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Can anyone explain how The Graudian has managed to count over 26,000 crosswords since 1929, but that the first Araucaria in 1958 was only number 163? I could write to them direct, of course, but in my experience they very seldom reply within a reasonable time...............At the rate of only about 300 a year (Cryptics) where do all the others come from? Or is this Number "163" perhaps a typical mipsrint???

Perhaps they have a system of mathematics that is beyond our comprehension.

I was expecting s'one to say the G. lost its mind in the Eighties & can't deal with numbers any longer...........No, I think the 26,000 bit is correct; I just wonder why Arau's first is labelled with such a low number. Any other theories?

Perhaps it was the 163rd crossword he had submitted for publication but the first one he had printed.

I can't really imagine that. In 1959 the paper changed its title from Manchester G. to simply G. But how would that explain anything? Unless the puzzles were numbered separately in each year. Unfortunately I cannot see the date when this "163" was published: on the website the archives only go back a certain number of years it seems. Any further ideas?

Easy, GK.

Start here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvPK6Kel45k

If it's fuzzy, click the gear wheel & select 360p resolution.

False alarm! Editor has just confirmed, as I had speculated, in the bad old days the G. counted its puzzles only within each year, until his predecessor decided to tot them all up. So the problem that was never really a problem is now no longer a problem AT ALL.
I'm not sure about that Indian guy, though & his calculations: gang bangs always COULD produce
the odd baby, couldn't they? Sorry, SO politically incorrect, but I know Syzygy appreciates that......................................