Author Anne Bradford dies aged 90

Author Anne Bradford, known for Bradford's Crossword Solver's Dictionary, has died aged 90.

Publisher HarperCollins said she died peacefully on 30th October. It described her dictionary as "a unique and innovative work that pairs thousands of clue words with possible solutions, it broke the crossword dictionary mould in being compiled by a real author from actual crossword clues".

Bradford was an active member of The Crossword Club, and devoted time every day to solving crosswords, avidly collecting new solutions for her dictionary and compiling every entry with meticulous care. The latest edition of her book, published by Collins this October, was the fruit of 60 years’ analysis of more than 500,000 crossword clues.

Paying tribute, HarperCollins said: "Anne was blessed with extraordinary intelligence and a lively sense of humour that was occasionally mischievous, but always warm. She was in correspondence with editors as recently as September, discussing suggestions and amendments and, as ever, entertaining all with an anecdote and a witty remark.

"Anne Bradford will be much missed by her friends at Collins and everyone in the crossword world. The Bradford’s Crossword Solver’s Dictionary will be continued by her daughter Gillian."