Best Selling Books by Martin Gardner

Best known as the longtime writer of the Mathematical Games column for Scientific American—which introduced generations of readers to the joys of recreational mathematics—Martin Gardner has for decades pursued a parallel career as a devastatingly effective debunker of what he once famously dubbed "fads and fallacies in the name of science." It is mainly in this latter role that he is onstage in this collection of choice essays. When You Were a Tadpole and I Was a Fish takes aim at a gallery of amusing targets, ranging from Ann Coulter''s qualifications as an evolutionary biologist to the logical fallacies of precognition and extrasensory perception, from Santa Claus to The Wizard of Oz, from mutilated chessboards to the little-known "one-poem poet" Langdon Smith (the original author of this volume''s title line). The writings assembled here fall naturally into seven broad categories: Science, Bogus Science, Mathematics, Logic, Literature, Religion and Philosophy, and Politics. Under each heading, Gardner displays an awesome level of erudition combined with a wicked sense of humor.

Gardner muses on topics as diverse as numerology, the late Senator Clairborne Pell''s paranormal passions, Freud''s flawed dream theory, the Heaven''s Gate suicides, and the inexhaustible American appetite for third-rate science.

Reference information about the book, followed by a facsimilie.

Mathematical puzzles are designed to strengthen creative problem-solving by encouraging the discovery of simple solutions to seemingly complex problems

The classic, narrative poem about a celebrated baseball player who strikes out in the crucial moment of a game.

This is the first edition of Chesterton''s masterpiece, The Man Who Was Thursday, that explicates and enriches the complete text with extensive footnotes, together with an introductory essay on the metaphysical meaning of Chesterton''s profound allegory. Gardner sees the novel''s anarchists as symbols of our God-given free will, and the mysterious Sunday as representing Nature, with its strange mixture of good and evil when considered as distinct from God, as a mask hiding the transcendental face of the creator. The book also includes a bibliography listing the novel''s many earlier editions and stage dramatizations, as well as numerous illustrations that further illuminate the text.

A true pioneer in the field of recreational mathematics, Martin Gardner has been wrangling words for decades, and his latest opus is nothing short of extraordinary. From amazing anagrams and silly spoonerisms to alphamagic squares and cryptarithms, this mind-bending compendium is chock-full of whimsical forms of wordplay that are sure to have sesquipedalian scholars and limber-minded logophiles racking their brains in delight.

Gives kids the opportunity to play with the images. This pack also includes punch-out cards that enhance every illusion, plus a vinyl pouch for safely storing the cards afterwards. It helps children figure out if the two differently shaped tables in a picture are actually the same size, by laying a checkered tablecloth over them both.

Famed science writer Martin Gardner had intended to write a short essay about Mrs. Eddy, but he became so fascinated by her life and personality that his work grew to book length. Written with humor, insight, and a wealth of detail, this book will delight sceptics and infuriate true believers.

Mathematical feats and puzzles are included in this imaginative story of Dr. Matrix, the amazing numerologist.

The Flight of Peter Fromm is a novel of ideas disguised as the biography of a young man from a Pentecostal fundamentalist background in Oklahoma, who loses his faith while a student at the University of Chicago Divinity School. His spiritual odyssey is narrated by his mentor, a professor at the divinity school - who is actually a humanist who believes neither in God nor in an afterlife. Although Peter never abandons his theism or his admiration for Jesus, he reaches a point where he feels it would be hypocritical to remain within the church and to become the evangelist he had hoped to be. The counterpoint between Peter and the narrator reflects the eternal conflict between theism and atheism. In following the changes of Peter''s beliefs, almost every aspect of Protestant theology and ethics is explored. The evolution of Peter''s faith parallels the evolution of Christian theology, from the day of Pentecost to contemporary liberal theology.

Vol. [2] has title: The 2nd Scientific American book of mathematical puzzles & diversions. The third volume of the author''s puzzles from Scientific American was published under title: New mathematical diversions from Scientific American. Includes bibliography.

"Solving these riddles is not simply a matter of logic and calculation, though these play a role. Luck and inspiration are factors as well, so beginners and experts alike may profitably exercise their wits on Gardner''s problems, whose subjects range from geometry to word play to questions relating to physics and geology. We guarantee that you will solve some of these riddles, be stumped by others, and be amused by almost all of the stories and settings that Gardner has devised to raise these questions." --Back cover.

Brief introductions to space flight and the various bodies in the solar system are followed by sections of related puzzle questions. Answers are given at the back of the book.

This text contains 54 of Martin Gardner''s most searching and challenging essays, spanning nearly six decades. Issues tackled range from the apparent inexplicability of quantum physics to the eternal question of the existence of God, and an array of subjects are covered, from philosophy, the arts and religion, to mathematics and science.