Across the Universe: The Past, Present, and Future of the Crossword Puzzle

by Natan Last

Overview

An entertaining and eye-opening look at the history of the crossword, who constructs them, and why crosswords matter as both a reflection of and influence on our culture

From Wordle to Spelling Bee, we live in a time of word game mania. Crosswords in particular gained renewed popularity during the Covid-19 lockdown, when games became another kind of refuge. Today, 36 million Americans solve crosswords once a week or more, and nearly 23 million solve them daily. Yet, as longtime New Yorker crossword contributor Natan Last will tell you, the seemingly apolitical puzzle has never been more controversial—or more interesting.

A surprisingly ubiquitous influence in the worlds of art, literature, and technology, as Last demonstrates, the puzzle and its most popular purveyors—including publications such as The New York Times, still the gold standard for word games—have in recent years been challenged for the way they prioritize certain cultures and perspectives as the norm, demoting others to obscurity. At the same time, the crossword has never been more democratic. A larger, younger, more tech-savvy, and solidaristic group of people have fallen in love with puzzle solving, ushering in a more inclusive community of constructors, challenging the very idea of what "normal" actually means.

With a critical eye toward the puzzle's history, Natan Last explores the debates about the future of the crossword and investigates those who are determining its next phase, ultimately asking if the crossword can help us reshape the world. Across the Universe interrogates all the ways words—and the games we make using those words—change our culture, while bringing us into the world of those pushing for the crossword's much-needed evolution.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780553387711
Publisher:	Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Publication date:	11/25/2025
Sold by:	Random House
Format:	eBook
Pages:	336

About the Author

NATAN LAST is a writer and immigration policy advocate. He writes bimonthly crosswords for The New Yorker. His essays, poetry, and academic research appear in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Drift, Los Angeles Review of Books, Hyperallergic, Narrative, and elsewhere. He has worked for the UN, the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project, the International Rescue Committee, and as an advisor to the federal government on refugee resettlement. He lives in his native Brooklyn.

Editorial Reviews

Short of decoding the Rosetta stone, is there anything more satisfying than filling in a crossword grid? Gird yourself for a punster's paradise as you meet the people behind the clues in this engrossing history. Warning: This book is highly contagious.”­—Mary Norris, author of Between You & Me

“I've often said that my secret weapon on Jeopardy! was my lifelong crossword puzzle habit. Natan Last's exuberant, revealing journey through the vast grid of crossword history has helped me understand just why it is that I get so much pleasure, and so much benefit, from the seemingly trivial task of writing letters in squares. This book is a 15-letter quad-stack feat of cultural criticism!”—Amy Schneider, author of In the Form of a Question

“With sharp and clever storytelling, Natan Last explores the infectious world of crossword puzzles from its origins to today, examining major players and revealing how the format continues to evolve. A fascinating read.”—Juliana Pache, founder and author of Black Crossword

“For puzzle solvers and language lovers, this sumptuous odyssey into the infamous grid crackles with intelligence and fizzes with humor on every page. It is the ultimate volume on the ultimate surface. I think I can feel myself getting smarter as I read it.”—Eli Burnstein, author of Dictionary of Fine Distinctions

“Part reportage, part memoir, part meditation, part whimsy, Across the Universe is a gridful of insight and pleasure. This deft and deep exploration of the crossword puzzle’s obsessive grip on American life and the cultural forces that have shaped and changed it for over a century is more timely and relevant than ever.”—Stefan Fatsis, bestselling author of Word Freak and Unabridged

“A multilayered portrait of contemporary society, every page of Across the Universe crackles with Last’s characteristic laconic wit as he conducts high-wire feats of associative genius with deft grace. But what elevates this book is Last’s capacity to move between flippant and serious; the heart of the book are Last’s generous portraits of the people behind the puzzle. Sparkling with delight while revealing the crossword to be a mirror for today’s society, Across the Universe is a gem.”—Adrienne Raphel, author of Thinking Inside the Box

“Crossword constructors are a rare breed: scrupulous and silly, poetic and a bit perverse. Natan Last is one of my favorites, and Across the Universe is an extraordinary testament to these traits. It’s a history of the crossword that will feel startlingly alive to those of us who have been touched by the puzzle’s everyday magic.”—Anna Shechtman, author of The Riddles of the Sphinx

From the Publisher