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I did come unstuck with the 'Lot'. I was also convinced that there was an S in 23d.

Just getting started here and trying to understand the rubric. Can someone confirm: 10 clues just serve to provide a set consecutive letters that you anagram for a thematic entry?

Correct. And as mentioned, a few may seem to work as normal clues and give different answers, so don’t be too certain about grid entries until confirmed by crossing letters

Boson
Not quite. Each of the 10 clues teferred to contains a consecutive mixture of letters which can be rearranged to give 10 different items, and no other hint to the solution. The omitted letters in the 8 clues can be rearranged to give the recipients of those items.

Got through this on the second attempt, assisted by some of the (gentle) hints in this forum. There were several clues that could have been solved two ways, this no doubt being intentional. Probably at the limit of my crossword abilities, so pleased to be at the end.

I suspect the wording of 27a and the accompanying “!” is Pasquale’s way of letting us know that he has set some deliberate traps.

A very clever puzzle with some fiendish misdirection. I think that I stumbled into every one of the elephant traps - and may have confected some more from sheer obtuseness. But very satisfying once completed. Many thanks, Pasquale!

Jono@26

Definitely, Pasquale gave us fair warning:-)

Am stucj! Need some gentle nudges!
If I am right, I have some of the 10 themers - yet cannot make any sort of a group out of them. My missing letters although incomplete cannot with any addition make a word. I must be missing something……

Mrs H,
The items are connected only in literature by their importance to a group of travellers (described in the preamble as the “recipients”). You may need to do a little searching…