Word Freak: Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius and Obsession in the World of Competitive Scrabble Book + PRICE WATCH * Amazon pricing is not included in price watch

Word Freak: Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius and Obsession in the World of Competitive Scrabble Book

Like a cross between a linguistic spy and a lexicographic Olympic athlete, journalist Stefan Fatsis gave himself a year to penetrate the highest echelons of international Scrabble competition. His aim was to progress from the casual living room player to get into the elite club of international Scrabble pros. Word Freak is the account of his journey. It's a wacky grab bag of travelogue, history, party journal and psychological study of the misfits and goofballs whose lives are measured out in Scrabble tiles.Fatsis gives us all the facts about Scrabble--from the story of the down-on-his luck architect who invented the game in the 1930s to the intricacies of individual international competitions and the corporate wars to control the world's favourite word game. He is a good storyteller and keeps the reader turning the pages as we get involved in the lives of the Scrabble obsessives: men and women who have a point to prove against the world and have chosen Scrabble as their playground and their pulpit. As Fatsis goes on his own quest to attain the coveted 1600 rating we actually get obsessed with him as he lies awake at night pondering moves and memorising lists of words. For anybody who is interested in words and has ever been captivated and fascinated by Scrabble, Word Freak provides a compelling, entertaining and absorbing read. --Dwight LongeneckerRead More

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  • Foyles

    For many, Scrabble is merely a board game. For others it is an intellectual pilgrimage. In this book, Stefan Fatsis, journalist and self-confessed word freak, goes in search of the people for whom Scrabble is life and affords us a glimpse into the extraordinary world of the brilliant geeks and misfit savants who populate the highest ranks of the game.Playing competitively in tournaments across the world, Fatsis chronicles the story of how Scrabble has grown from a diversion invented by an unemployed architect during The Great Depression into the hugely successful, challenging and beloved game of today.

  • ASDA

    To many Scrabble is just a board game. For others it's an intellectual pilgrimage a balancing act between language and mathematics. This book charts the history and theory of the game alongside the authors own rise from living-room player to competitive shark.

  • Blackwell

    To many, Scrabble is just a board game. For others it's an intellectual pilgrimage, a balancing act between language and mathematics. This book charts the history and theory of the game, alongside the authors own rise from living-room player to...

  • 0224060619
  • 9780224060615
  • Stefan Fatsis
  • 5 September 2002
  • Yellow Jersey Press
  • Paperback (Book)
  • 372
  • New edition
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