The riddle read "I am open, but I am closed," Mr Astle said. "That to me says how ancient and timeless the notion of riddles is," he said. The oldest riddle he found was from the Sumerian civilisation, and was scratched onto a classroom clay tablet sometime around 5300 BC. Mr Astle said from his research he could confidently say that humans have had riddles throughout history, "but possibly not as we understand riddles today". Riddles found throughout history, author says "Riddles really are the precursor to so many crossword and cryptic games that we have in modern culture today," he said. The book details riddles from more than 50 cultures, exploring their meaning and the societies that created them. Mr Astle's childhood hero would also probably approve of his new book - Riddledom: 101 Riddles And Their Stories. "My hero was the Riddler from Batman - forget the superheroes, I fell in love with the villains," David Astle told 774 ABC Melbourne's Jon Faine. His weekly puzzles are published under the initials DA, which have been said to stand for "don't attempt", and are so difficult that to help each other solve them his fans have established an internet forum called the DA Trippers. The Melbourne-based crossword setter is known for his difficult cryptic crosswords for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald newspapers each Friday. Maybe bump into a few new words and feel free to add to the hubbub.It may not surprise anyone who has attempted his crosswords that, as a child, David Astle preferred comic book supervillains to their superhero nemeses. Otherwise enjoy your visit and play a few games. If you wish to contact David directly, hit the EMAILDA option on the left, and he’ll do his best to get back to you. You can also join his wordiness on Twitter. You’ll find such distractions as the Word of the Week clue challenge, plus the many Birdbrain posers of the past, and occasional Guest Grids. To glean a bit more about the man and his mania – or play a few word games – mouse around the DA domain. On the same page you’ll also discover a sample from among the 70 feature stories he’s composed, from playground rhymes to senior bikies. To read more about his books, click the PUBLISHEDoption. And of course, you may also recall his face (or flamboyant shirt collection) from the SBS cult show, Letters and Numbers, discontinued by SBS in 2012. Other titles for kids includes the verbal revelry of the Gargantuan Book of Words - a party of puzzles, quizzes & stories - as well Wordburger - a quick-snack guide to cryptic crosswords for kids or rookies.ĭavid also composes such diversions as Wordwit and Omega for Fairfax. To complete the set are the two pocketbooks: Puzzles & Words – and Puzzles & Words 2. Other books include his new kids' dictionary - 101 Weird Words (and 3 Fakes), plus the mind-tripping Riddledom, as well as the crossword's chequered history Cluetopia, plus the manual-cum-memoir, Puzzled. There's also a primer to help you solve such clues, plus the nerve to conquer the book's crossword finale. Meantime his latest book - Rewording The Brain - investigates recent neural studies into puzzle-solving, seeing how twisty clues empower your brain. You might even catch his words and tangents on ABC Radio Melbourne, most weeknights 7-10pm. As crossword maker in The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, as well as Wordplay columnist with Spectrum, David Astle is a full-time word nerd.
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