Puzzle specialist and collector Edward Hordern has selected 270 of the best puzzles from his collection of over 8,000 and systematically presents them in this book with full solutions. Interlocking solid puzzles, secret-opening puzzles, and maze and route puzzles are all part of a wide array of puzzle "art" that will mystify, intrigue, and entertain. Each puzzle is rated for difficulty and no mathematical knowledge is necessary to solve them. Novice and experts alike will be able to find suitable puzzles to challenge their wits and creativity.
Slide and turn the tabs page after page to discover adorable animals. This learning technique stimulates the fine motor skills and cognitive abilities of toddlers in a fun and dynamic way. Charming rhymes encourage young children to solve the puzzles and they are rewarded with a picture.
Slide and turn the tabs page after page to discover adorable animals. This learning technique stimulates the fine motor skills and cognitive abilities of toddlers in a fun and dynamic way. Charming rhymes encourage young children to solve the puzzles and they are rewarded with a picture.
The noted expert selects 70 of his favorite "short" puzzles, including such mind-bogglers as The Returning Explorer, The Mutilated Chessboard, Scrambled Box Tops, and dozens more involving logic and basic math. Solutions included.
This delightful book and jigsaw is an ideal way to introduce the numbers 1-10. The bright, appealing illustrations provide plenty of opportunities for counting, helping children understand the link between numbers and quantities, and the large, clear text supports the development of number recognition skills. The 25-piece jigsaw is perfect for developing shape matching and fine motor skills.
The 15 Puzzle Book contains an illustrated history of one of the most popular and important mechanical puzzles of all time. It can be argued that the 15 Puzzle in 1880 had the greatest impact on American and European society of any mechanical puzzle the world has ever known. Books by famous mathematicians tell that a deaf mute invented the 15 Puzzle but other sources claim it was invented by Sam Loyd, who Martin Gardner called, "America's greatest puzzle designer." Or has Sam Loyd, who claimed to invent the puzzle, continued to fool the world for more than 100 years? The true story of the puzzle is told here for the first time: - The real inventor and his patent application records were found. - The story of how the puzzle came to be manufactured. - Proof that the 15 Puzzle is mathematically impossible to solve. - How a young New Yorker solved it. - The worldwide puzzle craze that it created.
The authors show that there are underlying mathematical reasons for why games and puzzles are challenging (and perhaps why they are so much fun). They also show that games and puzzles can serve as powerful models of computation-quite different from the usual models of automata and circuits-offering a new way of thinking about computation. The appen
This book discusses how to design "good" geometric puzzles: two-dimensional dissection puzzles, polyhedral dissections, and burrs. It outlines major categories of geometric puzzles and provides examples, sometimes going into the history and philosophy of those examples. The author presents challenges and thoughtful questions, as well as practical d
Challenging collection includes some of the worldrsquo;s most perplexing brain-teasers by such masters as Sam Loyd, Johnny Eck and Henry Dudeney. Also, the stories behind the creation of the puzzles, the worldrsquo;s earliest riddles, the birth of the crossword puzzle, much more. Introduction. 146 illus.
Two sisters. A lost imperial treasure. The world’s greatest puzzle master has twenty-four hours to solve the most dangerous mystery of his life . . . or die trying, in “[this] breathlessly paced and nail-bitingly suspenseful” (Booklist) novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Puzzle Master, hailed as “thrilling” by David Baldacci. “This rip-roaring adventure thriller is an escapist puzzle box of delights: a neurodivergent hero, an unsolvable mystery, and death hanging over every move.”—Catherine Steadman, author of Something in the Water “[An] astounding sequel . . . This clever and satisfying novel cements Mike Brink as an action hero for the ages.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review It is the Year of the Wood Dragon, and the ingenious Mike Brink has been invited to Tokyo, Japan, to open the legendary Dragon Box. The box was constructed during one of Japan’s most tumultuous periods, when the samurai class was disbanded and the shogun lost power. In this moment of crisis, Emperor Meiji locked a priceless Imperial secret in the Dragon Box. Only two people knew how to open the box—Meiji and the box’s sadistic constructor—and both died without telling a soul what was inside or how to open it. Every twelve years since then, in the Year of the Dragon, the Imperial family holds a clandestine contest to open the box. It is devilishly difficult, filled with tricks, booby traps, poisons, and mind-bending twists. Every puzzle master who has attempted to open it has died in the process. But Brink is not just any puzzle master. He may be the only person alive who can crack it. His determination is matched only by that of two sisters, descendants of an illustrious samurai clan, who will stop at nothing to claim the treasure. Brink’s quest launches him on a breakneck adventure across Japan, from the Imperial Palace in Tokyo to the pristine forests of Hakone to an ancient cave in Kyushu. In the process, he discovers the power of Meiji’s hidden treasure, and—more crucially—the true nature of his extraordinary talent.
