April 14, 1924: A reader responds

The New York World humor columnist Franklin P. Adams, who typically went by FPA, played a pivotal role in getting “The Cross Word Puzzle Book” made, and printed a couplet to celebrate its release. (There's more detail in our post marking the book’s publication.)

His syndicated column, “The Conning Tower,” was influential at the time, so it’s no surprise that his short words of praise were responsible for selling at least a few copies. In fact, just a few days after his initial review, FPA printed a letter titled “X-Word Fan Rides West” from a reader named Arthur who had purchased the book on FPA’s recommendation. We've transcribed the letter below the included image.

X-WORD FAN RIDES WEST
CHICAGO, ILL 11
FPA CANNING TOWER
BOUGHT CROSS WORD PUZZLE BOOK ON YOUR RECOMMENDATION IN TOWER AM ON TRAIN FOR FOUR DAYS WITHOUT DICTIONARY FEEL IT YOUR RESPONSIBILITY AM ALMOST FRANTIC PLEASE WIRE YOUR EXPENSE GREEK WORD FOR WATER OF FORGETFULNESS ALSO THREE TOED ANIMAL NATIVE OF ABYSSINA PULLMAN PORTER ABSOLUTELY USELESS ONLY GUESSED TWO LETTER PERSONAL PRONOUN MISSPELLED STOP LATER STOP NEVER MIND HAVE FORMED BEAUTIFUL FRIENDSHIP WITH PASSENGER WITH LARGE FLASK OF BEVERAGE MENTIONED EXPECT NAMES OF ANIMALS TO COME TO ME AT ANY TIME
ARTHUR

This letter is almost too good to be true—and yes, it may be an invention of FPA’s. But regardless of how “real” Arthur was, his message resonates.

Today there are lots of avenues for solvers to offer feedback: some run their own blogs or comment on others, or they share reviews of puzzles on Discord or Twitch streams or the social media platforms du jour, or they approach constructors at tournaments or meet-ups. The technology has changed, but the impulse stretches back a century. Even the register of feigned frustration is familiar.