Product Description

A companion to the same author's "Dictionary of Curious and Interesting Numbers" and "Dictionary of Curious and Interesting Geometry", this book covers mathematical and logical puzzles from the Ancient Greeks to the present day.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #909789 in Books
• Published on: 1993-04-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

Customer Reviews

Fine puzzle book; delivers what title promises
For a collection of the best puzzles from around the world throughout history, nothing beats this book. David Wells draws on sources such the medieval monk Alcuin, the 18th-century Ladies' Diary, the Bhakshali Hindu manuscript as well more familiar 19th-century authors like Lewis Carroll (Alice in Wonderland). These puzzles in logic and math range from the pretty easy to the quite challenging, from divided fields and magic squares to riddles and rhymes. But all you need is pencil and paper; no specialized knowledge in math or logic (or advanced degree) is required.

Excellent Collection of Puzzles
This is an excellent and comprehensive collection of puzzles. It contains most of the classic and well-known puzzles of this type that I know. Also, every puzzle is unique and it does not contain redundant puzzles like "What is the next figure?" or number series.

Most of the puzzles require at most K12 math knowledge, making it suitable for teenagers. The only flaw I found in it was that the puzzle index is not very robust regarding variations on the same puzzle.

All in all, a very good book for hours of pondering.

Good puzzle survey...
Although it is a Q&A style book it is a good puzzle survey