The New York Times Crossword editor celebrates his 30th year in a job many would love to have.
Credit…Arthur Mount
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Crossword Challenge: We’ve republished the Nov. 21 crossword of every year Will Shortz has been editor. These puzzles will be available for free until Nov. 30. Solve by difficulty level after this article.
When a young Will Shortz turned in a middle school essay about what he thought becoming an adult would be like, his teacher was certain that he had not understood the assignment. His goal of becoming a “professional puzzle maker” had little to do with the adult responsibilities the teacher was hoping to read about. He was given a B+.
On Nov. 21, Mr. Shortz will celebrate his 30th year as the Crossword editor of The New York Times, so he may finally be able to shake off that early hint of skepticism. With his self-designed Indiana University degree in enigmatology — the scientific study of puzzles as related to semiotics, culture and cognition — a 15-year stint as the editor of Games magazine, his founding of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, a 30-year tenure at The Times and his weekly appearances as the puzzle master on the NPR program “Weekend Edition Sunday,” it’s safe to say that he is as entrenched in professional puzzle making and editing as anyone can be.
There have been only three other New York Times Crossword editors since 1942, when the paper decided to publish puzzles in its magazine as counterprogramming to the news about World War II. Mr. Shortz became the fourth in 1993.
Each of his predecessors brought something valuable to the Crossword, Mr. Shortz said. Margaret Farrar, the first editor, had established the rules of modern crossword construction and increased the quality of the entries and clues; Will Weng, the editor from 1966 to 1977, brought a touch of humor to the clues and increased the number of themed puzzles published; Eugene T. Maleska brought a new level of rigor and sophistication to the puzzles.
Mr. Maleska, the cantankerous editor who had held the job since 1977, died in August 1993, and Jack Rosenthal, the Times magazine editor, was looking for a replacement. The other candidates were decades older than Mr. Shortz, who had just turned 40.
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Will Shortz Celebrates 30 Years as the Crosswords Editor of The New York Times – The New York Times
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