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Word Freak (book)
Encyclopedia
Word Freak is a non-fiction
narrative by Stefan Fatsis
published in 2001 (ISBN 0-618-01584-1).
The book is subtitled Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius, and Obsession in the World of Competitive SCRABBLE Players. Fatsis, a sports reporter for The Wall Street Journal
, introduces the reader to the world of competitive Scrabble
through a narrative of his slow transformation from "a good living room player" into a player ranked as expert by the National Scrabble Association
. Fatsis's humorous approach and descriptions of fellow competitive Scrabble players are interspersed with game strategies as the reader follows his ascent through the ranks of tournament players. The book also covers the history of the game, how tournaments are run, and the background politics of the Scrabble scene. Word Freak is a New York Times Bestseller and New York Times Notable Book.
A 10th anniversary paperback edition of Word Freak came out in August 2011.The new edition (18th printing) includes a new 30-page afterword about what's happened to the game in the last decade: where-are-they-nows on the main characters, here-they-are-nows on the new generation of players, corporate politics, dictionary changes, and much more. The new edition has the same ISBN number as the original, but is distinguished by a "10th Anniversary Edition" logo on the lower right of the front cover.
The documentary film
Word Wars
(2004), while not directly related to the book, includes many of the same players.
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
narrative by Stefan Fatsis
Stefan Fatsis
Stefan Fatsis is an author and journalist. He regularly appears as a guest on National Public Radio's All Things Considered daily radio news program and as a panelist on Slate's sports podcast Hang Up and Listen. He is a former staff reporter for The Wall Street Journal.-Biography:Fatsis grew up...
published in 2001 (ISBN 0-618-01584-1).
The book is subtitled Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius, and Obsession in the World of Competitive SCRABBLE Players. Fatsis, a sports reporter for The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
, introduces the reader to the world of competitive Scrabble
Scrabble
Scrabble is a word game in which two to four players score points by forming words from individual lettered tiles on a game board marked with a 15-by-15 grid. The words are formed across and down in crossword fashion and must appear in a standard dictionary. Official reference works provide a list...
through a narrative of his slow transformation from "a good living room player" into a player ranked as expert by the National Scrabble Association
National Scrabble Association
The National Scrabble Association was created in 1978 by Selchow & Righter, then the makers of Scrabble, to promote their game. It coordinated local clubs and Scrabble tournaments in North America, including the National Scrabble Championship, until 2009. The current director is John D...
. Fatsis's humorous approach and descriptions of fellow competitive Scrabble players are interspersed with game strategies as the reader follows his ascent through the ranks of tournament players. The book also covers the history of the game, how tournaments are run, and the background politics of the Scrabble scene. Word Freak is a New York Times Bestseller and New York Times Notable Book.
A 10th anniversary paperback edition of Word Freak came out in August 2011.The new edition (18th printing) includes a new 30-page afterword about what's happened to the game in the last decade: where-are-they-nows on the main characters, here-they-are-nows on the new generation of players, corporate politics, dictionary changes, and much more. The new edition has the same ISBN number as the original, but is distinguished by a "10th Anniversary Edition" logo on the lower right of the front cover.
The documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
Word Wars
Word Wars
Word Wars is a 2004 documentary film directed by Eric Chaikin and Julian Petrillo about competitive Scrabble playing.Its full title is: Word Wars - Tiles and Tribulations on the Scrabble Circuit...
(2004), while not directly related to the book, includes many of the same players.