Word Nerd: Dispatches from the Games, Grammar, and Geek Underground

Williams, the first and only executive director of the National Scrabble Association, joyfully and enthusiastically recounts his unlikely 25-year tenure as the official national spokesman for the world-famous word game. Though he came from a family of avid gamers, John Williams wasn’t all that familiar with Scrabble as a youngster, but that all changed when he was asked to apply his advertising and PR skills to help get the fledgling Scrabble Players Bulletin off the ground. His job included overseeing and even participating in numerous tournaments around the world, contributing to the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary, promoting the game through various outlets (including appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live and Martha Stewart’s show), as well as dealing with vendors and the bureaucratic red tape that goes along with working with corporations. Williams offers sage advice for players (the best play doesn’t always yield the most points—you need to make sure you retain some letters to work with on succeeding plays) and some word exercises to strengthen one’s game (and brain). An appendix offers the full list of words banned from play. Casual gamers will find this light read to be a fun escape, while avid grammarians and fellow word nerds will devour it in a single sitting. [em]Agent: Regula Noetzli, Regula Noetzli Literary Agency. (June) [/em]