Boatman – The Second 50
I’ve just published my second collection of 50 puzzles from the Guardian – in fact, it’s 55 puzzles, as the book includes five bonus crosswords previously only available online, including the notorious Referendum Day puzzle that was able to predict the result of the UK’s vote over its membership of the European Union with complete confidence.
The book tells the story behind the development of each puzzle: how I thought of the theme, the ideas that didn’t make it into print and the odd connections that emerged afterwards. Expect talk of crosswords and coincidences, politics and particle physics. Solve extra clues and hear from solvers here and on theguardian.com who enjoyed the puzzles when they were first published.
Boatman – The Second 50 and its predecessor Boatman – The First 50 are available from all booksellers, or you can order signed copies from my online shop:
Giddying stuff, merrily exceeding the sum of its parts … Time with Boatman’s puzzles is time perfectly spent.
– Alan Connor
A Boatman crossword is like a theme park. Each daunting line is a rollercoaster that makes you throw your hands up and scream. He scares you witless. But you can’t wait to do it all over again.
– Henry Morris
I always feel a little bit smarter after I finish a Boatman puzzle, at least until I start the next one.
– Tim Dowling
Cracking crosswords – each puzzle a delightful daily workout for the brain and a welcome tonic for the soul.
– Brian Bilston
If you want a fiendish crossword, you want the best – which means you want Boatman, because he is the best.
– Gyles Brandreth
