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I guess this marks twenty years of Genius - and this seems the toughest yet ... no clue numbering and no indication where they insert means no help from crossers and no knowing which clue goes with which space. Guess you have to have almost all the solutions - currently I have 15 out of 28 and they include 2 words I've never heard before. This is going to be a long solve ....

Yes, this has been a real slog. Lots of cold solving and even when down to the last 3 or 4 clues it was difficult to say which vacant entry spaces belonged to which clue.
I had a couple of inspired guesses in the end that saw me over the line. Phew! And thanks toPpicaroon (I think!).

Hi Prospero, It falls a lot quicker when you twig the entry system. The porcelain ingredient was my lightbulb moment...

Yes indeed, although it took me a long time to see the entry system!

Exactly Muraria, and thanks Pickers, that was a birthday treat for me: a long period of attrition; an apparent rout; then a couple at the end that dug in and took their time to surrender. Perfect and very clever.

well I think I'm finished - lots of words new to me - and, if I have 2 down right (another word for elder?), I can't for the life of me parse it ...

Prospero, Extremely urbane = the usual crossword stuff, brother... dropping Henry, gives the rest of the letters. 'Off' - anagram.

thanks, malone - that makes 8 words I'd never heard of - and half a dozen others I'd never use ... more like a Mephisto than usual Genius fare. But a cracking solve nonetheless.

Prospero, thanks.I haven't actually done the puzzle yet,just a few of the clues.

I enjoyed the struggle. 3d/9a was my foot in the door for entries, though I had to solve most of the 8's and 10's to get there. I only noticed the entry method after Sircrispin mentioned it. "You must discover some other way ....." should have alerted me.