Cryptics: a new newsletter, a new magazine

Crosswords had a real boom in the Golden Age of mystery writing in the 1920s and 30s - and it feels as if mystery novels and crosswords are in a big period of growth again, 100 years on.

I am very much here for this.

I’d like to write more about these intriguing parallels another time, but for now I wanted to share two of the latest new kids on the block in the crossword world.

Firstly, the Observer - home to Azed and Everyman - has launched a new puzzles newsletter. In her introductory article, editor Caitlin O’Kane wrote “I want cryptics to catch on again the way they did a century ago, because they’re fascinating and they’re ours – and AI can't take them away from us.” As well as the unravelling of a weekly clue, it has other linguistic news and titbits for word lovers. You can sign up here: https://observer.co.uk/newsletters

And an entirely new, and entirely lovely, magazine for crossword lovers has just been launched too. Called Unch (an ‘unch’ is an unchecked letter ie one without a crossing word in a crossword) it has brand new crosswords, showcasing new talent and more experienced setters. It’s gorgeously produced, with good quality paper and lovely typesetting - a real joy to solve crosswords away from a screen. I loved it. You

can find out more and order here: https://unchcrosswords.com