaided out of the 25. There's a list of the 150 Spanish words used at the back of the book and the solutions. I used to do a puzzle each day and found it sort of amusing. If you get bored with the puzzles, then you can always colour in the pictorial clues. Plus it's dirt cheap. Recommended.


A Wide Variety of Australian culture & history, 01 Jul 2008
The author give us many short and lively factual bits on Australia's culture, history and natural features. He covers everyone from Paul Hogan (Crocodile Dundee movies) to Ned Kelly (Victorian-era hero/outlaw whose colorful life was told in 3 movies - one starring the late Heath Ledger). Kangaroos, deadly snakes & insects, fave sports like soccer and cricket, and the ancient aborigines are all featured in this armchair tour of the Outback country visited by Mark Twain in 1897.

Bradford's Crossword Lists, 09 Sep 2007
I was very disappointed with this book. The very first thing I wanted to look up was "4-letter reddish colours" but there wasn't a heading of "colours" so I tried "shades" but still with no luck. I then had to scour the entire index and eventually found it in the R's under Shades of red.

Likewise, Boys' Names are under F ?? Yes, they're under "First Names" !!

I now have an index full of my scribbles on where to find everything!!

the best thing in my life, 17 May 2007
i owned an old copy of this itle picked up at a boot sale, when i saw this advertised on amazon i could not wait to receive my copy, it fulfilled all my expectations. for any crucivebalist this is the holy grail, come on araucaria, paul, et al we can solve even the most difficult now. my only wish is that we could have an e-book please!!

Bradford's crossword solver dictionary gem edition, 11 Mar 2005
I bought this not realising this was the gem version and have subsequently bought the full size version.

The full size version costs more but contains loads more definitions and word lists and is in my opinion much better value. The only reason I would buy this again, would be to have as a portable maybe.

Wouldn't be without it, 23 Oct 2003
Bradfords is my Bible, and I seem to tear apart every edition that comes out. It's an absolute godsend for helping me with the really difficult general knowledge clues. My only qualification is that the pages become loose very easily, so I have to resort to sellotape. A stronger binding on the spine would be appreciated!!!

Very useful book, 13 Dec 2001
I find this book useful as a reference work and I do not even do crosswords.

A fun way to learn some Spanish words, 12 Aug 2007
This is a little book of 25 Spanish crossword puzzles. Maybe puzzle isn't quite the right word here as each puzzle only consists of around six words! Still, it's only easy if you know all the words. You're likely to pick up some useful vocabulary even if you are an intermediate student as I could only manage to finish two puzzles unaided out of the 25. There's a list of the 150 Spanish words used at the back of the book and the solutions. I used to do a puzzle each day and found it sort of amusing. If you get bored with the puzzles, then you can always colour in the pictorial clues. Plus it's dirt cheap. Recommended.


A Wide Variety of Australian culture & history, 01 Jul 2008
The author give us many short and lively factual bits on Australia's culture, history and natural features. He covers everyone from Paul Hogan (Crocodile Dundee movies) to Ned Kelly (Victorian-era hero/outlaw whose colorful life was told in 3 movies - one starring the late Heath Ledger). Kangaroos, deadly snakes & insects, fave sports like soccer and cricket, and the ancient aborigines are all featured in this armchair tour of the Outback country visited by Mark Twain in 1897.

Bradford's Crossword Lists, 09 Sep 2007
I was very disappointed with this book. The very first thing I wanted to look up was "4-letter reddish colours" but there wasn't a heading of "colours" so I tried "shades" but still with no luck. I then had to scour the entire index and eventually found it in the R's under Shades of red.

Likewise, Boys' Names are under F ?? Yes, they're under "First Names" !!

I now have an index full of my scribbles on where to find everything!!

the best thing in my life, 17 May 2007
i owned an old copy of this itle picked up at a boot sale, when i saw this advertised on amazon i could not wait to receive my copy, it fulfilled all my expectations. for any crucivebalist this is the holy grail, come on araucaria, paul, et al we can solve even the most difficult now. my only wish is that we could have an e-book please!!

Bradford's crossword solver dictionary gem edition, 11 Mar 2005
I bought this not realising this was the gem version and have subsequently bought the full size version.

The full size version costs more but contains loads more definitions and word lists and is in my opinion much better value. The only reason I would buy this again, would be to have as a portable maybe.

Wouldn't be without it, 23 Oct 2003
Bradfords is my Bible, and I seem to tear apart every edition that comes out. It's an absolute godsend for helping me with the really difficult general knowledge clues. My only qualification is that the pages become loose very easily, so I have to resort to sellotape. A stronger binding on the spine would be appreciated!!!

Very useful book, 13 Dec 2001
I find this book useful as a reference work and I do not even do crosswords.

A Book For All Occasions, 10 Oct 2006
This book was an enjoyable read. It was a nice, light paperback that could be picked up to fill in a few minutes at the end of a period of study or used to wind down after a hard days work. It showed the underlying maths in everyday problems and although it had some slow parts, the chapters were short enough to have a nice taste of the mathematical side of life without getting too deep in formulae and theories. I especially enjoyed the chapters on game show decisions and also about conmen and what they dream up. All in all, if you are looking for something light and non-taxing but something that broadens your understandings of practical maths, then this book is for you. However, for something challenging and highly mathematical based, another read would be fitting.

Entertaining for all, 01 May 2006
I AM a mathematician and had come across a few of the things in far more detail in other books before - which I'd also liked. Seeing these and other nuggets in this lighter book was great - I'm now re-reading bits, and am buying a copy for my dear old mum (who claims to be not at all mathematical but liked the look of it when she visited).

Thoroughly entertaining book, 09 May 2003
I thought this was an excllent book - full of interesting real-life situations and the maths that you never knew underpinned them. I particularly liked the chapter on karaoke singers and the maths behind 'in-tune' or 'out of tune' music.

Stimulating, wide-ranging and entertaining, 26 Mar 2003
As somebody who hasn't seriously touched any maths since my A level 20 years ago, I found this book a fascinating read. The chapters on music particularly interest me, and like other chapters they bring out ideas that I have not come across before. If you want complex maths, there are thousands of books that provide enough challenge - face it, you just have to look at ANY maths textbook for students. This book is surely not aiming at the people who want books like that. If you are like me, you are curious about the maths of everyday life but aren't particularly interested in sweating your way through algebraic proofs that can often get in the way of the seeing bigger picture. I wanted a book about maths that was fun, thought-provoking and readable, and for me this book is just right.

Too simple, 11 Mar 2003
This book has been rated too high so far in my opinion by other customers. I am a self taught mathematics fan and consider this book as hardly chalenging at all, which is one of the things that makes mathematics attractive to me. Whenever the authors (which isn't very often) decide to put things into formulae, they don't even explain where they come from. It is entertaining to read, however, but I would say the book should be recomended to people whose main interests lie within the humanities or for highschool teenagers, certainly not for adults with a background in mathematics.

A fun way to learn some Spanish words, 12 Aug 2007
This is a little book of 25 Spanish crossword puzzles. Maybe puzzle isn't quite the right word here as each puzzle only consists of around six words! Still, it's only easy if you know all the words. You're likely to pick up some useful vocabulary even if you are an intermediate student as I could only manage to finish two puzzles unaided out of the 25. There's a list of the 150 Spanish words used at the back of the book and the solutions. I used to do a puzzle each day and found it sort of amusing. If you get bored with the puzzles, then you can always colour in the pictorial clues. Plus it's dirt cheap. Recommended.


A Wide Variety of Australian culture & history, 01 Jul 2008
The author give us many short and lively factual bits on Australia's culture, history and natural features. He covers everyone from Paul Hogan (Crocodile Dundee movies) to Ned Kelly (Victorian-era hero/outlaw whose colorful life was told in 3 movies - one starring the late Heath Ledger). Kangaroos, deadly snakes & insects, fave sports like soccer and cricket, and the ancient aborigines are all featured in this armchair tour of the Outback country visited by Mark Twain in 1897.

Bradford's Crossword Lists, 09 Sep 2007
I was very disappointed with this book. The very first thing I wanted to look up was "4-letter reddish colours" but there wasn't a heading of "colours" so I tried "shades" but still with no luck. I then had to scour the entire index and eventually found it in the R's under Shades of red.

Likewise, Boys' Names are under F ?? Yes, they're under "First Names" !!

I now have an index full of my scribbles on where to find everything!!

the best thing in my life, 17 May 2007
i owned an old copy of this itle picked up at a boot sale, when i saw this advertised on amazon i could not wait to receive my copy, it fulfilled all my expectations. for any crucivebalist this is the holy grail, come on araucaria, paul, et al we can solve even the most difficult now. my only wish is that we could have an e-book please!!

Bradford's crossword solver dictionary gem edition, 11 Mar 2005
I bought this not realising this was the gem version and have subsequently bought the full size version.

The full size version costs more but contains loads more definitions and word lists and is in my opinion much better value. The only reason I would buy this again, would be to have as a portable maybe.

Wouldn't be without it, 23 Oct 2003
Bradfords is my Bible, and I seem to tear apart every edition that comes out. It's an absolute godsend for helping me with the really difficult general knowledge clues. My only qualification is that the pages become loose very easily, so I have to resort to sellotape. A stronger binding on the spine would be appreciated!!!

Very useful book, 13 Dec 2001
I find this book useful as a reference work and I do not even do crosswords.

A Book For All Occasions, 10 Oct 2006
This book was an enjoyable read. It was a nice, light paperback that could be picked up to fill in a few minutes at the end of a period of study or used to wind down after a hard days work. It showed the underlying maths in everyday problems and although it had some slow parts, the chapters were short enough to have a nice taste of the mathematical side of life without getting too deep in formulae and theories. I especially enjoyed the chapters on game show decisions and also about conmen and what they dream up. All in all, if you are looking for something light and non-taxing but something that broadens your understandings of practical maths, then this book is for you. However, for something challenging and highly mathematical based, another read would be fitting.

Entertaining for all, 01 May 2006
I AM a mathematician and had come across a few of the things in far more detail in other books before - which I'd also liked. Seeing these and other nuggets in this lighter book was great - I'm now re-reading bits, and am buying a copy for my dear old mum (who claims to be not at all mathematical but liked the look of it when she visited).

Thoroughly entertaining book, 09 May 2003
I thought this was an excllent book - full of interesting real-life situations and the maths that you never knew underpinned them. I particularly liked the chapter on karaoke singers and the maths behind 'in-tune' or 'out of tune' music.

Stimulating, wide-ranging and entertaining, 26 Mar 2003
As somebody who hasn't seriously touched any maths since my A level 20 years ago, I found this book a fascinating read. The chapters on music particularly interest me, and like other chapters they bring out ideas that I have not come across before. If you want complex maths, there are thousands of books that provide enough challenge - face it, you just have to look at ANY maths textbook for students. This book is surely not aiming at the people who want books like that. If you are like me, you are curious about the maths of everyday life but aren't particularly interested in sweating your way through algebraic proofs that can often get in the way of the seeing bigger picture. I wanted a book about maths that was fun, thought-provoking and readable, and for me this book is just right.

Too simple, 11 Mar 2003
This book has been rated too high so far in my opinion by other customers. I am a self taught mathematics fan and consider this book as hardly chalenging at all, which is one of the things that makes mathematics attractive to me. Whenever the authors (which isn't very often) decide to put things into formulae, they don't even explain where they come from. It is entertaining to read, however, but I would say the book should be recomended to people whose main interests lie within the humanities or for highschool teenagers, certainly not for adults with a background in mathematics.

More to these "simple" puzzles than meets the eye, 03 Jul 2008
In a country where the famous crosswords are cryptic ones, "plain definition" puzzles tend to be overlooked, and solvers tend to think that they're dashed off by the setters as bits of hack work. The fact that people like me brag about solving many of them in under 2 minutes doesn't help. But even expert cryptic solvers can learn a few things by solving T2 puzzles.

John Grimshaw, who writes all of these puzzles, takes trouble to make his clues fair, and often includes subtle things in the grid which you may or may not be able to spot. Look at things like pairs of answers in the same row or column, rows or columns of unchecked letters, or patterns made by the positions of letters in the grid - you might see the As making a big letter A for example. Or your challenge may be to sort out the right set of answers to identical clues for five different words.

A fun way to learn some Spanish words, 12 Aug 2007
This is a little book of 25 Spanish crossword puzzles. Maybe puzzle isn't quite the right word here as each puzzle only consists of around six words! Still, it's only easy if you know all the words. You're likely to pick up some useful vocabulary even if you are an intermediate student as I could only manage to finish two puzzles unaided out of the 25. There's a list of the 150 Spanish words used at the back of the book and the solutions. I used to do a puzzle each day and found it sort of amusing. If you get bored with the puzzles, then you can always colour in the pictorial clues. Plus it's dirt cheap. Recommended.


A Wide Variety of Australian culture & history, 01 Jul 2008
The author give us many short and lively factual bits on Australia's culture, history and natural features. He covers everyone from Paul Hogan (Crocodile Dundee movies) to Ned Kelly (Victorian-era hero/outlaw whose colorful life was told in 3 movies - one starring the late Heath Ledger). Kangaroos, deadly snakes & insects, fave sports like soccer and cricket, and the ancient aborigines are all featured in this armchair tour of the Outback country visited by Mark Twain in 1897.

Bradford's Crossword Lists, 09 Sep 2007
I was very disappointed with this book. The very first thing I wanted to look up was "4-letter reddish colours" but there wasn't a heading of "colours" so I tried "shades" but still with no luck. I then had to scour the entire index and eventually found it in the R's under Shades of red.

Likewise, Boys' Names are under F ?? Yes, they're under "First Names" !!

I now have an index full of my scribbles on where to find everything!!

the best thing in my life, 17 May 2007
i owned an old copy of this itle picked up at a boot sale, when i saw this advertised on amazon i could not wait to receive my copy, it fulfilled all my expectations. for any crucivebalist this is the holy grail, come on araucaria, paul, et al we can solve even the most difficult now. my only wish is that we could have an e-book please!!

Bradford's crossword solver dictionary gem edition, 11 Mar 2005
I bought this not realising this was the gem version and have subsequently bought the full size version.

The full size version costs more but contains loads more definitions and word lists and is in my opinion much better value. The only reason I would buy this again, would be to have as a portable maybe.

Wouldn't be without it, 23 Oct 2003
Bradfords is my Bible, and I seem to tear apart every edition that comes out. It's an absolute godsend for helping me with the really difficult general knowledge clues. My only qualification is that the pages become loose very easily, so I have to resort to sellotape. A stronger binding on the spine would be appreciated!!!

Very useful book, 13 Dec 2001
I find this book useful as a reference work and I do not even do crosswords.

A Book For All Occasions, 10 Oct 2006
This book was an enjoyable read. It was a nice, light paperback that could be picked up to fill in a few minutes at the end of a period of study or used to wind down after a hard days work. It showed the underlying maths in everyday problems and although it had some slow parts, the chapters were short enough to have a nice taste of the mathematical side of life without getting too deep in formulae and theories. I especially enjoyed the chapters on game show decisions and also about conmen and what they dream up. All in all, if you are looking for something light and non-taxing but something that broadens your understandings of practical maths, then this book is for you. However, for something challenging and highly mathematical based, another read would be fitting.

Entertaining for all, 01 May 2006
I AM a mathematician and had come across a few of the things in far more detail in other books before - which I'd also liked. Seeing these and other nuggets in this lighter book was great - I'm now re-reading bits, and am buying a copy for my dear old mum (who claims to be not at all mathematical but liked the look of it when she visited).

Thoroughly entertaining book, 09 May 2003
I thought this was an excllent book - full of interesting real-life situations and the maths that you never knew underpinned them. I particularly liked the chapter on karaoke singers and the maths behind 'in-tune' or 'out of tune' music.

Stimulating, wide-ranging and entertaining, 26 Mar 2003
As somebody who hasn't seriously touched any maths since my A level 20 years ago, I found this book a fascinating read. The chapters on music particularly interest me, and like other chapters they bring out ideas that I have not come across before. If you want complex maths, there are thousands of books that provide enough challenge - face it, you just have to look at ANY maths textbook for students. This book is surely not aiming at the people who want books like that. If you are like me, you are curious about the maths of everyday life but aren't particularly interested in sweating your way through algebraic proofs that can often get in the way of the seeing bigger picture. I wanted a book about maths that was fun, thought-provoking and readable, and for me this book is just right.

Too simple, 11 Mar 2003
This book has been rated too high so far in my opinion by other customers. I am a self taught mathematics fan and consider this book as hardly chalenging at all, which is one of the things that makes mathematics attractive to me. Whenever the authors (which isn't very often) decide to put things into formulae, they don't even explain where they come from. It is entertaining to read, however, but I would say the book should be recomended to people whose main interests lie within the humanities or for highschool teenagers, certainly not for adults with a background in mathematics.

More to these "simple" puzzles than meets the eye, 03 Jul 2008
In a country where the famous crosswords are cryptic ones, "plain definition" puzzles tend to be overlooked, and solvers tend to think that they're dashed off by the setters as bits of hack work. The fact that people like me brag about solving many of them in under 2 minutes doesn't help. But even expert cryptic solvers can learn a few things by solving T2 puzzles.

John Grimshaw, who writes all of these puzzles, takes trouble to make his clues fair, and often includes subtle things in the grid which you may or may not be able to spot. Look at things like pairs of answers in the same row or column, rows or columns of unchecked letters, or patterns made by the positions of letters in the grid - you might see the As making a big letter A for example. Or your challenge may be to sort out the right set of answers to identical clues for five different words.

A good set of puzzles for a sensible price, 16 May 2008
This is a niche product - if you prefer codeword to sudoku then this is a good investment for the bottom of he bag to help fill time when the train is (again!) delayed on the journey home.

Absorbing and entertaining, 27 Mar 2008
This book kept my husband amused from Xmas till Easter on journeys and any spare moments.
Try a codeword in the Telegraph first, and if it suits you'll love this book.

A fun way to learn some Spanish words, 12 Aug 2007
This is a little book of 25 Spanish crossword puzzles. Maybe puzzle isn't quite the right word here as each puzzle only consists of around six words! Still, it's only easy if you know all the words. You're likely to pick up some useful vocabulary even if you are an intermediate student as I could only manage to finish two puzzles unaided out of the 25. There's a list of the 150 Spanish words used at the back of the book and the solutions. I used to do a puzzle each day and found it sort of amusing. If you get bored with the puzzles, then you can always colour in the pictorial clues. Plus it's dirt cheap. Recommended.


A Wide Variety of Australian culture & history, 01 Jul 2008
The author give us many short and lively factual bits on Australia's culture, history and natural features. He covers everyone from Paul Hogan (Crocodile Dundee movies) to Ned Kelly (Victorian-era hero/outlaw whose colorful life was told in 3 movies - one starring the late Heath Ledger). Kangaroos, deadly snakes & insects, fave sports like soccer and cricket, and the ancient aborigines are all featured in this armchair tour of the Outback country visited by Mark Twain in 1897.

Bradford's Crossword Lists, 09 Sep 2007
I was very disappointed with this book. The very first thing I wanted to look up was "4-letter reddish colours" but there wasn't a heading of "colours" so I tried "shades" but still with no luck. I then had to scour the entire index and eventually found it in the R's under Shades of red.

Likewise, Boys' Names are under F ?? Yes, they're under "First Names" !!

I now have an index full of my scribbles on where to find everything!!

the best thing in my life, 17 May 2007
i owned an old copy of this itle picked up at a boot sale, when i saw this advertised on amazon i could not wait to receive my copy, it fulfilled all my expectations. for any crucivebalist this is the holy grail, come on araucaria, paul, et al we can solve even the most difficult now. my only wish is that we could have an e-book please!!

Bradford's crossword solver dictionary gem edition, 11 Mar 2005
I bought this not realising this was the gem version and have subsequently bought the full size version.

The full size version costs more but contains loads more definitions and word lists and is in my opinion much better value. The only reason I would buy this again, would be to have as a portable maybe.

Wouldn't be without it, 23 Oct 2003
Bradfords is my Bible, and I seem to tear apart every edition that comes out. It's an absolute godsend for helping me with the really difficult general knowledge clues. My only qualification is that the pages become loose very easily, so I have to resort to sellotape. A stronger binding on the spine would be appreciated!!!

Very useful book, 13 Dec 2001
I find this book useful as a reference work and I do not even do crosswords.

A Book For All Occasions, 10 Oct 2006
This book was an enjoyable read. It was a nice, light paperback that could be picked up to fill in a few minutes at the end of a period of study or used to wind down after a hard days work. It showed the underlying maths in everyday problems and although it had some slow parts, the chapters were short enough to have a nice taste of the mathematical side of life without getting too deep in formulae and theories. I especially enjoyed the chapters on game show decisions and also about conmen and what they dream up. All in all, if you are looking for something light and non-taxing but something that broadens your understandings of practical maths, then this book is for you. However, for something challenging and highly mathematical based, another read would be fitting.

Entertaining for all, 01 May 2006
I AM a mathematician and had come across a few of the things in far more detail in other books before - which I'd also liked. Seeing these and other nuggets in this lighter book was great - I'm now re-reading bits, and am buying a copy for my dear old mum (who claims to be not at all mathematical but liked the look of it when she visited).

Thoroughly entertaining book, 09 May 2003
I thought this was an excllent book - full of interesting real-life situations and the maths that you never knew underpinned them. I particularly liked the chapter on karaoke singers and the maths behind 'in-tune' or 'out of tune' music.

Stimulating, wide-ranging and entertaining, 26 Mar 2003
As somebody who hasn't seriously touched any maths since my A level 20 years ago, I found this book a fascinating read. The chapters on music particularly interest me, and like other chapters they bring out ideas that I have not come across before. If you want complex maths, there are thousands of books that provide enough challenge - face it, you just have to look at ANY maths textbook for students. This book is surely not aiming at the people who want books like that. If you are like me, you are curious about the maths of everyday life but aren't particularly interested in sweating your way through algebraic proofs that can often get in the way of the seeing bigger picture. I wanted a book about maths that was fun, thought-provoking and readable, and for me this book is just right.

Too simple, 11 Mar 2003
This book has been rated too high so far in my opinion by other customers. I am a self taught mathematics fan and consider this book as hardly chalenging at all, which is one of the things that makes mathematics attractive to me. Whenever the authors (which isn't very often) decide to put things into formulae, they don't even explain where they come from. It is entertaining to read, however, but I would say the book should be recomended to people whose main interests lie within the humanities or for highschool teenagers, certainly not for adults with a background in mathematics.

More to these "simple" puzzles than meets the eye, 03 Jul 2008
In a country where the famous crosswords are cryptic ones, "plain definition" puzzles tend to be overlooked, and solvers tend to think that they're dashed off by the setters as bits of hack work. The fact that people like me brag about solving many of them in under 2 minutes doesn't help. But even expert cryptic solvers can learn a few things by solving T2 puzzles.

John Grimshaw, who writes all of these puzzles, takes trouble to make his clues fair, and often includes subtle things in the grid which you may or may not be able to spot. Look at things like pairs of answers in the same row or column, rows or columns of unchecked letters, or patterns made by the positions of letters in the grid - you might see the As making a big letter A for example. Or your challenge may be to sort out the right set of answers to identical clues for five different words.

A good set of puzzles for a sensible price, 16 May 2008
This is a niche product - if you prefer codeword to sudoku then this is a good investment for the bottom of he bag to help fill time when the train is (again!) delayed on the journey home.

Absorbing and entertaining, 27 Mar 2008
This book kept my husband amused from Xmas till Easter on journeys and any spare moments.
Try a codeword in the Telegraph first, and if it suits you'll love this book.

Bradford's Crossword Lists, 09 Sep 2007
I was very disappointed with this book. The very first thing I wanted to look up was "4-letter reddish colours" but there wasn't a heading of "colours" so I tried "shades" but still with no luck. I then had to scour the entire index and eventually found it in the R's under Shades of red.

Likewise, Boys' Names are under F ?? Yes, they're under "First Names" !!

I now have an index full of my scribbles on where to find everything!!

the best thing in my life, 17 May 2007
i owned an old copy of this itle picked up at a boot sale, when i saw this advertised on amazon i could not wait to receive my copy, it fulfilled all my expectations. for any crucivebalist this is the holy grail, come on araucaria, paul, et al we can solve even the most difficult now. my only wish is that we could have an e-book please!!

Bradford's crossword solver dictionary gem edition, 11 Mar 2005
I bought this not realising this was the gem version and have subsequently bought the full size version.

The full size version costs more but contains loads more definitions and word lists and is in my opinion much better value. The only reason I would buy this again, would be to have as a portable maybe.

Wouldn't be without it, 23 Oct 2003
Bradfords is my Bible, and I seem to tear apart every edition that comes out. It's an absolute godsend for helping me with the really difficult general knowledge clues. My only qualification is that the pages become loose very easily, so I have to resort to sellotape. A stronger binding on the spine would be appreciated!!!

Very useful book, 13 Dec 2001
I find this book useful as a reference work and I do not even do crosswords.

A fun way to learn some Spanish words, 12 Aug 2007
This is a little book of 25 Spanish crossword puzzles. Maybe puzzle isn't quite the right word here as each puzzle only consists of around six words! Still, it's only easy if you know all the words. You're likely to pick up some useful vocabulary even if you are an intermediate student as I could only manage to finish two puzzles unaided out of the 25. There's a list of the 150 Spanish words used at the back of the book and the solutions. I used to do a puzzle each day and found it sort of amusing. If you get bored with the puzzles, then you can always colour in the pictorial clues. Plus it's dirt cheap. Recommended.


A Wide Variety of Australian culture & history, 01 Jul 2008
The author give us many short and lively factual bits on Australia's culture, history and natural features. He covers everyone from Paul Hogan (Crocodile Dundee movies) to Ned Kelly (Victorian-era hero/outlaw whose colorful life was told in 3 movies - one starring the late Heath Ledger). Kangaroos, deadly snakes & insects, fave sports like soccer and cricket, and the ancient aborigines are all featured in this armchair tour of the Outback country visited by Mark Twain in 1897.

Bradford's Crossword Lists, 09 Sep 2007
I was very disappointed with this book. The very first thing I wanted to look up was "4-letter reddish colours" but there wasn't a heading of "colours" so I tried "shades" but still with no luck. I then had to scour the entire index and eventually found it in the R's under Shades of red.

Likewise, Boys' Names are under F ?? Yes, they're under "First Names" !!

I now have an index full of my scribbles on where to find everything!!

the best thing in my life, 17 May 2007
i owned an old copy of this itle picked up at a boot sale, when i saw this advertised on amazon i could not wait to receive my copy, it fulfilled all my expectations. for any crucivebalist this is the holy grail, come on araucaria, paul, et al we can solve even the most difficult now. my only wish is that we could have an e-book please!!

Bradford's crossword solver dictionary gem edition, 11 Mar 2005
I bought this not realising this was the gem version and have subsequently bought the full size version.

The full size version costs more but contains loads more definitions and word lists and is in my opinion much better value. The only reason I would buy this again, would be to have as a portable maybe.

Wouldn't be without it, 23 Oct 2003
Bradfords is my Bible, and I seem to tear apart every edition that comes out. It's an absolute godsend for helping me with the really difficult general knowledge clues. My only qualification is that the pages become loose very easily, so I have to resort to sellotape. A stronger binding on the spine would be appreciated!!!

Very useful book, 13 Dec 2001
I find this book useful as a reference work and I do not even do crosswords.

A Book For All Occasions, 10 Oct 2006
This book was an enjoyable read. It was a nice, light paperback that could be picked up to fill in a few minutes at the end of a period of study or used to wind down after a hard days work. It showed the underlying maths in everyday problems and although it had some slow parts, the chapters were short enough to have a nice taste of the mathematical side of life without getting too deep in formulae and theories. I especially enjoyed the chapters on game show decisions and also about conmen and what they dream up. All in all, if you are looking for something light and non-taxing but something that broadens your understandings of practical maths, then this book is for you. However, for something challenging and highly mathematical based, another read would be fitting.

Entertaining for all, 01 May 2006
I AM a mathematician and had come across a few of the things in far more detail in other books before - which I'd also liked. Seeing these and other nuggets in this lighter book was great - I'm now re-reading bits, and am buying a copy for my dear old mum (who claims to be not at all mathematical but liked the look of it when she visited).

Thoroughly entertaining book, 09 May 2003
I thought this was an excllent book - full of interesting real-life situations and the maths that you never knew underpinned them. I particularly liked the chapter on karaoke singers and the maths behind 'in-tune' or 'out of tune' music.

Stimulating, wide-ranging and entertaining, 26 Mar 2003
As somebody who hasn't seriously touched any maths since my A level 20 years ago, I found this book a fascinating read. The chapters on music particularly interest me, and like other chapters they bring out ideas that I have not come across before. If you want complex maths, there are thousands of books that provide enough challenge - face it, you just have to look at ANY maths textbook for students. This book is surely not aiming at the people who want books like that. If you are like me, you are curious about the maths of everyday life but aren't particularly interested in sweating your way through algebraic proofs that can often get in the way of the seeing bigger picture. I wanted a book about maths that was fun, thought-provoking and readable, and for me this book is just right.

Too simple, 11 Mar 2003
This book has been rated too high so far in my opinion by other customers. I am a self taught mathematics fan and consider this book as hardly chalenging at all, which is one of the things that makes mathematics attractive to me. Whenever the authors (which isn't very often) decide to put things into formulae, they don't even explain where they come from. It is entertaining to read, however, but I would say the book should be recomended to people whose main interests lie within the humanities or for highschool teenagers, certainly not for adults with a background in mathematics.

More to these "simple" puzzles than meets the eye, 03 Jul 2008
In a country where the famous crosswords are cryptic ones, "plain definition" puzzles tend to be overlooked, and solvers tend to think that they're dashed off by the setters as bits of hack work. The fact that people like me brag about solving many of them in under 2 minutes doesn't help. But even expert cryptic solvers can learn a few things by solving T2 puzzles.

John Grimshaw, who writes all of these puzzles, takes trouble to make his clues fair, and often includes subtle things in the grid which you may or may not be able to spot. Look at things like pairs of answers in the same row or column, rows or columns of unchecked letters, or patterns made by the positions of letters in the grid - you might see the As making a big letter A for example. Or your challenge may be to sort out the right set of answers to identical clues for five different words.

A good set of puzzles for a sensible price, 16 May 2008
This is a niche product - if you prefer codeword to sudoku then this is a good investment for the bottom of he bag to help fill time when the train is (again!) delayed on the journey home.

Absorbing and entertaining, 27 Mar 2008
This book kept my husband amused from Xmas till Easter on journeys and any spare moments.
Try a codeword in the Telegraph first, and if it suits you'll love this book.

Bradford's Crossword Lists, 09 Sep 2007
I was very disappointed with this book. The very first thing I wanted to look up was "4-letter reddish colours" but there wasn't a heading of "colours" so I tried "shades" but still with no luck. I then had to scour the entire index and eventually found it in the R's under Shades of red.

Likewise, Boys' Names are under F ?? Yes, they're under "First Names" !!

I now have an index full of my scribbles on where to find everything!!

the best thing in my life, 17 May 2007
i owned an old copy of this itle picked up at a boot sale, when i saw this advertised on amazon i could not wait to receive my copy, it fulfilled all my expectations. for any crucivebalist this is the holy grail, come on araucaria, paul, et al we can solve even the most difficult now. my only wish is that we could have an e-book please!!

Bradford's crossword solver dictionary gem edition, 11 Mar 2005
I bought this not realising this was the gem version and have subsequently bought the full size version.

The full size version costs more but contains loads more definitions and word lists and is in my opinion much better value. The only reason I would buy this again, would be to have as a portable maybe.

Wouldn't be without it, 23 Oct 2003
Bradfords is my Bible, and I seem to tear apart every edition that comes out. It's an absolute godsend for helping me with the really difficult general knowledge clues. My only qualification is that the pages become loose very easily, so I have to resort to sellotape. A stronger binding on the spine would be appreciated!!!

Very useful book, 13 Dec 2001
I find this book useful as a reference work and I do not even do crosswords.

The "Times" Crossword : Bk. 12 (Times Crossword), 08 Jul 2008
An excellent book with cleverly constructed clues ; a joy for anyone who is reasonably competent in this area.

Great puzzles, well presented, 03 Jul 2008
Most of this review applies to any book in this series.

The crosswords are the main point of the book and the main point of a daily paper cryptic is the quality of the clues. If you're after lots of contemporary culture or thematic puzzles you won't find them here, but for entertainingly deceptive but fair clues, the Times crossword is as good as any cryptic crossword on the planet and streets ahead of many.

The 80 puzzles in each book are selected from a stated period (2004 and 2005 in this case), and the names of the compilers whose puzzles appear in the book are often listed, though individual puzzles are anonymous, as in the paper. A short introduction often discusses a particular aspect of the puzzles, like the set of grids or the anonymity of compilers, and each book includes a "beginner's guide" - a sample puzzle for which a complete explanation of the answers is given.

What's lacking, as in many crossword books, is explanations of answers. The Times puzzle sometimes uses quite difficult "general knowledge" or subtle wordplay, and it would be possible to identify some of this and add a few explanations to the solution grids.

A fun way to learn some Spanish words, 12 Aug 2007
This is a little book of 25 Spanish crossword puzzles. Maybe puzzle isn't quite the right word here as each puzzle only consists of around six words! Still, it's only easy if you know all the words. You're likely to pick up some useful vocabulary even if you are an intermediate student as I could only manage to finish two puzzles unaided out of the 25. There's a list of the 150 Spanish words used at the back of the book and the solutions. I used to do a puzzle each day and found it sort of amusing. If you get bored with the puzzles, then you can always colour in the pictorial clues. Plus it's dirt cheap. Recommended.


A Wide Variety of Australian culture & history, 01 Jul 2008
The author give us many short and lively factual bits on Australia's culture, history and natural features. He covers everyone from Paul Hogan (Crocodile Dundee movies) to Ned Kelly (Victorian-era hero/outlaw whose colorful life was told in 3 movies - one starring the late Heath Ledger). Kangaroos, deadly snakes & insects, fave sports like soccer and cricket, and the ancient aborigines are all featured in this armchair tour of the Outback country visited by Mark Twain in 1897.

Bradford's Crossword Lists, 09 Sep 2007
I was very disappointed with this book. The very first thing I wanted to look up was "4-letter reddish colours" but there wasn't a heading of "colours" so I tried "shades" but still with no luck. I then had to scour the entire index and eventually found it in the R's under Shades of red.

Likewise, Boys' Names are under F ?? Yes, they're under "First Names" !!

I now have an index full of my scribbles on where to find everything!!

the best thing in my life, 17 May 2007
i owned an old copy of this itle picked up at a boot sale, when i saw this advertised on amazon i could not wait to receive my copy, it fulfilled all my expectations. for any crucivebalist this is the holy grail, come on araucaria, paul, et al we can solve even the most difficult now. my only wish is that we could have an e-book please!!

Bradford's crossword solver dictionary gem edition, 11 Mar 2005
I bought this not realising this was the gem version and have subsequently bought the full size version.

The full size version costs more but contains loads more definitions and word lists and is in my opinion much better value. The only reason I would buy this again, would be to have as a portable maybe.

Wouldn't be without it, 23 Oct 2003
Bradfords is my Bible, and I seem to tear apart every edition that comes out. It's an absolute godsend for helping me with the really difficult general knowledge clues. My only qualification is that the pages become loose very easily, so I have to resort to sellotape. A stronger binding on the spine would be appreciated!!!

Very useful book, 13 Dec 2001
I find this book useful as a reference work and I do not even do crosswords.

A Book For All Occasions, 10 Oct 2006
This book was an enjoyable read. It was a nice, light paperback that could be picked up to fill in a few minutes at the end of a period of study or used to wind down after a hard days work. It showed the underlying maths in everyday problems and although it had some slow parts, the chapters were short enough to have a nice taste of the mathematical side of life without getting too deep in formulae and theories. I especially enjoyed the chapters on game show decisions and also about conmen and what they dream up. All in all, if you are looking for something light and non-taxing but something that broadens your understandings of practical maths, then this book is for you. However, for something challenging and highly mathematical based, another read would be fitting.

Entertaining for all, 01 May 2006
I AM a mathematician and had come across a few of the things in far more detail in other books before - which I'd also liked. Seeing these and other nuggets in this lighter book was great - I'm now re-reading bits, and am buying a copy for my dear old mum (who claims to be not at all mathematical but liked the look of it when she visited).

Thoroughly entertaining book, 09 May 2003
I thought this was an excllent book - full of interesting real-life situations and the maths that you never knew underpinned them. I particularly liked the chapter on karaoke singers and the maths behind 'in-tune' or 'out of tune' music.

Stimulating, wide-ranging and entertaining, 26 Mar 2003
As somebody who hasn't seriously touched any maths since my A level 20 years ago, I found this book a fascinating read. The chapters on music particularly interest me, and like other chapters they bring out ideas that I have not come across before. If you want complex maths, there are thousands of books that provide enough challenge - face it, you just have to look at ANY maths textbook for students. This book is surely not aiming at the people who want books like that. If you are like me, you are curious about the maths of everyday life but aren't particularly interested in sweating your way through algebraic proofs that can often get in the way of the seeing bigger picture. I wanted a book about maths that was fun, thought-provoking and readable, and for me this book is just right.

Too simple, 11 Mar 2003
This book has been rated too high so far in my opinion by other customers. I am a self taught mathematics fan and consider this book as hardly chalenging at all, which is one of the things that makes mathematics attractive to me. Whenever the authors (which isn't very often) decide to put things into formulae, they don't even explain where they come from. It is entertaining to read, however, but I would say the book should be recomended to people whose main interests lie within the humanities or for highschool teenagers, certainly not for adults with a background in mathematics.

More to these "simple" puzzles than meets the eye, 03 Jul 2008
In a country where the famous crosswords are cryptic ones, "plain definition" puzzles tend to be overlooked, and solvers tend to think that they're dashed off by the setters as bits of hack work. The fact that people like me brag about solving many of them in under 2 minutes doesn't help. But even expert cryptic solvers can learn a few things by solving T2 puzzles.

John Grimshaw, who writes all of these puzzles, takes trouble to make his clues fair, and often includes subtle things in the grid which you may or may not be able to spot. Look at things like pairs of answers in the same row or column, rows or columns of unchecked letters, or patterns made by the positions of letters in the grid - you might see the As making a big letter A for example. Or your challenge may be to sort out the right set of answers to identical clues for five different words.

A good set of puzzles for a sensible price, 16 May 2008
This is a niche product - if you prefer codeword to sudoku then this is a good investment for the bottom of he bag to help fill time when the train is (again!) delayed on the journey home.

Absorbing and entertaining, 27 Mar 2008
This book kept my husband amused from Xmas till Easter on journeys and any spare moments.
Try a codeword in the Telegraph first, and if it suits you'll love this book.

Bradford's Crossword Lists, 09 Sep 2007
I was very disappointed with this book. The very first thing I wanted to look up was "4-letter reddish colours" but there wasn't a heading of "colours" so I tried "shades" but still with no luck. I then had to scour the entire index and eventually found it in the R's under Shades of red.

Likewise, Boys' Names are under F ?? Yes, they're under "First Names" !!

I now have an index full of my scribbles on where to find everything!!

the best thing in my life, 17 May 2007
i owned an old copy of this itle picked up at a boot sale, when i saw this advertised on amazon i could not wait to receive my copy, it fulfilled all my expectations. for any crucivebalist this is the holy grail, come on araucaria, paul, et al we can solve even the most difficult now. my only wish is that we could have an e-book please!!

Bradford's crossword solver dictionary gem edition, 11 Mar 2005
I bought this not realising this was the gem version and have subsequently bought the full size version.

The full size version costs more but contains loads more definitions and word lists and is in my opinion much better value. The only reason I would buy this again, would be to have as a portable maybe.

Wouldn't be without it, 23 Oct 2003
Bradfords is my Bible, and I seem to tear apart every edition that comes out. It's an absolute godsend for helping me with the really difficult general knowledge clues. My only qualification is that the pages become loose very easily, so I have to resort to sellotape. A stronger binding on the spine would be appreciated!!!

Very useful book, 13 Dec 2001
I find this book useful as a reference work and I do not even do crosswords.

The "Times" Crossword : Bk. 12 (Times Crossword), 08 Jul 2008
An excellent book with cleverly constructed clues ; a joy for anyone who is reasonably competent in this area.

Great puzzles, well presented, 03 Jul 2008
Most of this review applies to any book in this series.

The crosswords are the main point of the book and the main point of a daily paper cryptic is the quality of the clues. If you're after lots of contemporary culture or thematic puzzles you won't find them here, but for entertainingly deceptive but fair clues, the Times crossword is as good as any cryptic crossword on the planet and streets ahead of many.

The 80 puzzles in each book are selected from a stated period (2004 and 2005 in this case), and the names of the compilers whose puzzles appear in the book are often listed, though individual puzzles are anonymous, as in the paper. A short introduction often discusses a particular aspect of the puzzles, like the set of grids or the anonymity of compilers, and each book includes a "beginner's guide" - a sample puzzle for which a complete explanation of the answers is given.

What's lacking, as in many crossword books, is explanations of answers. The Times puzzle sometimes uses quite difficult "general knowledge" or subtle wordplay, and it would be possible to identify some of this and add a few explanations to the solution grids.

I don't feel completely dense anymore..., 29 Mar 2006
A very useful book for people like me who have never attempted a cryptic crossword and wonder how on earth friends even begin to break down cryptic clues.
Thank you Kevin, I've started enjoying my bus journey in the morning now.

Lovely book (with a small caveat), 13 Jan 2005

If, like me, you find cryptic crosswords from The Independent and their ilk totally impenetrable, this great little book (written by an actual compiler) will almost certainly cut through most of the mystique.

Skinner teaches the reader his own method for recognizing the different types of clue and how to go about solving them. His explanations make the derivation of the solutions extremely logical. From knowing nothing initialy, within around ten pages I managed to complete the first practice crossword without cheating once!

Now the caveat: as Skinner (quite correctly) maintains, the best way of learning how to do crosswords is to DO CROSSWORDS, which means that the last two thirds of the book are exactly that: crosswords. Having said that, they do come with fully exploded solutions (which newspaper versions lack).

This book will let you tackle cryptic crosswords in no time at all. Definitely recommended.

An Excellent Book, 11 Nov 2003
The way this book leads you through the minefield of the different types of clue gives you the confidence and skills to have a successful attempt at a "real" cryptic crossword. A very good book for taking the interested beginner into the fascinating and totally-absorbing world of cryptic crosswords. Highly recommended.

Fantastic!, 11 Nov 2003
If you want to learn how to solve these "bizarre" crosswords, this is a very good book. What I particularly liked was that after you had been taught a certain technique, there was a whole crossword devoted to this particular type of clue. After a few chapters there was then a revision chapter and revision crosswords, covering all sorts of clues taught to that point. A brilliant introduction to solving cryptics.

A solid introduction, 23 Nov 2002
The learning curve of this book is pitched just right. Easily the best feature of the book are the sample puzzles, with answers explained on the following pages. There are 2 difficulty levels, tabloid and broadsheet, and this works well.

He explains the various tricks of the trade clearly and concisely.

Recommended.