I’m finding it hard to believe that we are up to our 300th edition of my BIG Crossword magazine already. That must be thousands – possibly millions – of clues altogether that we have inflicted on you over 33 years.
We published our first BIG Crossword magazine in 1985, when our boys were only 3 and 2, and Kitty was still waiting in the wings. Back then, we had little idea of the reaction to our new crossword creation but we hoped it would last a year or two.
By 1993, it had gained a good following so we decided to publish monthly, and we haven’t looked back since then.
Our readership of the BIG Crossword magazines has gone from strength to strength, and the magazine has been tweaked and improved by you, the puzzlers, sending in your suggestions and requests which we always listen to and try to implement.
There have been many changes since the first issue, but the large-size crosswords have always been the mainstay. As one puzzler put it, “It’s a crossword you can really get your teeth into”.
What I love about our puzzlers is that you are all like a huge extended family. You write in, not just with your competition entries, but also your suggestions and your loves and hates regarding our puzzles. You tell us about your lives – about the cat who sits on your crossword while you’re trying to solve it, the Granddad who has to be consulted about a historical clue, or the grandchildren who come around to help you with the modern clues.
Thanks to all our wonderful, dedicated puzzlers for your loyalty over the years. Please join with us in celebrating our 300th issue. We would love to hear what you were doing back in 1985, or how long you have been solving our BIG Crosswords.
Happy Puzzling!