Puzzle Notes

Dear Friends:

Rebecca Falcon's "AVCX Themeless #46" is 4.5/5 difficulty.

It's especially apt that we're running one of RF's puzzles today, at the close of the Crossword Women's March. Rebecca suggested and organized the idea initially, and it's been taken up by various puzzle outlets. We thank Rebecca and want to give her a big shout out here for making the idea happen. We call on all crosswords to aim for gender and other forms of inclusivity, coupled with equitable pay for every constructor.

Meanwhile, we're excited to tell you about a new crossword puzzle history book -- quite possibly the best one ever written -- called Thinking Inside the Box, by Adrienne Raphel. Several of us, along with our puzzling friends, were interviewed or consulted for the project. The author combined the work of a dissertation with a long-term journalistic assignment, and it's readable to boot. If you want to know what puzzles are and have been, from their architecture to the personalities that run through their grids, this book is the one. Get it here and enjoy!

Adrienne was also kind enough to score the AVCX a couple of copies, and we would love to mail them to some solvers to pass the time during these strange days. Send a picture of your good citizenship during the pandemic (a receipt for a big tip sent to a service worker, a donation to charity, even just your soapy hands) to editor@avxwords.com, and you'll be entered in a random drawing to win one copy.

Be well,

Ben and the AVCX crew

avxwords.com // @avcxword