BEHIND THE KING'S KITCHEN: A Roster of Rhyming Riddles

An attractive presentation of traditional and other riddles, chosen as much for their poetic quality as for their humor or the challenge of the puzzles; the thematic grouping would tend to suggest solutions even if the answers weren't given. What isn't provided is accessible sourcing; though a list of works like the Opies' volumes is appended, readers must guess, for example, what era described a watch as ""Beloved by men of degree."" Only entries from known authors are specifically attributed; these include elegant literary translations from Symphosius (fourth century) by Richard Wilbur, nice oddments from Tolkien, Swenson, and Rossetti, and several--mostly doggerel--from the editors. Hnizdovsky's lovely, spare woodcuts, on most spreads, contribute to the handsome format but have little child appeal. Overall: pleasing but not essential.