See verso.net for answers to current Listener puzzle clues (revealed individually, no spoilers). The site also has answers to Kropotkin crosswords.

 

 

Numerous books (including a couple by yours truly here) have been written on how to solve cryptic crosswords. Probably an equal number of websites now tackle the same subject. I recommend particularly Theresa Cunninghan's and Peter Biddlecombe's efforts.

 

In addition:

 

AnaxCrosswords. Anax is a setter for The Independent, also on the Financial Times as Loroso and anonymously in The Times. More a commentary than a learning resource.

 

Australian Crosswords. David Stickley's no-nonsense site features, in addition to puzzles, a thoughtful guide to software and reference books for setters and solvers, and a link to the Australian Crossword Club, thence to their quirky and entertaining magazine crOZworld.

 

 The Crossword Club's site, though with a somewhat garish design, provides its members, so it proclaims, with some of the best cryptics available, by some of the world's most accomplished setters. It has a link also to the Club's magazine CROSSWORD, and a sample puzzle.

 

Crossword Crazy includes a reference and tutorial information and a cryptic puzzle aimed at an international audience.

 

Crossword Unclued has 300+ articles with solving tips, descriptions of clue types, analysis of clueing trends/patterns in publications and lots of crossword trivia. More links to more discussions, analysis, arguments and so on too.

 

DIYCOW is a discussion forum based around a nicely run weekly clue writing competition.

 

The Guardian Crossword Blog by Alan Connor is updated weekly with news, discussion and analysis of clues from the cryptic crosswords in all the English broadsheets: The Times, The Independent, The Daily Telegraph, The Financial Times, plus Private Eye.

 

Guardian Crossword Trivia offers an interesting statistical analysis of words used and difficulty levels. Clever work, highly trivial as advertised.

 

Eddie James sets puzzles as Brummie in the Guardian and as Cyclops devises notably bawdy puzzles for Private Eye.

 

The Crossword Man features a treasury of software and further links related to crosswords.

 

Paul's Weekly Crossword Blog is often discursive.  The industrious John Halpern sets crosswords for The Guardian as Paul, for The Independent as Mudd and for The Financial Times as Punk.

 

rec.puzzles.crosswords is a discussion group that has been running since 1992 mainly devoted to clue-writing competitions and discussions, sometimes heated, about various puzzles and clues. You might learn a lot from these discussions. I did.

 

Stephen Sondheim's paean to the cryptic crossword appeared in a 1968 issue of New York magazine. Aimed at Americans completely unfamiliar with the cryptic, it gives a good summary of clue types along with its enthusiastic description of the delights these puzzles can bring.

 

Theresa's Cryptic Crosswords offers a clear solving guide and a selection of good, approachable puzzles by Theresa Gies/Cunningham in Florida. A few of the clues have US references that may be too obscure for Non-USians. (But then my puzzles too sometimes have local references. I think they should.)

 

Thinks.com  is put together by Michael Curl, a British crossword writer and braingames enthusiast. His homepage has an good number of links and other material (including toys and other products) for crossword enthusiasts and brain-gamers. His puzzles tend to be at the harder end of the British scale.

 

Yet Another Guide to Cryptic Crosswords by Peter Biddlecombe is an excellent collection of information and thoughtful comment, and has a very useful book list. Were it not for the alphabetical scheme in this list, Peter Biddlecombe's site would be much nearer the top of this list. And yet another set of excellent links here too.