In 2001, Stefan Fatsis introduced readers to the underground world of competitive SCRABBLE, and the colorful characters for whom the game is life. Now, in a brand new preface and afterword, the author returns to this fascinating and diverse subculture, and revisits the game and players readers discovered a decade ago. A long-awaited update to a contemporary classic, the 10th Anniversary Edition of WORD FREAK explains how the rules of the game have changed, and why our love of SCRABBLE remains exactly the same.

Word Freak tells the story of how the Scrabble game was invented by an unemployed architect during the Great Depression and how it grew into the hugely successful, challenging, and beloved game it is today. Along the way, Fatsis chronicles his own obsession with the game and his development as a player from novice to expert. More than a book about hardcore SCRABBLE players, WORD FREAK is also an examination of notions of brilliance, memory, language, competition, and the mind that celebrates the uncanny creative powers in us all.