Alan Connor's charming, fascinating history . . . is as elegantly sprinkled with surprising gems as the most satisfying crossword . . . thoroughly, consistently entertaining . . . In a single, gloriously decipherable chapter he lays out with perfect clarity the entire range of rules and devices through which cryptic clues work their magic

It is witty, charming, encyclopaedic and highly readable - and it can be read in any order. Take a chapter or a paragraph, a puzzle or a clue. In each the reader will find something to intrigue and delight.

Two Girls is a lovingly crafted little book, from the table of contents - where chapter titles are hidden in a crossword designed by the great Araucaria - to the index, which skips from "I give up, see frustration" via "primness in American crosswords", to finish with "zookeepers, beleaguered".

A lovingly crafted little book . . . Connor's wry, good-natured tone and his commitment to the serious business of play make him the perfect guide to a great pastime as it approaches its 100th birthday

Connor writes with great flair . . . it is nice to dip in and out of his entertaining essays

An ideal stocking filler

The brilliant new book on crosswords that delivers fun galore whether you're a doer or a duffer

There is something to entertain even the most infrequent dabbler

I am glad that attention should be continually drawn to copies of this book ... I am in full sympathy with the doctrine laid down by Sir Ernest Gowers

A small literary jewel

A delight, a classic of its kind

Great fun to read

Brilliant

A sweetly reasonable and wholly admirable guide

It will delight far wider circles than those to whom it is primarily addressed

Compelling

A colourful treatment of a colourful life

Personal and affectionate tribute

Affectionate, familial tribute to this many-sided man.