About the Book: Across the Universe: The Past, Present, and Future of the
Crossword Puzzle
An entertaining and eye-opening look at the history of crossword puzzles, who
constructs them, and why crosswords matter as both a reflection of and influence
on our culture
"Warning: This book is highly contagious." Mary Norris, author of Between You
and Me
"A gridful of insight and pleasure."—Stefan Fatsis, bestselling author of Word
Freak and Unabridged
From Wordle to Spelling Bee, we live in a time of word game mania. Crosswords
in particular gained renewed popularity during the COVID-19 lockdown, when games
became another kind of refuge. Today, 36 million Americans