5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exhaustively researched and documented history of a social craze, June 12, 2006
This review is from: The 15 Puzzle book (Hardcover)
In the late nineteenth century, the Fifteen Puzzle became an international craze. It is a simple puzzle made of square blocks, labeled with the numbers 1 through 15. They are placed in a flat container with room for 16 squares, which leaves one cell empty. Without lifting a block out of the container, the player is to rearrange the blocks into a different pattern.
The great puzzle master Sam Loyd claimed to have invented the Fifteen Puzzle and that claim has stood largely unchallenged for 115 years. Slocum and Sonneveld have conducted extensive research, exhaustively exhuming every mention of the puzzle that they could find. Loyd did not invent the puzzle, but to learn the name of the inventor, you will have to read the book.
A great deal of the book is devoted to short blurbs from newspapers that mention the Fifteen Puzzle. By themselves, they are not terribly interesting. What I found most interesting were the graphs that display the spread of the puzzle across the United States. The graphs are based on the number of times the Fifteen Puzzle is mentioned in the newspapers of the cities. It started in Boston, Massachusetts and ends in Helena, Montana.
This book is a complete history of the Fifteen Puzzle and several proofs of the conditions that allow for solutions are also included. It also documents how the puzzle started a craze, where so many people worked at it to the exclusion of many other aspects of their lives. If you are interested in puzzles, history, fads or group social behaviors, this is a book that you can read and enjoy.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Slocum comes up with another winner!, June 6, 2006
This review is from: The 15 Puzzle book (Hardcover)
Whenever you see Jerry Slocum and any of his associates,in this case Dic Sonneveld,involved in something; you can count on it being First Class.
This new book is simply delightful for any puzzle lover. They take one of the most common of all puzzles,The 15 Puzzle,and show that it has a background that arguably makes it the most popular puzzle craze of all time.
The book is a great read,filled with everything about the puzzle; from its creation,and how it took the whole world by storm. Much of what the book covers is unknown to many who love puzzles and have seen this puzzle from the days we first became interested in them. Most of us had never imagined what an intriguing history it has had.
Their search of everything written about the puzzle would take many years for one to attempt on their own; but here in this book,they give it all to us to enjoy.
The book is loaded with excellent and rare photos and illustrations of the people,newspaper clippings,and puzzles from the worlds finest collections. They have run down all the legends and things said about the puzzle over the years and sorted out the fact from fiction; a major puzzle in itself.
They show why the puzzle,with all the tiles in their proper locations,except for 14 and 15 reversed; cannot be solved. This was the problem that created the frenzy in 1880; and made it "The Greatest Puzzle of All Time".
The book also includes several puzzle arrangements to challenge you; along with solutions.
There are excellent references at the back which will be a treasure for anyone who wants to dig further. As much as anyone thinks they know about the 15 Puzzle; this book will be a fascinating eye opener; and it is unlikely they will ever look at this little gem of a puzzle the same way again.
I have been a puzzle fan for over 50 years and have over 500 puzzle books in my library; however,I have no hesitation in saying this will become one of my favorites. I am sure I will pull it out many times to thumb through it in the future.
The highest quality of paper,printing,color and overall construction has gone into its manufacture and it is sure to become a classic among puzzle books.
There is another excellent aspect of this book,that is not at first obvious. Even if someone is not particularly interested in puzzles; they will find it does an excellent job of showing how a "craze" gets started and takes off like a firestorm. We have all seen it with things like Yo-Yos,Hula-Hoops,Pet Rocks.Rubik's Cubes;and the latest,Sudoku Puzzles.
The 15 Puzzle is surely a great example,and even after 125 years,it is still one of the most common of all puzzles.
An excellent treat for yourself or for anyone who likes puzzles.
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