12/18/2022 0 Comments Los angeles times crossword editor![]() ![]() When the mail started coming in, the door to the new company's small office was literally blocked every morning for weeks with orders for the crossword-puzzle book. The book sold 350,000 copies in its first year. Her first crossword-puzzle book, published on April 10, 1924, was Simon & Schuster's very first book, and it brought the new publishing house its first big success. Farrar was closely connected to another major publishing company, Simon & Schuster, for 60 years. Straus, president of the publishing house. ''We always valued Margaret's tasteful views on editorial matters,'' said Roger W. Farrar had also served as an editor of mystery books there from 1950 to 1960. Farrar, a founding member of the company, after his death 10 years ago. Farrar was a member of the board of directors of Farrar, Straus & Giroux. She also built up a stable of knowledgeable constructors, among whom were a violinist with the New York Philharmonic, a sea captain and several inmates of state prisons. Farrar, who seldom had time to construct her own puzzles, worked to upgrade the style and language of those she edited, eliminating the easy words, creating theme puzzles on current events, music, food, occupations and sports. The puzzles became as much a fixture as the weather report. Once they syndicated the puzzles, few newspapers were able to drop them. Farrar's counselors, occasionally helping her out with a mot juste. (The first crossword puzzle was published in The World in 1913 it was started there by Edward Wynne.) The columnist Franklin P. Almost as an afterthought, the job came to include editing crossword puzzles in the newspaper. In her first job she was a secretary to John O'Hara Cosgrave, Sunday Editor of The New York World. ![]() Farrar, born Margaret Petherbridge in Brooklyn, started out in the puzzle business soon after graduating from Smith College in 1919. Farrar said cheerfully last April at a party she threw for herself, her family and crossword-puzzle constructors and friends at the Lotos Club, ''but I just can't seem to stop.'' Among the guests were her two New York Times successors, Will Weng, retired, and Eugene T. She was preparing her 134th crossword puzzle book (she turned out two a year for Simon & Schuster) and, with the help of an associate, James Boldt, editing puzzles for the Los Angeles Times syndicate. ![]() Farrar, the original crossword- puzzle editor for The New York Times from 1942 until her retirement in 1969, was still busily at work up until a few weeks ago. puzzle editor who was instrumental in turning a word game into a daily American habit and then into an educational tool featured in newspapers, magazines and books all over the world, died yesterday at her home in Manhattan. I had learned a lot about editing from my association with Will, who wrote me a nice letter of recommendation. I heard in late 1999 that the LA Times editorship was about to be vacant, so I applied and was fortunate enough to land the job. I did a lot of constructing for about six years-as many as 200 puzzles per year in a dozen different markets, including frequent NYT themeless puzzles. Will's policy of crediting the constructor, which was a new policy at the Times, was certainly an incentive. I sent two puzzles to Will Shortz at the NYT. I've solved puzzles since I was a teenager, but didn't try to make one until many years later, in the '90s. I did.Ĭan you tell us a bit about your background? How did you start crossword constructing and then editing? Norris a few questions that had been burning in my mind for two weeks. His puzzles have been published by NY Times ( 186, second only to Manny Nosowsky, stunning!), NY Sun, Newsday, CrosSynergy, Wall Street Journal, etc. He is also a very accomplished crossword constructors. Williams in many local newspapers starting today. ![]() Rich Norris is the editor of LA Times Daily Crossword, which replaces TMS Daily edited by Wayne R. ![]()
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