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Martin Gardner
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The Colossal Book of Mathematics: Classic Puzzles, Paradoxes, and Problems Hardcover – September 17, 2001

by Martin Gardner (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 151 ratings
See all formats and editions
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No amateur or math authority can be without this ultimate compendium from America's best-loved mathematical expert.

Whether discussing hexaflexagons or number theory, Klein bottles or the essence of "nothing," Martin Gardner has single-handedly created the field of "recreational mathematics." The Colossal Book of Mathematics collects together Gardner's most popular pieces from his legendary "Mathematical Games" column, which ran in Scientific American for twenty-five years. Gardner's array of absorbing puzzles and mind-twisting paradoxes opens mathematics up to the world at large, inspiring people to see past numbers and formulas and experience the application of mathematical principles to the mysterious world around them. With articles on topics ranging from simple algebra to the twisting surfaces of Mobius strips, from an endless game of Bulgarian solitaire to the unreachable dream of time travel, this volume comprises a substantial and definitive monument to Gardner's influence on mathematics, science, and culture.

In its twelve sections, The Colossal Book of Math explores a wide range of areas, each startlingly illuminated by Gardner's incisive expertise. Beginning with seemingly simple topics, Gardner expertly guides us through complicated and wondrous worlds: by way of basic algebra we contemplate the mesmerizing, often hilarious, linguistic and numerical possibilities of palindromes; using simple geometry, he dissects the principles of symmetry upon which the renowned mathematical artist M. C. Escher constructs his unique, dizzying universe. Gardner, like few thinkers today, melds a rigorous scientific skepticism with a profound artistic and imaginative impulse. His stunning exploration of "The Church of the Fourth Dimension," for example, bridges the disparate worlds of religion and science by brilliantly imagining the spatial possibility of God's presence in the world as a fourth dimension, at once "everywhere and nowhere."

With boundless wisdom and his trademark wit, Gardner allows the reader to further engage challenging topics like probability and game theory which have plagued clever gamblers, and famous mathematicians, for centuries. Whether debunking Pascal's wager with basic probability, making visual music with fractals, or uncoiling a "knotted doughnut" with introductory topology, Gardner continuously displays his fierce intelligence and gentle humor. His articles confront both the comfortingly mundane―"Generalized Ticktacktoe" and "Sprouts and Brussel Sprouts"―and the quakingly abstract―"Hexaflexagons," "Nothing," and "Everything." He navigates these staggeringly obscure topics with a deft intelligence and, with addendums and suggested reading lists, he informs these classic articles with new insight.

Admired by scientists and mathematicians, writers and readers alike, Gardner's vast knowledge and burning curiosity reveal themselves on every page. The culmination of a lifelong devotion to the wonders of mathematics, The Colossal Book of Mathematics is the largest and most comprehensive math book ever assembled by Gardner and remains an indispensable volume for the amateur and expert alike.

From Publishers Weekly

This weighty collection, containing 50 of what the Annotated Alice annotator and popular science journalist considers his best Scientific American "Mathematical Games" columns, is sure to please the relatively small but intensely loyal coterie of Gardner fans. Arranged in 12 broad categories (arithmetic and algebra, plane geometry, topology, infinity, etc.), these pieces cover subjects that will delight recreational math buffs, such as Penrose tiles, hypercubes, Klein bottles and fractal music. In addition to an up-to-date bibliography, each section includes a new, sometimes lengthy addendum, which should be the main hook for those who already own the 15 volumes of Gardner's complete Scientific American columns. While books on math for general audiences by authors such as Amir Aczel have been in vogue of late, they've tended to focus on personalities and to avoid equations. Since this collection is filled with problems and expressions (illustrated with 320 line drawings) that require solving with pencil and paper, its appeal should be mainly limited to puzzle nuts, but Gardner's elegant style could draw in new aficionados. An enemy of charlatanry and pretension, who appreciates the beauty and complexity of language as well as numbers (and still actively writing at age 86), Gardner remains a model of clear prose, understated wit and intellectual honesty.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

"For more than half a century, Martin Gardner has been the single brightest beacon defending rationality and good science. . . . He is also one of the most brilliant men and gracious writers I have known."
― Stephen Jay Gould

About the Author

Martin Gardner (1914-2010) is regarded as one of the world's leading experts on Lewis Carroll and his work. The author of more than a hundred books, he wrote the "Mathematical Games" column for Scientific American for twenty-five years and has been hailed by Douglas Hofstadter as "one of the great intellects produced in this country in this century."
Previous page
  1. Print length
    736 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    W. W. Norton & Company
  4. Publication date
    September 17, 2001
  5. Dimensions
    7.3 x 1.8 x 9.6 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0393020231
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0393020236
  8. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ W. W. Norton & Company; First Edition, Later Printing (September 17, 2001)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 736 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0393020231
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0393020236
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.99 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.3 x 1.8 x 9.6 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 151 ratings

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Martin Gardner

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For 25 of his 95 years, Martin Gardner wrote 'Mathematical Games and Recreations', a monthly column for Scientific American magazine. These columns have inspired hundreds of thousands of readers to delve more deeply into the large world of mathematics. He has also made significant contributions to magic, philosophy, debunking pseudoscience, and children's literature. He has produced more than 60 books, including many best sellers, most of which are still in print. His Annotated Alice has sold more than a million copies. He continues to write a regular column for the Skeptical Inquirer magazine.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
151 global ratings
Do NOT buy this for Kindle until graphic problems are fixed!!
1 Star
Do NOT buy this for Kindle until graphic problems are fixed!!
I love Martin Gardner and I've seen this book in stores. When I saw it was available for Kindle I bought it immediately. Well, while some pages and chapters are readable, the overall quality of the Kindle version is horrible. I should note that I only tried to open this in the Kindle app on my phone and not an actual Kindle device, I don't know if a Kindle device would show pages correctly.But in the Kindle app, some pages with all text came out ok, but any page with a Diagram on it, forget it, just a jumbled mess. I've attached some screen shots of these issues, some are from the introduction and others are from the chapter describing Gardner's legendary game learning "machine", Hexapawn.Again, this is from the Kindle App, I did not try viewing on a Kindle device.This is a great book, but don't get it for Kindle until these issues are fixed. I can't believe books can make it this far without being tested.Returning for refund
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Top reviews from the United States

NO
5.0 out of 5 stars Gardener is always great, and this a great collection
Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2023
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Mycroft
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent compendium
Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2021
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Jotoro
5.0 out of 5 stars Came in on time.
Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2021
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Katt
5.0 out of 5 stars Exciting and educational
Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2020
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Thomas Reiter
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Read
Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2004
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LedFoot Coyote
5.0 out of 5 stars A Treasure Trove of Great Reading
Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2013
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Paulamalu
5.0 out of 5 stars Granddaughter loves it!
Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2019
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Odelie Huet
5.0 out of 5 stars Keeps you in math mode
Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2019
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Livro físico, é execelente
5.0 out of 5 stars Livro físico
Reviewed in Brazil on July 14, 2023
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Francisco Gil Leyva García
5.0 out of 5 stars Un gran texto sobre matemáticas recreativas
Reviewed in Mexico on June 10, 2023
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ckob
1.0 out of 5 stars Completely unusable
Reviewed in Germany on June 13, 2023
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ckob
1.0 out of 5 stars Completely unusable
Reviewed in Germany on June 13, 2023
Badly scanned and converted - page after page like the one in the picture at the beginning, and when it gets to text the font sizes are all over the place.
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Pat Garret
5.0 out of 5 stars Bible des « jeux mathématiques »
Reviewed in France on January 24, 2018
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DC
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on February 7, 2017
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