Here are the helpful books that every crossword puzzle solver needs whether they're a novice or a seasoned pro. However, newbies beware! Crossword puzzles can be habit-forming and very time consuming. Happy puzzling!
The New Oxford American Dictionary
"The New Oxford American Dictionary" (NOAD) is a heavyweight publication-- both figuratively and literally. The editors have taken to heart the counsel. "to boldly go...". This is the first dictionary (that I know of) to define words in a truly contemporary sense. Rather than rehashing traditional definitions and excluding words not considered legitimate by academics and purists, NOAD defines words as people use them in everyday speech. It also includes hundreds of new words and acronyms which have come into the language in the last several years.
The New York Times Crossword Puzzle Dictionary
Image courtesy of Price Grabber.
A crossword puzzle reference revised and expanded with thousands of new words, up-to-date factual references, including famous people and the latest geographical changes. Hardcover: 672 pages. ISBN: 9780812923735
National Geographic Atlas of the World
Image courtesy of Price Grabber.
More than 450 political, physical, and thematic maps, illustrations, and photographs that present a complete, up-to-date portrait of our world. In addition, space, climate, weather, biodiversity, world religions, economies, and technological development. Hardcover: 416 pages. ISBN: 9780792275435
The Holy Bible
Image courtesy of Price Grabber.
How many times have you seen clues such as, "Son of Seth" or "Old Testament prophet"?
Leonard Maltin's 2008 Movie Guide
Image courtesy of Alibris.com
The latest edition of this massive home reference adds 300 recent video, DVD and laserdisc releases to its nearly 19,000 entries on mostly American films. Paperback: 1600 pages. ISBN: 9780452287563
The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits
Image courtesy of Price Grabber.
Provides complete, cross-referenced information for all songs and artists to make the Top 40 of Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart from 1955 through today. Every artist entry opens with biographical information. Paperback: 880 pages. ISBN: 9780823074990
Almanac of Famous People (Set)
Image courtesy of Price Grabber.
Need a famous name? Here's a comprehensive guide to more than 30,000 famous and infamous newsmakers from biblical times to the present. A little pricey but worth the investment. ISBN: 9780787675356
The Concise Columbia Encyclopedia
Image courtesy of Price Grabber.
Covers all disciplines, including: politics, law, international relations, history, art, sports, geography, science, and medicine.
Roget's Thesaurus
Image courtesy of Alibris.com
This is the perennial best-seller for those needing synonyms and antonyms. ISBN: 9780141004426
The Chiron Dictionary of Greek & Roman Mythology
Image courtesy of Price Grabber.
Greek and Roman gods, goddesses, heroes, and monsters from Ares to Zeus. Paperback: 312 pages. ISBN: 9780933029828
Random House Crossword Answer Book
It's been done before, but never so well. Like their predecessors, professional crossword editors Stanley Newman and Daniel Stark have arranged thousands of three to seven letter words so that you can easily find them once you know the position of any two letters. Only they compiled their list from words actually used in crossword puzzles. They even included popular phrases, abbreviations, and proper names. The result may well be the greatest sanity saver ever published for crossword fans. The publishers are so confident in it that they offer a money-back guarantee of their own. I strongly doubt that they'll issue many checks.