My Best Mathematical and Logic Puzzles (Math & Logic Puzzles)

So get this one if you are good at mathematical thinking and want to challenge yourself. If you are weak in math and would rather read puzzles that require only logic, cleverness, and lateral thinking only, this may not be the one for you.


The best of one of the best   April 26, 2004
Ilkka Karanta (Espoo, Finland)
61 out of 61 found this review helpful

Martin Gardner is the grand old man of puzzles and recreational mathematics. I recommend this book for intermediary and advanced puzzle enthusiasts - beginners might find some of these too challenging.

Intermediary puzzlists will find the pleasures of often working at the upper edge of their skills. The solutions at the end of the book are complete enough so that even those who didn't get it right the first time will get aha insights.

The book is well worth its price even for puzzle enthusiasts. Even I knew many of the puzzles beforehand - classics indeed - but the notes in the solutions often add a twist, a clever solution or a human interest point of view.

The age recommendation of amazon.com - 4-8 years - is probably either an insider joke or a typo. I'd recommend this book to people between 14-80 years of age, and even over.


The best compilation from Martin Gardner's Scientific American mathematical games column   July 19, 2006
David De Sousa
20 out of 20 found this review helpful

"My best mathematical and logic puzzles" presents 70 of the best of the brain teaser that Martin Gardner published over a period of 25 years in his Mathematical games column at Scientific American. It some cases references to new developments related with specific puzzles have been added.

Martin Gardner was always especially careful to present in his American Scientific column only new and unfamiliar puzzles that have not been included in classic collections before. Now you can challenge your solving skills and rattle your ego with a compilation of his best mind-benders.

Here is an example of what you can find inside this book (31. The absent-minded teller}:

"An absent-minded bank teller switched the dollars and cents when he cashed a check for Mr. Brown, giving him dollars instead of cents, and cents instead of dollars. After buying a five-cent newspaper, Mr. Brown discovered that he had left exactly twice as much as his original check. What was the amount of the check?"

One of the best things about Martin Gardner books is that a carefully explained solution follows each problem, this way you learn and add new abilities to your problem solving skills, that will sure be helpful in solving real life problems, while entertaining yourself with a good and challenging reading.


A Splendid Collection From The Master   April 4, 1999
16 out of 17 found this review helpful

This is a fascinating collection of puzzles from the master of mathemagics. It's clear and undeniable: if you want the best in fun, challenging puzzles, buy anything written by Gardner or his heir apparent, Terry Stickels. You can't go wrong!!!


Truly the best math puzzles   September 21, 1998
flip440@aol.com (Minneapolis, U.S.)
11 out of 11 found this review helpful

Martin Gardner made this book excellent by putting in rare mathematical and logical puzzles. I found that throughout the entire book, I only knew one puzzle previously. He includes descriptive answers and puts in feedback from those who found different or better solutions. He also talks about any thoughts you might have that aren't in the solution, but closely related. I recommend this book, as it's one of the few that isn't filled with word puzzles. If you are looking for a book that makes you think, this is it.