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Apparently there was a glitch in the online publication of this puzzle, causing it to be available even earlier than usual. Which I suppose was good news for the obsessives on the other board, but probably didn't make a lot of difference to most of us.

Quite a good puzzle, good construction, one or two different clues, and a theme which didn't involve children's literature.

Now, not being any kind of expert in the theme, I'm wondering exactly where the 4 lines go. I've discovered something similar online, 'Composition II in...', and it doesn't look the same as what I have in front of me. I can see the general drift with the lines, but if I was to delineate all 3 squares, I'd need 5 lines...I'm feeling a bit intangible...

Really enjoyed this one. I'm able to delineate the 3 squares with 4 lines but I'm not entirely certain about the length of the lines. The simplest solution would have all 4 lines the same length. But it seems to me that 2 of the lines could be made 25% shorter and the overall solution would still be "in accordance with the thematic name".

I've seen my error, thanks Beepy. A lot of care needs to be taken in the outlines of the squares. My first attempt at square 1 was a row lower than it should have been. Now I can manage with 4 lines.

I think the solution with all lines of equal length makes sense. Though it still doesn't really match the original, which has particularly broad lines down the sides, and numerous lines through the centre - not solely for delineating squares.

Really struggling to get started on this one. Cold solved a few clues but would appreciate some advice on how to get started. Square 3 is where I've made the most progress with the Cole solving. Thanks in advance

Hi MandyRob, I also started with Square 3. For a while the cold-solving was quite slow, then I noticed that the last letters of answers 1 & 6 would fit with answer 4, if I set them in a certain way. Pretty soon I got (across) answer 2 to confirm that arrangement.

There are only 2 7-letter answers, so when the 7-letter answer from 'Other Clues' also fitted the above arrangement, it was useful confirmation.

Mandyrob, one of the Square 3 answers is an 11-letter word, the clue to which is anagram-based. One of the letters in the word makes it a highly unlikely entry for the RH side. It crosses one of the easier clues in the 'other clues' set, a 7-letter answer.

That was difficult!! Superb clues and construction. I normally find having to cold solve most of the clues tedious and irritating, but once I plunged in and attempted to fit what I had I found this crossword really enjoyable.

Really enjoyed this. Some easy clues to get started, then some really difficult. Was held up for a long time with penultimate clue for square 3, where I had 'ion' instead of 'ory' as the ending.
I agree with meursault about the lines being the same length. However, if this is the case, wouldn't the preamble have said this? Something to ponder on.

Hi MandyRob. Start with square 1. Once you get clue 4 you'll find that it can only go in 2 places. Then get clue 5 (Frankie Howerd "------ ye not") and you'll find your starting place. Then onto square 3, where you should have a good idea of the rough position. If you're struggling with the 4th clue of square 3, it's something we both use. (I'm assuming you're female). Hope this helps.

Gitto, I second your praise for the clues. There were many examples of clever deception. It's a brilliantly engineered puzzle. The lack of answer lengths and abnormal presentation of clues should have made it a nightmare to complete, but somehow it didn't turn out that way (at least, not for me). The balance between straightforward and tricky clues was very finely judged.