Best Selling Books by MARTIN GARDNER

Not since his Science: Good, Bad and Bogus has there been such a bountiful offering of the delightful combination of drollery and horse sense that has made Martin Gardner the undisputed dean of the critics of pseudoscience. In The New Age: Notes of a Fringe-Watcher, Gardner confronts new trends in pseudoscience and the paranormal: from the much-publicized past-life exploits of Shirley MacLaine to the latest in perpetual-motion machines, from "prime-time preachers" to the "channeling mania" of the past few years. Many of these pieces were published in Gardner''s column in the Skeptical Inquirer. Others appeared in the New York Times, The New York Review of Books, Discover magazine, and other publications. Gardner has added forewords and/or afterwords to most of the chapters to give background, to bring recent developments to light, or to include responses from his critics. Destined to be a classic of skeptical literature, this book will be a welcome treat for Gardner fans and a rewarding adventure for his new readers.

Famed puzzle expert explains math behind a multitude of mystifying tricks: card tricks, stage "mind reading," coin and match tricks, counting out games, geometric dissections, etc. More than 400 tricks. 135 illustrations.

"I have always been intrigued by fringe science," writes Martin Gardner in the preface to this book, "perhaps for the same reason that I enjoy freak shows and circuses. Pseudoscientists, especially the extreme cranks, are fascinating creatures for psychological study. Moreover, I have found that one of the best ways to learn something about any branch of science is to find out where its crackpots go wrong."A unique combination of horse sense and drollery has made Martin Gardner the undisputed dean of the critics of pseudoscience. This bountiful collection of essays and articles will be wholeheartedly greeted by Gardner''''s fans, as well as by new readers.This collection of articles - many of which first appeared in the Skeptical Inquirer, the New York Review of Books, and Free Inquiry - explores pseudoscience and strange religious beliefs with the author''''s trademark wit and verve. Destined to be a classic of skeptical literature, this book covers a wide range of topics - including UFOs, rainmaking, ghosts, the Big Bang, ESP, Oral Roberts, as well as the early history of spiritualism and today''''s bizarre "trance channeling" cults.

One of the subject''s clearest, most entertaining introductions offers lucid explanations of special and general theories of relativity, gravity, and spacetime, models of the universe, and more. 100 illustrations.

Professor Picanumba has dozens of surefire tricks up his sleeve — and he''s willing to show junior mathemagicians how to predict the answers to 88 word and number challenges. Includes solutions and illustrations.

The definitive work of Martin Gardner''s brilliant, seven-decades-long career, "The Night Is Large" collects 54 of the most significant essays by this popular writer best known for his "Mathematical Games" columns which appeared in "Scientific American" magazine for more than 25 years.

In addition to helping students reach the right answers, this book opens new mental vistas for readers previously afraid of, or hostile to higher mathematics.

Here is Martin Gardner''''s first collection of short stories. Culled from fiction written over the years for such magazines as Esquire and the London Mystery Magazine, The No-Sided Professor is proof that Gardner''''s expertise does not stop at his scientific and mathematical works. Only Gardner can infuse short stories with the same masterful charm, wit, and philosophical brio that have brought him legions of fans through his mathematical-puzzle books and investigations into science and pseudoscience. Gardner introduces us to the "No-Sided Professor," Dr. Stanislaw Slapenarski, who by means of a kind of mathematical yoga blips himself and his nemesis into another dimension. In "At the Feet of Karl Klodhopper," Gardner tells an engrossing story of lust and murder in the art world. These and other stories reveal Gardner''''s astonishingly wide range of intellectual insight and cultural acumen. The No-Sided Professor is full of tales of fantasy, humor, the bohemian life, topological wizardry, and mystery. All are stamped with the unmistakable seal of a master storyteller.

The autobiography of the beloved writer who inspired a generation to study math and science Martin Gardner wrote the Mathematical Games column for Scientific American for twenty-five years and published more than seventy books on topics as diverse as magic, religion, and Alice in Wonderland. Gardner''s illuminating autobiography is a candid self-portrait by the man evolutionary theorist Stephen Jay Gould called our "single brightest beacon" for the defense of rationality and good science against mysticism and anti-intellectualism. Gardner takes readers from his childhood in Oklahoma to his varied and wide-ranging professional pursuits. He shares colorful anecdotes about the many fascinating people he met and mentored, and voices strong opinions on the subjects that matter to him most, from his love of mathematics to his uncompromising stance against pseudoscience. For Gardner, our mathematically structured universe is undiluted hocus-pocus—a marvelous enigma, in other words. Undiluted Hocus-Pocus offers a rare, intimate look at Gardner’s life and work, and the experiences that shaped both.

Excellent guide to dozens of mystifying acts of deception provides aspiring magicians with all the information they need to perform professional-quality tricks. Step-by-step instructions and nearly 200 easy-to-follow diagrams show how to make cards vanish and reappear, get coins to pass through solid objects, make articles mysteriously travel from one location to another, more.

Martin Gardner''s Mathematical Games columns in Scientific American inspired and entertained several generations of mathematicians and scientists. Gardner in his crystal-clear prose illuminated corners of mathematics, especially recreational mathematics, that most people had no idea existed. His playful spirit and inquisitive nature invite the reader into an exploration of beautiful mathematical ideas along with him. These columns were both a revelation and a gift when he wrote them; no one--before Gardner--had written about mathematics like this. They continue to be a marvel. This volume, first published in 1975, contains columns published in the magazine from 1965-1967. This 1989 MAA edition contains a foreword by John H. Conway and a postscript and extended bibliography added by Gardner for this edition.

In a society begging to be duped, Martin Gardner, the most devastating debunker of scientific fraud and chicanery of our time, ranges here from science and mathematics to literature, philosophy, religion, and mysticism. With keen skepticism, he skewers the fallacies of pseudoscience, from Dr. Bruno Bettelheim''s erroneous theory of autism to the farce of Primal Scream therapy, and he examines the bizarre tangents produced by Freudians and deconstructionists in their critiques of "Little Red Riding Hood." Book jacket.

Martin Gardner''s Mathematical Games columns in Scientific American inspired and entertained several generations of mathematicians and scientists. Gardner in his crystal-clear prose illuminated corners of mathematics, especially recreational mathematics, that most people had no idea existed. His playful spirit and inquisitive nature invite the reader into an exploration of beautiful mathematical ideas along with him. These columns were both a revelation and a gift when he wrote them; no one--before Gardner--had written about mathematics like this. They continue to be a marvel. This volume, first published in 1977, contains columns published in the magazine from 1965-1968. This 1990 MAA edition contains a foreword by Persi Diaconis and Ron Graham and a postscript and extended bibliography added by Gardner for this edition.

Fun and fascinating, 89 simple magic tricks will teach both children and adults the scientific principles behind electricity, magnetism, sound, gravity, water, and more. Only basic everyday items are needed. Includes 89 black-and-white illustrations.

No amateur or math authority can be without this ultimate compendium of classic puzzles, paradoxes, and puzzles from America''s best-loved mathematical expert. 320 line drawings.

For many decades, Martin Gardner, the Grand Master of mathematical puzzles, has provided the tools and projects to furnish our all-too-sluggish minds with an athletic workout. Gardner''s problems foster an agility of the mind as they entertain. This volume presents a new collection of problems and puzzles not previously published in book form. Martin Gardner has dedicated it to "all the underpaid teachers of mathematics everywhere, who love their subject and are able to communicate that love to their students."

Brain-teasing mathematical puzzles accompanied by lucid explanations of the basic principles behind the solutions.

Martin Gardner''s Mathematical Games columns in Scientific American inspired and entertained several generations of mathematicians and scientists. Gardner in his crystal-clear prose illuminated corners of mathematics, especially recreational mathematics, that most people had no idea existed. His playful spirit and inquisitive nature invite the reader into an exploration of beautiful mathematical ideas along with him. These columns were both a revelation and a gift when he wrote them; no one--before Gardner--had written about mathematics like this. They continue to be a marvel. This volume, originally published in 1961, contains columns published in the magazine from 1958-1960. This is the 1987 edition of the collection and contains an afterword written by Gardner at that time.

Martin Gardner''s Mathematical Games columns in Scientific American inspired and entertained several generations of mathematicians and scientists. Gardner in his crystal-clear prose illuminated corners of mathematics, especially recreational mathematics, that most people had no idea existed. His playful spirit and inquisitive nature invite the reader into an exploration of beautiful mathematical ideas along with him. These columns were both a revelation and a gift when he wrote them; no one--before Gardner--had written about mathematics like this. They continue to be a marvel. This is the original 1992 edition and contains columns published from 1978-1979.

Martin Gardner continues to delight readers in Origami, Eleusis, and the Soma Cube, which is the second volume in the new Cambridge series, The New Martin Gardner Mathematical Library, based off his enormously popular Scientific American columns. He introduces young and old readers alike to the Generalized Ham Sandwich Theorem, origami, digital roots, magic squares, the mathematics of cooling coffee, the induction game of Eleusis, Dudeney puzzles, the maze at Hampton Court Palace, and many more mathematical puzzles and principles. Now the author, in consultation with experts, has added updates to all the chapters, including new game variations, mathematical proofs, and other developments and discoveries, to challenge and fascinate a new generation of readers.

Reviews fads, hoaxes, and cults propagated under the guise of being scientifically founded and proven

Martin Gardner''s Mathematical Games columns in Scientific American inspired and entertained several generations of mathematicians and scientists. Gardner in his crystal-clear prose illuminated corners of mathematics, especially recreational mathematics, that most people had no idea existed. His playful spirit and inquisitive nature invite the reader into an exploration of beautiful mathematical ideas along with him. These columns were both a revelation and a gift when he wrote them; no one--before Gardner--had written about mathematics like this. They continue to be a marvel. This volume is a collection of Irving Joshua Matrix columns published in the magazine from 1960-1980. There were several collections of Dr. Matrix, the first in 1967; they were revised as Gardner reconnected with the good doctor over the years. This is the 1985 Prometheus Books edition and contains all the Dr. Matrix columns from the magazine.

Martin Gardner''s Mathematical Games columns in Scientific American inspired and entertained several generations of mathematicians and scientists. Gardner in his crystal-clear prose illuminated corners of mathematics, especially recreational mathematics, that most people had no idea existed. His playful spirit and inquisitive nature invite the reader into an exploration of beautiful mathematical ideas along with him. These columns were both a revelation and a gift when he wrote them; no one--before Gardner--had written about mathematics like this. They continue to be a marvel. This is the original 1971 edition and contains columns published in the magazine from 1963-1965.

The first of fifteen updated editions of the collected Mathematical Games of Martin Gardner, king of recreational mathematics.

Contains puzzles that first baffle and then delight problem solving addicts. Grew out of a collaboration between Bob Tappay and Martin Gardner to enliven the learning of mathematics.

A noted author defends his personal attitudes toward the fundamental issues of classical philosophy, discussing the awesome mystery surrounding science and life and explaining why he considers himself a theist.

Find new twists on knotted molecules, the hangman''s paradox, cat''s cradle, gambling, peg solitaire, pi and e in this book.

Offers a series of puzzles featuring puns, anagrams, missing letters, and other verbal tricks.

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.

Martin Gardner is widely known for his writing on recreational mathematics, not least for the myriad problems he has devised over some 25 years for Scientific American. In this book are 36 of his best brainteasers. These are not simply cunning puzzles, but serve to illustrate the art of the mathematician as problem solver, and their solution draws on ideas from topology, probability, number theory, logic and beyond. Fully worked answers are given, which, in turn, lead to additional problems for the reader. For anybody who likes to solve mathematical problems, this book will be both entertaining and a challenge.

Mathematical puzzles from origami to recreational logic, from digital roots and dudeny puzzles to the diabolic square, from the golden ratio to the generalized ham sandwish theorem.

This collection of essays by America''s foremost polymath delves into some of the many fascinating subjects in which Martin Gardner has had an abiding interest. Focusing primarily on literary and philosophical subjects, Order and Surprise is the sequel to the widely acclaimed Science: Good, Bad and Bogus. Some of Gardner''s best essays and reviews are included in this volume, such as: "Why Librarians Dislike Oz""The Strange Case of Robert Maynard Hutchins""H.G. Wells, ''Premature'' Anti-Communist""Orwell''s Nineteen Eighty-Four""Is Nature Ambidextrous?""Beyond Cultural Relativism""The Popperism of Sir Karl""Keeping Up With Einstein"In addition, Gardner has included many of his perceptive reviews of books by and about such authors as Franz Kafka, Thomas Wolfe, John Updike, Vance Packard, Colin Wilson, Lewis Carroll, and many others.In some cases the author has modified the original texts, sometimes restoring passages removed by editors, sometimes adding new footnotes to update the material. In many cases, Gardner has added a postscript that allows him to comment on an article or review. Like the previous anthology, this book is divided into two parts. The first contains articles in chronological order of publication; the second, book reviews in similar order.Order and Surprise represents Gardner at his best - incisive, witty, and urbane.