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I have two possible shapes, and two possible highlighted letters.

The version where a vowel is highlighted gives an area that is associated with the bottom row but is not quite the 56a- rather the opposite.

The version where a consonant is highlighted gives an area that is the “correct” answer to the 56a as stated in a work with 28 letters in the title, but also there are 2 ambiguous versions of the shape.

I suspect it is the first and I am overthinking the lore.

Am getting on fairly well with this,but perimeter entries are jumbled means there will be many ambiguities,or am I not seeing something?

Great puzzle: tough but most enjoyable. The clue for 13 across was brilliant.
I have everything except 30ac ,despite the earlier post, and 38ac, which I can't make head or tail of.

Doctorj, I think it's the top line of the perimeter that is relevant, in which case there is only one solution.

Earmaniac, some of the letters in the perimeter are fixed by other clues. After they are substituted, they leave only proper words or abbreviations. Some have only one or two possible substitutions. Starting with these and filling in the letters of the substituted words as you go, you can discover the cipher.

Mack,

30a is 2 (common crossword measure, reversed) +3 (relative), giving a BRB word for counter in a specific game.

38a is (I think) 2 ('like this') + 3 (most of a neck twist), all reversed, giving a BRB word for 'bows'.

Thanks, Barnacle. Both were simpler than I had imagined.

doctorj:

There are exactly 2 ways to use the diagonal from the NW to SE corner of the grid and some of the top edge of the grid to form a shape that is 1a. One of them is too big as its area is more than 56. The other one has an area that is associated with the 55a 56a and that cell definitely has a vowel in it.

Other 7a's are possible but they are not 1a.

Thanks- I showed it to a couple of non-Listener friends and they agreed the key is using the diagonal, so it’s a case of understanding the written instructions!

I still think 56a isn’t the right description but never mind- great puzzle regardless.

Talking of keys, I have managed to solve the puzzle but without being able to crack the substitution cipher. Probably difficult to give a hint to it without giving the game away but a cryptic tip to the key would be much appreciated.