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Martin Gardner
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The Last Recreations: Hydras, Eggs, and Other Mathematical Mystifications Hardcover – July 18, 1997

by Martin Gardner (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 9 ratings
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Of all of Martin Gardners writings, none gained him a wider audience or was more central to his reputation than his Mathematical Recreations column in Scientific American - which virtually defined the genre of popular mathematics writing for a generation. Flatland, Hydras and Eggs: Mathematical Mystifications is the final collection of these columns, covering the period roughly from 1979 to Gardners retirement in 1986. As always in his published collections, Gardner includes letters commenting on the ideas presented in his articles. These columns show him at the top of his form and should not be missed by anyone with an interest in mathematics.
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  1. Print length
    392 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Copernicus
  4. Publication date
    July 18, 1997
  5. Dimensions
    6.5 x 1.25 x 10 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0387949291
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0387949291
  8. See all details
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The Amazon Book Review
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The Last Recreations collects the final works of Martin Gardner, the renowned "Mathematical Games" columnist for Scientific American. No prior knowledge of mathematics are necessary here; all will enjoy learning about topics ranging from Bulgarian solitaire to taxicab geometry, with experienced expositor Gardner as guide. Letters and updates concerning his column are also included in this book.

From Scientific American

Gardner, who conducted the immensely popular Mathematical Games department of this magazine from 1956 to 1981, presents here his 15th and final (he says) collection of those columns. There are 23 of them, culled from his last seven years of writing for the magazine. They deal with such engaging topics as "The Wonders of a Planiverse," "Bulgarian Solitaire and Other Seemingly Endless Tasks," "M-Pire Maps," "The Monster and Other Sporadic Groups" and "Taxicab Geometry." As in previous collections, Gardner brings his topics up-to-date and includes some of the letters from readers that his beguiling problems brought forth.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Copernicus; First Edition (July 18, 1997)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 392 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0387949291
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0387949291
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.65 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.25 x 10 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 9 ratings

About the author

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Martin Gardner

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

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
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9 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Kenneth A. Perko, Jr.
4.0 out of 5 stars Not Quite Right
Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2014
Verified Purchase
Not quite right in its account of the tabulation of 11-crossing knots, the book is an entertaining romp through the world of mathematics, wholly satisfactory for recreational purposes.
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Piers Cawley
4.0 out of 5 stars Whoah! Nostalgia!
Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 1998
Reading this takes me back to time spent in my school's library poring over Gardner's columns in Scientific American. Several of the columns in this book I first read as a nerdy 14 year old and was staggered then (as I am now) by the elegance and beauty of the ideas they contained. Now I read it with a far greater appreciation of the problems and ideas expressed, but that doesn't compare with the sheer sense of wonder I experienced first time around.
6 people found this helpful
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Giant Panda
3.0 out of 5 stars Not as interesting as his earlier books
Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2008
I have long enjoyed reading Martin Gardner's books for their content of entertaining mathematical puzzles. Unfortunately, this volume is not as entertaining as the earlier books. The book takes thoroughness to the extreme, beating every issue to death and hence reading more like a textbook than a puzzle book. Further there is little diversity in topics - most chapters come from number theory or topology. Still you will find some interesting problems in this one: flatland, cannibals, taxicab geometry, checkers, the pigeonhole, and non-Euclidean geometry. Just don't plan to read everything or you will end up bogged down.
One person found this helpful
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Ben Hsu
4.0 out of 5 stars whoa! slow down!
Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2000
Maybe its that I'm looking at the past through rose colored glasses, but when I read this I did'nt experience the same sense of wonder that I did when I was 13. Martin touches on very very cool topics, but my main gripe is that he whizzes through everything, often just giving a pointer to another book, which is great in that it encourages more exploration but is frustrating at the same time. But if you havent encountared recreational mathematics before, take a look, Martin does a wonderful job in making math FUN!
3 people found this helpful
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Ramon Companys Pascual
4.0 out of 5 stars Buen libro de Matemática Recreativa
Reviewed in Spain on May 27, 2018
Verified Purchase
Martin Gardner es siempre interesante. Para los aficionados a los problemas de matemática recreativa es un autor fundamental. Periódicamnete vuelvo a leer sus obras..
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