ArtView February 2016 | Page 18

A celebration of the 100th birthday of the crossword puzzle. Crosswords are not as old as you think. The first one appeared a century ago, the little square keeping in remarkable shape. Cluetopia is here to toast the centenary, whizzing you through 100 years of remarkable clues, across the world, seeking the inside stories. Come travel to New Guinea, Venezuela and Metropolis: every destination arising from a clue. Encounter love, murder, hoaxes, propaganda. Visit a Maori funeral, a Bass Strait oil-rig, a Russian game showjust some of side-trips locked inside a crossword. With almost 100 mini-chapters, each one with a clue to crack, Cluetopia is a book for word lovers and puzzle fans. You'll see how crosswords capture the life around them, from prison cells to outer space. A holiday for the head, Cluetopia is as fun, as wild and as wordy as David's previous bestseller, Puzzled. Published by Allen & Unwin Order from: www.allenandunwin.com/default.aspx?page=94&book=9781743314531