Who is the most prodigious author in my database? That's easy, it's Manny Nosowsky whose current count is 240. The silver and bronze go to Rich Norris (185) and Elizabeth Gorski (162.)
But what if you count joint constructions? Nancy Salomon is the Queen of Collaboration, so let's tote up her numbers. This is her 67th solo effort. There are another 44 she did with Harvey Estes, 18 with Lee Glickstein, and 51 more with other partners. She has her name listed in a total of 180 puzzles. It's not enough to take the gold but she bumps Ms. Gorski off the medal stand for a solid third place.
That may not tell the whole story, though. I've heard from several constructors that Ms. Salomon assists far more than she is given formal credit for. It would take another 60 puzzles to tie for the championship, so who knows?
Her Tuesday, August 26 puzzle (answers) has three rows of Rose: a lovely flower, a tragic sports hero, and a verb. I especially liked "some spears" which is not, as it happens, britney but rather BROCCOLI. "D-Day carriers" were the flat-bottomed boats known as LSTS (Landing Ship Tanks) used to land troops on the open beaches during that terrible day of the invasion of Normandy, June 6, 1944.
After the last American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, Special Correspondent PhillySolver wrote up a charming remembrance of that event from the point of view of a judge.
He also attended Lollapuzzoola this past weekend and graciously agreed to record his impressions of that event as well. Here is his report. I'll be updating it later with photos and such but I wanted to post this while it was still recent history.