Tom M. Rodgers

"This collection is a tribute to Martin Gardner by mathematicians, puzzle masters, and magicians. It was conceived and initiated in honor of his 90th birthday and is finally published as he celebrates his 94th year, maintaining the inspiring creativity that has motivated so many professional mathematicians and amateurs, who are all dedicated to his unique amalgamation of rational thought and magic. Some of the contributions celebrate the life of Martin Gardner; some tell about his influence on individuals or on the field of recreational mathematics in general; some are puzzles or tricks inspired by Martin Gardner and his work." "Martin Gardner stands at the intersection of magic and mathematics. Mathematical magic, like chess, has its own curious charms, he says. [It] combines the beauty of mathematical structure with the entertainment value of a trick. Martin Gardner has been writing about magic and contributing new effects for nearly seventy years. Today, he keeps in contact with magicians like Penn and Teller by phone and receives occasional visits from magicians who come to trade notes with him. In 1999 he was named one of MAGIC Magazine s 100 most influential magicians of the twentieth century."--Jacket.

The tradition of honoring Martin Gardner continues with this edited collection of articles by those who have been inspired by Gardner to enter mathematics, to enter magic, to bring magic into their mathematics, or to bring mathematics into their magic. Contributing authors include world-leading puzzle designers, puzzle collectors, mathematicians, and magicians. The variety of articles includes card or magic tricks (with a mathematical trick behind them), the history behind given puzzles, mathematically interesting objects involving the number seven, and puzzles for the reader to solve. Specific puzzles discussed include tangram, 14-15 Puzzle, seven-coloring of the torus, packing circles, Crazy Elephant Dance, and more!

"The tradition continues with this new carefully selected and edited collection in which Martin Gardner and friends inspire and entertain. The contributors to this volume - virtually a list of Who's Who in the World of Puzzles - trace their inspiration to Gardner's puzzle column in Scientific American and to his contributions to the world of recreational mathematics."--book jacket.