A spirited journey through the world of collectible artisan puzzles
Pairing craft cocktails with crafty puzzles
Cover to Cover
September 6 was National Read a Book Day, which is celebrated like a National Holiday at Boxes and Booze headquarters. This is because at B&B we love books as much as we love boxes. And booze.
He Who Hesitates
Kyle Chester and his Grandfather Steven have produced another beautiful puzzle box in their English workshop, but I’ve been hesitating to talk about it. I've been stalling, resistant, unwilling, and ... reluctant.
Ménage à Trois
Joe Turner is getting frisky. The newest numerical addition to his ever expanding “free the coin” series of puzzles showcases his development as a woodworker and puzzlemaker over the many years that he has been honing these skills.
Closed Circle
Dee Dixon's latest foray into the circular format, which began with the Bad Moon rising, and came full circle with the uplifting Uplift, has got some dizzying antics sure to give you Vertigo.
One Thing or an Otter
Otters are “semi-aquatic” mammals who live on coastlines, riverbank, lakes and oceans, eating fish and being generally playful and cute. They are also somewhat notorious for the lovely scent they deposit along their territorial habitats.
Hip Hip Hooray
There’s always cause for celebration when Janichi “Juno” Yananose announces a new puzzle box or sequential discovery design.
At Your Pleasure
In March of 1882, construction began on what would become the largest unfinished Catholic church in the world, the Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família.
Happy Hour
Puzzle historians will be well familiar with the works of Angelo John Lewis, an English lawyer and avid magician, who catalogued a compendium of puzzles of the Victorian era.
On the Record
Franz Rudolph Wurlitzer was a German immigrant to the United States who started a music company in 1853 based out of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Party Pooper
Whilemina the Wombat is an adorable marsupial made from rare Queensland Walnut, an indigenous Australian wood which is no longer commercially available. Produced in 2008, the puzzle combines elements of a high-level interlocking burr type puzzle with hidden mechanism sequential discovery tools.
Elementary
The game is afoot again at Cabal Manor, in Victorian era England, where noted naturalist and collector Sir Charles Allen resided, up until quite recently, that is. Mystery and intrigue abound here, along with a colorful cast of characters who are joined, naturally, by the world’s foremost consulting detective.
Going crazy
We head back to Tel Aviv to visit our friend Boaz Feldman, Israeli puzzle maker and heir to the Feldman lock legacy.
Playing With Your Food
The traditional dish of fermented soybeans, known as natto, has been a staple of Japanese diet for millennia.
CAPTCHA Your Imagination
Artificial Intelligence is all around us. Like it or not, AI is going to expand rapidly and exponentially based on how quickly technology in general advances in the current era. We might as well embrace it, like many artists are currently doing.
It’s Complicated
Perry McDaniel understands a lot - about the fine art of precision crafting in wood, about what makes for a great puzzle, and most certainly about the subject at hand, a successful marriage.
Matters of the Heart
They say you never forget your first love, and it’s likely true with puzzle boxes too. I’d argue that with a Mowen’s puzzle box, on the other hand, you might try not to forget, but try as you might, you’ll get lost every time – and probably love every moment all over again.
Rival Arrival
Lex Luther, Dr. Doom, Magneto, Joker – arch enemies are easy to identify in hero centric fiction, and always seem to be the evil characters. I’m particularly fond of Moriarty, if we’re picking favorites.
Open and Shut
From the workshop of French mechanical engineer Benjamin Baley, proprietor at Simple Puzzle and creator of the original Simple Lock 1, comes, to put it simply, the sequel.