Wht's bttr thn crsswrds? Tht's rght: crsswrds wth n vwls! At first, these challenging, but fiendishly fun, puzzles look like the usual crossword. But there's a devilish twist: you write only the consonants in the boxes, "not" the vowels. So when you look at the grid, there's no quick way to know exactly how many letters make up the right solution. Plus, because you don't need as many spaces for each word, the phrases can be longer than usual--and that makes the grids wide open and ratchets up the difficulty level. For those who need a little extra help, there's a hints section to tear out and refer to when needed, as well as grids with wordlists explaining (with vowels) what the answers are.

On Crosswords covers three major, interrelated topics: crossword history, kinds of crosswords and how crosswords relate to everything else. Readers will meet the personalities who have made the art form what it is today, and walk away with the most complete understanding of the form that any single book can give.

DIV2013 marks the 100th anniversary of the crossword puzzle. Journalist Arthur Wynne had wanted to devise a new game for the back of the newspaper back in 1913, so he created a diamond grid and called it a “Word-Cross,� and thus the first crossword puzzle was born./divDIV Editor and crossword constructor Ben Tausig examines the curious history of the world’s most addictive game and its unusual upbringing. Accompanied by 100 unique and challenging puzzles from the past 100 years, he examines the evolution of grid shape, how basic expected knowledge of the reader has changed, the puzzles that break the “breakfast table rule� and more. Featuring puzzles from top constructors like Will Shortz, Brendan Emmett Quigley, Matt Jones, Cathy Millhauser, Maura Jacobson, and more. Try your pen or pencil on the crosswords your parents, grandparents, or great grandparents did decades ago!/div

Cognitive Ecology identifies the richness of input to our sensory evaluations, from our cultural heritage and philosophies of aesthetics to perceptual cognition and judgment. Integrating the arts, humanities, and sciences, Cognitive Ecology investigates the relationship of perception and cognition to wider issues of how science is conducted, and how the questions we ask about perception influence the answers we find. Part One discusses how issues of the human mind are inseparable from the culture from which the investigations arise, how mind and environment co-define experience and actions, and how culture otherwise influences cognitive function. Part Two outlines how philosophical themes of aesthetics have guided psychological research, and discuss the physical and aesthetic perception of music, film, and art. Part Three presents an overview of how the senses interact for sensory evaluation.

This eclectic collection brings together the best of the Sunday variety puzzles of "The New York Times." From spiral to cryptic, from diagramless to acrostic, these puzzles have never been collected together in a single volume. 50 puzzles.

For puzzlers who just can't get enough, here's a collection to last from January to December in a compact trade paperback format.

Fame, envy, lust, violence, intrigues literary and criminal—they're all here in The Information, as one of the most gifted and innovative novelists of our time explores the question, How does one writer hurt another writer? "Satirical and tender, funny and disturbing...wonderful." —The New York Times "A portrait of middle-age realignment with more verbal felicity and unbridled reach than [anything] since Tom Wolfe forged Bonfire of the Vanities." —Houston Chronicle Richard Tull, a frustrated, failed novelist, stews with envy and humiliation at the success of his oldest friend, Gwyn Barry, who is a darling of book buyers, award committees, and TV interviewers. He's a terrible writer, but that doesn't comfort Tull as he sinks deeper into the sub-basement of literary obscurity. The only way out of this predicament, Tull believes, is to plot the demise of Barry—to gather the information that will lead to his downfall. Meanwhile, both men are being watched by a psychopathic ex-con and a young thug, who have staked out their homes, watching their wives and Richard's small twin boys, waiting until the time is right... Amis is at his savage best in what has been hailed as one of his greatest books, full of wicked humor and exquisitely turned, cutthroat sentences, "never out of reach of a sparkly phrase, stiletto metaphor or drop-dead insight into the human condition," as the critic Christopher Buckley put it. This is a mesmerizing and entertaining novel of midlife crisis and male friendship, of our brutal culture of fame and fortune and too much information. "The Information contains some of the most pleasantly wicked passages Amis ever written." (San Franciso Chronicle)

Celebrate more than ninety-five years of Simon & Schuster crossword puzzle excellence with this engaging collection of 300 new, never-before-published crosswords, designed for fans of all skill levels. In 1924, Simon & Schuster published its first title, The Cross Word Puzzle Book. Not only was it the publisher’s first release, it was the first collection of crossword puzzles ever printed. Today, more than ninety-five years later, Simon & Schuster’s legendary crossword puzzle book series continues with this new and engaging collection, offering hours of stimulation for solvers of every level. Created by the best contemporary constructors—and edited by top puzzle master John M. Samson—it’s designed with convenience in mind and features perforated pages so you can tear out puzzles individually and work on them on-the-go. This new super-sized book will delight existing fans and challenge new puzzle enthusiasts as they discover this timeless and unique collection of puzzles.

The Saturday New York Times crossword puzzle is the most challenging puzzle of the week, which is why it has gained such an eager following. The most serious solvers know that actually finishing the puzzle is no small feat. Collected for the first time in a convenient and portable book form, Super Saturday has 75 puzzles sure to test not only knowledge but patience as well.