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It is creative due to the cartoon element but offeres varying levels of puzzle challenge. I am the puzzle person in our house but this book has not left the bedside of my husband who does several puzzles each night. We bought a second copy for a friend already and may buy more. Anyone who loves New Yorker cartoons will enjoy this new combination of "Cartoon Puzzles". It is tons of fun.
Speaking of spiral binding, this is one of the recent spate of puzzle books that is spiral-bound, a wonderful addition to the puzzle-book genre -- even if it does add the cost of the buyer generally getting fewer puzzles per book than has been seen in the past for the same price. The uniqueness of this puzzle book is that its puzzles are mostly gleaned from the annals of the New Yorker's cartoon library, and that makes it a joy to tackle. Personally, that's a price I'm willing to pay -- it's that great a feature. The only downside to this book -- and it isn't a huge one -- is the size of the book. With over-sized pages and spiral binding, and the fact that many of the puzzles cover two pages, you often must have the book all the way open (i.e., lying flat) to work the puzzles, and that can be a bit cumbersome, depending on where you are as you work the puzzles. In fact, I won't even buy a puzzle book any more that isn't spiral-bound. All-in-all, this collection of puzzles is a lot of fun -- in more ways than one.
New Yorker cartoons do typically contain some of the least expected twists, and I found that here. Several times you are asked to place the puzzles in the correct time period (and the New Yorker puzzles go back at least to the 1920's) or even with the correct author/cartoonist. Don't find them much - but when I searched specifically for this, I discovered this book.I enjoy the New Yorker Book of Cartoon Puzzles and Games (and have purchased a second copy for a friend) because the combo of puzzle and cartoon has proven very relaxing - I involve myself in a semi-hard puzzle, but then find a laugh waiting for me once it's solved. So, my favorite puzzles are cryptograms with cartoons. I love word puzzles though I'm not a serious puzzler - I do a few crosswords a week and have owned maybe three puzzle books as an adult. It does seem that the editors missed out on utilizing the perfect collaboration of crypts and cartoons.I give it a 4 - enjoyed the cartoon aspect, most puzzles fun but some just too easy for an adult. Though not typically a history buff, I found it a pleasant surprise that the editors included the history of New Yorker cartoons, and with it a history of the U.S, WITHIN quite a few puzzles. I still recommend this though - for a more relaxed puzzler like myself it's a good mental stroll.
And there is an ABUNDANCE OF GREAT CARTOONS - usually five or six to each puzzle and often grouped in interesting ways/topics.But what of those cryptograms. I say this only because the puzzles range from easy to medium difficulty for an adult. I am, however, a big cartoon fan, though honestly I've been more FoxTrot & Calvin than I am the New Yorker. The puzzles are just challenging enough to give me a think (similar to a midweek newspaper crossword perhaps) but not overly hard. However, I don't think a serious puzzle person would be happy with this book, unless he were interested in the New Yorker cartoons. (A teen or younger might enjoy more of a challenge). Good news is that they were well done, and with increasing difficulty; Disappointment is that there were only three pages of cryptograms while other types of puzzles were represented more. Still worth the stroll.
A wide variety of different styles of puzzles, each with the payoff of several very good New Yorker cartoons, makes this book a blast to play with. I work hard to limit myself to only a couple of puzzles each time I pick it up (and so far I've refused to share the book with the gift-giver). I've enjoyed it so much, I'm buying a copy for my mother for her birthday.
The item arrived in a timely manner and it was the exact item I ordered.
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