At the Sign of the Sphinx. Second Series

At the turn of the 20th century, puzzle poems and literary charades were the intellectual entertainment of choice for the culturally inclined. Carolyn Wells, who practically defined American riddle-verse in her era, offers her second collection of these linguistic labyrinths. Each entry presents a riddle wrapped in clever verse, demanding readers parse double meanings, dissect syllables, and chase literary allusions to arrive at answers that are often surprisingly simple once revealed. The charm here lies not in difficulty but in the peculiar elegance of the puzzle form itself: a window into an age when wit was social currency and clever wordplay could fill an evening. From playful dissections of common words to references teetering on the edge of obscurity, these poems reward patience and punish haste. For enthusiasts of vintage word games, literary history, or anyone curious about how our ancestors amused themselves before screens, this collection offers a delightful time capsule of clever confinement.