Symbolic Logic and the Game of Logic (Dover Recreational Math) [Paperback]

Lewis Carroll (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0486204928 | ISBN-13: 978-0486204925 | Publication Date: June 1, 1958 | Edition: First edition.

In this unique fusion of logical thought and inimitable whimsy, Over 350 ingenious problems involve classical logic: logic is expressed in terms of symbols; syllogisms and the sorites are diagrammed; logic becomes a game played with 2 diagrams and a set of counters. Two books bound as one.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Yes, this is the Lewis Carroll who wrote Alice in Wonderland, and these two works show the same quirky humor. Here you see Carroll the mathematician at his playful best. Don't let the title of the first work mislead you--this isn't about modern symbolic logic but about ways of expressing classical logic with symbols. It's loaded with amusing problems to delight any mathematical puzzler. In the second work he turns logic into a game played with diagrams and colored counters, giving you hundreds of challenging and witty syllogisms to solve. Great mind-stretching fun.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications; First edition. edition (June 1, 1958)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486204928
• ISBN-13: 978-0486204925
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #540,728 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lewis Carroll (1832-1898), the pen name of Oxford mathematician, logician, photographer and author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, is famous the world over for his fantastic classics "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," "Through the Looking Glass," "The Hunting of the Snark," "Jabberwocky," and "Sylvie and Bruno."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great book to teach logic to children, May 25, 1999

By 

Sergei Mikhelson ([e-mail]) (New York, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Symbolic Logic and the Game of Logic (Dover Recreational Math) (Paperback)

This book by Lewis Carroll is a wonderful source to learn the basics of logic in a funny and natural way. It can be used as a self-study guide or as a manual for educators teaching elements of logic to schoolchildren. It is very clear and consequent and gives the basic idea of propositions and syllogisms. The theory is framed in an unusual game that makes it much more understandable. As always Carroll's examples are a little bit absurdic but this is exactly what makes them humorous, attractive and involving. The book is also a great brain teaser for readers of all ages. Unfortunately it is not as well known as Alice in Wonderland but it has been translated into many foreign languages. I widely used the Russain translation when teaching logic to schoolchildren in St. Petersburg, Russia. Currently being a doctoral student in the States I try to introduce it to my colleagues.

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reminds us that math can be FUN, January 20, 2000

By 

boeanthropist "Philip Welsh" (Cambridge, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Symbolic Logic and the Game of Logic (Dover Recreational Math) (Paperback)

Math is fun, but the rhetoric of most 'taught' (probably an overstatement) math (and, by extension, logic) is so incredibly dry that the forest is rarely seen for the bark on the trees. But here Carroll, with tongue lodged firmly in cheek, turns the rhetoric (and by extension, the way we think about math problems) on its ear, and the result is an often incredibly funny approach to math and logic problems which stays with you and ultimately worms its way into your quotidian. I'll also say that, as an atrociously poor student in high school, this book allowed me to ace the SATs, and then ten years later the GREs.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This ain't Wonderland, July 21, 2006

By 

KnottyFella (Phoenix, AZ USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Symbolic Logic and the Game of Logic (Dover Recreational Math) (Paperback)

Some books you read to relax, some to learn, and some...well, some will make you think and wonder and grow. This is one of those.

The problems here have been around for more than a century, and yet they are still as effective in teaching logic as the day they were written.

If you are getting ready for the LSAT, this is not a bad place to start. If you just want to tease your intellect, this is a great source for hours of amusement.