From teenage word-nerd to Australia's pre-eminent (and most fiendish) puzzle-maker, Puzzled is a memoir of a life lost in words as well as a revealing guide to the deepest mysteries of crossword and other word puzzles.

I used to regret not being born Catholic because it meant I'd been denied the joys of self-flagellation. Then I discovered DA and he solved my problem.' Bill Leak, cartoonist, and anagram of Killable

'He's the Sergeant Pepper of cryptic crosswords. A complete mindf**k.' Geoffrey Rush, actor, and anagram of Gruffy Heroes

Many a puzzle solver has battled against the devilish mind of long-time crossword maker and wordaholic David Astle, known to many as DA.

In Puzzled he holds out a helping hand to the lost and perplexed taking us on a personal tour into the secret life of words. Clue by clue, chapter by chapter, we step through a central puzzle, uncovering and unravelling word-secrets as we go. The Steve Irwin Fluke, the Swastika Accident, the Abracadabra Pyramid - hidden meanings, anagrams, reversals - all the Dark Arts are finally revealed.

More than a how-to manual, more than a memoir, Puzzled enlightens us about cryptics and delights in the quirky realm of wordplay. It is a book for word junkies everywhere.