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Mathematics, Magic and Mystery (Dover Puzzle Books: Math Puzzles) Paperback – June 1, 1956

by Martin Gardner (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 166 ratings
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Why do card tricks work? How can magicians do astonishing feats of mathematics mentally? Why do stage "mind-reading" tricks work? As a rule, we simply accept these tricks and "magic" without recognizing that they are really demonstrations of strict laws based on probability, sets, number theory, topology, and other branches of mathematics.This is the first book-length study of this fascinating branch of recreational mathematics. Written by one of the foremost experts on mathematical magic, it employs considerable historical data to summarize all previous work in this field. It is also a creative examination of laws and their exemplification, with scores of new tricks, insights, and demonstrations. Dozens of topological tricks are explained, and dozens of manipulation tricks are aligned with mathematical law.Nontechnical, detailed, and clear, this volume contains 115 sections discussing tricks with cards, dice, coins, etc.; topological tricks with handkerchiefs, cards, etc.; geometrical vanishing effects; demonstrations with pure numbers; and dozens of other topics. You will learn how a Moebius strip works and how a Curry square can "prove" that the whole is not equal to the sum of its parts.No skill at sleight of hand is needed to perform the more than 500 tricks described because mathematics guarantees their success. Detailed examination of laws and their application permits you to create your own problems and effects.
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  1. Reading age
    12 years and up
  2. Part of series
    Dover Recreational Math
  3. Print length
    208 pages
  4. Language
    English
  5. Lexile measure
    1110L
  6. Dimensions
    4.96 x 0.43 x 7.95 inches
  7. Publisher
    Dover Publications
  8. Publication date
    June 1, 1956
  9. ISBN-10
    9780486203355
  10. ISBN-13
    978-0486203355
  11. See all details
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From the Publisher

Mathematics, Magic and Mystery
Mathematics, Magic and Mystery

image of Martin Gardner
Martin Gardner

This is the first book-length study of this fascinating branch of recreational mathematics. It is also a creative examination of laws and their exemplification, with scores of new tricks, insights, and demonstrations. Dozens of topological tricks are explained, and dozens of manipulation tricks are aligned with mathematical law.

Written by one of the foremost experts on mathematical magic

Mathematics, Magic and Mystery

We simply accept these tricks and "magic" without recognizing that they are really demonstrations of strict laws based on probability, sets, number theory, topology, and other branches of mathematics.

Nontechnical, detailed, and clear, this volume contains 115 sections discussing tricks with cards, dice, coins, etc.; topological tricks with handkerchiefs, cards, etc.; geometrical vanishing effects; demonstrations with pure numbers; and dozens of other topics.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Why do card tricks work? How can magicians do astonishing feats of mathematics mentally? Why do stage "mind-reading" tricks work? As a rule, we simply accept these tricks and "magic" without recognizing that they are really demonstrations of strict laws based on probability, sets, number theory, topology, and other branches of mathematics.This is the first book-length study of this fascinating branch of recreational mathematics. Written by one of the foremost experts on mathematical magic, it employs considerable historical data to summarize all previous work in this field. It is also a creative examination of laws and their exemplification, with scores of new tricks, insights, and demonstrations. Dozens of topological tricks are explained, and dozens of manipulation tricks are aligned with mathematical law.Nontechnical, detailed, and clear, this volume contains 115 sections discussing tricks with cards, dice, coins, etc.; topological tricks with handkerchiefs, cards, etc.; geometrical vanishing effects; demonstrations with pure numbers; and dozens of other topics. You will learn how a Moebius strip works and how a Curry square can "prove" that the whole is not equal to the sum of its parts.No skill at sleight of hand is needed to perform the more than 500 tricks described because mathematics guarantees their success. Detailed examination of laws and their application permits you to create your own problems and effects.

About the Author

Martin Gardner was a renowned author who published over 70 books on subjects from science and math to poetry and religion. He also had a lifelong passion for magic tricks and puzzles. Well known for his mathematical games column in Scientific American and his "Trick of the Month" in Physics Teacher magazine, Gardner attracted a loyal following with his intelligence, wit, and imagination.

Martin Gardner: A Remembrance
The worldwide mathematical community was saddened by the death of Martin Gardner on May 22, 2010. Martin was 95 years old when he died, and had written 70 or 80 books during his long lifetime as an author. Martin's first Dover books were published in 1956 and 1957: Mathematics, Magic and Mystery, one of the first popular books on the intellectual excitement of mathematics to reach a wide audience, and Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science, certainly one of the first popular books to cast a devastatingly skeptical eye on the claims of pseudoscience and the many guises in which the modern world has given rise to it. Both of these pioneering books are still in print with Dover today along with more than a dozen other titles of Martin's books. They run the gamut from his elementary Codes, Ciphers and Secret Writing, which has been enjoyed by generations of younger readers since the 1980s, to the more demanding The New Ambidextrous Universe: Symmetry and Asymmetry from Mirror Reflections to Superstrings, which Dover published in its final revised form in 2005.

To those of us who have been associated with Dover for a long time, however, Martin was more than an author, albeit a remarkably popular and successful one. As a member of the small group of long-time advisors and consultants, which included NYU's Morris Kline in mathematics, Harvard's I. Bernard Cohen in the history of science, and MIT's J. P. Den Hartog in engineering, Martin's advice and editorial suggestions in the formative 1950s helped to define the Dover publishing program and give it the point of view which — despite many changes, new directions, and the consequences of evolution — continues to be operative today.

In the Author's Own Words:
"Politicians, real-estate agents, used-car salesmen, and advertising copy-writers are expected to stretch facts in self-serving directions, but scientists who falsify their results are regarded by their peers as committing an inexcusable crime. Yet the sad fact is that the history of science swarms with cases of outright fakery and instances of scientists who unconsciously distorted their work by seeing it through lenses of passionately held beliefs."

"A surprising proportion of mathematicians are accomplished musicians. Is it because music and mathematics share patterns that are beautiful?" — Martin Gardner

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0486203352
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dover Publications; First Edition (June 1, 1956)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 208 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780486203355
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0486203355
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 12 years and up
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1110L
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.96 x 0.43 x 7.95 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 166 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

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
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166 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Bruce Torrence
5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic
Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2014
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If you're new to Gardner's mathematical writing, this is a great place to start. The theme for Mathematics Awareness Month 2014 is taken from this book (visit mathaware.org to see the result), and fun as that site is to explore this book really has it all. Gardner has a clear, inviting style that is disarming in its directness. Yet he takes you almost immediately to strange and wonderful places that truly show off the beauty of abstract mathematical ideas. What a ride. I've had a ball rediscovering this classic book.
8 people found this helpful
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Justin R.
5.0 out of 5 stars Great product!
Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2020
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Great product!
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Bob Lewis
4.0 out of 5 stars Encyclopedic
Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2019
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I've spent many years studying both magic and mathematics (separately and together). When it comes to joining these fields together, there have been a number of important individuals who've made a number of important contributions, but Martin Gardner is the grandfather of us all. This book represents a treasury of over a hundred mathematical magic tricks, more than enough to keep the reader busy for years.

The wonderful thing about this book is its scope. Despite being a relatively short book, it covers a lot of territory, featuring mathematical magic tricks using a wide range of props ranging from mere numbers themselves to playing cards and ropes and much more. If you want the largest collection of mathematical trickery I've ever seen conveniently presented in a single reference, this is the book for you.

However, if you're looking for a detailed exploration of the mathematics behind those tricks, you may be disappointed. While Gardner's other works clearly demonstrate that he was up to the task, he didn't provide much mathematical depth in this book. It's a rare page that even contains a single equation. The result is a book that, though it covers mathematical ground, is much better suited to the amateur magician than to the amateur mathematician.
14 people found this helpful
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Rachlu91
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2014
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My 12 year old who loves math and science cannot get enough of these books. I highly recommend this author.
2 people found this helpful
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J D GOETTEE
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2014
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Great source of curiosity and discussion topics with my algebra student.
One person found this helpful
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T. M. Clancy
3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing ook
Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2024
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This was a disappointment !
This hardback addition was $14 more dollars than the paperback. It was obvious that the contents were just a paperback formated book (font size centering on the smaller page, etc) with a hard front and back cover. It was as if the soft covers were torn off of a paperback and replaced by hard covers. Hardly worth so much more money.
I intend to return it.
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One Dennis
5.0 out of 5 stars Thx
Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2017
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Thx
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Jeff Martin Jeff l Martin
4.0 out of 5 stars A great history of all the Greats in Magical Math.
Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2012
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This is a lot of information, well presented, in a compact source. As a pro magician & an educational assembly performer, I can use this as a quick source for material to use in my shows.
4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Big Mac of Ann Arbor
5.0 out of 5 stars Fine book to encourage studies!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 5, 2024
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This is a good way to get kids interested in math thru card tricks, designs, puzzles, etc.
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Claudio Provini
5.0 out of 5 stars Eccellente
Reviewed in Italy on July 9, 2022
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Eccellente, come da aspettative. Ideale per prestigiatori, ma anche per appassionati di curiosità matematiche. Necessaria una buona comprensione dell'inglese scritto.
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Anonymous
1.0 out of 5 stars Disapointed
Reviewed in Canada on June 5, 2020
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Book was received damaged.
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Sergio Sienes
5.0 out of 5 stars Grandioso libro
Reviewed in Spain on September 10, 2020
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Esta editorial siempre tiene precios muy baratos en libros espectaculares. Poco a poco voy adquiriendo una buena colección de maravillas de la magia gracias a ellos. Buena edición y calidad. Dover genial como siempre.
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Perpendicular
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it
Reviewed in India on January 19, 2020
Verified Purchase
One of my favorites ...nice magic tricks with common objects like dices, cards & dominos
And better understanding of mathematics behind it .awesome value for money ...I would recommend another of Martin gardner's it's called "the whys of philosophical servicemen"
One person found this helpful
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