author
A. Cyril (Arthur Cyril) Pearson
1838–1916
Best known for lively puzzle books and chess collections, this Victorian clergyman wrote to entertain readers who loved wordplay, riddles, and brain-teasers. His books mix wit, logic, and a very human sense of fun.
1 Audiobook
Pictured Puzzles and Word Play A Companion to the Twentieth Century Standard Puzzle Book
by A. Cyril (Arthur Cyril) Pearson
About the author
Arthur Cyril Pearson was an English writer and clergyman whose surviving books show a lasting love of puzzles, games, and clever language. He published One Hundred Chess Problems in 1883 and later edited popular collections such as Twentieth Century Standard Puzzle Book and Pictured Puzzles and Word Play.
The record around his life is thinner than the record of his books, but available sources consistently place him in England and identify him as born in 1838 and deceased in 1916. His work suggests a writer who enjoyed making difficult things inviting, whether through chess problems, anagrams, or illustrated word games.
Today he is remembered less as a literary celebrity than as a gifted compiler of amusements. For listeners who enjoy classic recreations of the mind, his books offer a glimpse of an era when puzzles were a favorite form of home entertainment.