Games Books

This is a great book full of many categories to stretch your mind, including math, science, and story problems. Many of the questions can be played in a group, like 20 questions. Then you also have to arrange things like pencils and coins certain ways. This book is a great introduction to lateral thinking puzzles!

If you are a fan of lateral thinking puzzles, this is a wonderful book you can take anywhere to tantalize your brain.
Lots of fun to try to solve these intriguing challengers! Be a logic detective to come up with a solution. A true delight for fans of all ages who love lateral thinking puzzles!

This is a brilliant little book that can be used for party games or just to while away the time if you enjoy puzzles. It has something for everyone and apart from the entertainment value I have also found some of the puzzles to be quite educational. What is most fascinating is that although many of the puzzles seem to be impossible to solve there is always an answer. A little gem and an ideal fun gift.

One day my Language Arts teacher said that we would try something fun today. Yeah right I thought, but he read us some lateral thinking puzzles, and I just loved trying to figure them out. I bought this book and read every one, some were hard, and some I could figure out after thinking for about 5 minutes. It is a perfect thing for boredom, and is just fun and interesting. A man was born before his father, killed his mother, and married his sister, and was perfectly normal. What was going on?

This is a collection of puzzles designed to be solved quickly using only thought. While it is true that for some it may help to construct a diagram or write options down, for most the answer is just a matter of using the right approach. Most of the puzzles are not new, I recognized over fifty percent as having appeared elsewhere. Examples of such puzzles are:

1) If you are in a boat and throw something overboard which immediately sinks, does the boat rise or fall?
2) When in the last 200 years has there been a year that reads the same upside down?
3) A woman has five children and half of them are boys. How is this possible?
4) There are several problems where matches are to be moved.
5) The problem of a three-cornered duel where the odds of each hitting their target are different and the poorest shot shoots first.
6) How to arrange five circular coins so that they all touch each other.
7) If everybody in a family always votes Republican, then how come one person did not last election?

Nevertheless, I read through it with interest, even when I was only checking my memory rather than my wits. Solutions to all puzzles are in the back and there are some real sneaky ones. It is a good book for the beginning puzzle solver, although veterans may not be impressed.

Published in the recreational mathematics e-mail newsletter, reprinted with permission.

"...an interesting foray into the world of fantasy football and the high stakes of gambling." The OHIOana Quarterly, Volume XLIX, No.3, Fall 2006, p. 148

A fast paced story line that takes a fresh approach to sports nonfiction. Turns a fantasy football league into a nightmare.

I'll admit that I've read only a dozen, or so, novels. Most of them are time consuming and have too many dead spots.

After reading this book, I was completely blown away! This is right on the money. There's never a dull moment. Anyone will love this novel.

Mark Barnes is an author on the rise. I can't wait to see what's next!

I am a fantasy football fan ( makes my wife nuts ). I also enjoy a good mystery. These two elements are brought toghther in fine fashion in this book. I enjoyed the tempo and the depth of the characters. While no threat to the great works of our time, this is a fun book.
I always measure how much I like a book by if I am happy I bought it or if I wish I had taken it out of the library. I am happy I bought this book.

This is a great book whose time has come. The topic in question is high stakes fantasy football, a "sport" which is peaking to new heights every year. What kind of madness could possibly go on behind the scenes? Find out in this thriller.

The League keeps the pages moving with nonstop action and plot movement. Easy to read, but contemplation is required. The crescendo of mystery and suspense culminates in the final pages: lives hang in the balance during a flurry of heart-pounding insanity.

A must-read for both suspense readers and fantasy players.

Warning: you'll have a hard time putting it down.

Michael James Tussler, "Mickey," is certainly an enigma to everyone who meets him. And why not? He is this slow witted, awkward young man who possesses a blazing fastball, rivaled only by his soon to be nemesis, Lefty Rogers. Nobody really knows what to make of him. The story is filled with other memorable characters as well, some insensitive and selfish, others just silly. All, however, are equally compelling. But what separates Mickey from the rest of his teammates, though, and essentially everyone else in this wonderful story, is his simplicity of heart. Like many Aspergers teens, the boy is kind, gentle, and very literal. These attributes are unveiled so carefully, so poignantly, in each section of the book. From Mickey's love for his pig Oscar, to his many recitations of the lines from the poem "Silver" to his aversion to cracker crumbs "floating on the top of his soup," the boy reveals himself as an endearing, truly genuine character. So much of what Frank Nappi writes will do much in the way of exposing what life is like for kids with Autism. The baseball component to the story is equally enjoyable and well written. The reader can follow Arthur Murphy's struggle to keep his team afloat well into an exciting pennant race as Mickey continues his own struggle with the world around him while catapulting his team into contention. Most enjoyable, with the potential to enact real social awareness. Thumbs up!

First of all, as everyone can see, I do not do many reviews. I am so busy, that any free time I do have is spent reading. However, I feel compelled to do one now, after having completed Frank Nappi's most astounding novel "The Legend of Mickey Tussler." Mickey Tussler is indeed a likeable, intriguing, unforgettable character, and both the baseball and Autism communities owe the author a great debt of gratitude for sharing him with us. He is truly a special fellow, one who is blessed with a Nolan Ryan type fastball but is limited in his social and some of his cognitive abilities to that of perhaps a ten year old. This startling blend creates some very fascinating moments in this totally riveting tale. Arthur , disgruntled minor league manager, discovers him by accident one day and the reader is immediately thrown into this boy's mixed up world, consisting of a truly heinous father, a loving but meek mother, and a whole host of confusing situations that the young prodigy just cannot navigate. What readers will find is that all of these characters are so vivid and real. They leap off the pages so that almost instantly, you have attached your heart to this amazing boy and are hating his father passionately and rooting for his mother to finally speak up and put the book's first villain in his place. Once Mickey's mother reluctantly agrees to let the boy try out for the Brewers, the story explodes with a whole host of colorful baseball personalities - some good, some bad. There is the bad guy named Lefty, the enforcer Boxcar, the bumbling old assistant coach Farley Matheson (who is absolutely hilarious) and a host of other memorable players. The story moves swiftly and effortlessly. As Mickey rises to local stardom and notoriety, the reader is treated to so many wonderful baseball anecdotes and action packed scenes, while at the same time learning more about what it is like to see the world through autistic eyes. This blending of our national pastime with real life drama is brilliantly executed. The alternating action on and off the field is seamless and the writing both vivid and lyrical. Using baseball as a vehicle through which readers can become more sensitive to afflictions like autism is a very effective motif. I can see this story becoming very popular with both avid baseball fans and also anyone who knows a special person who struggles with some of the more treacherous aspects of life. I have to admit that I did not love the ending, although it was a surprise, and that's always a good thing. Even so, the rest of the book is so great that this can be overlooked. All is all, this book is one of the nicest surprises I have come across in a long time.

In The Legend of Mickey Tussler, Frank Nappi takes the pains of being autistic and blends it with an amazing talent. This story does not only tug at your heart it also portrays the struggles and frustrations of what someone with a disablity goes through. Again, Mr. Nappi scores a big hit mixing fiction with real life situations. This book is a must read for all who realize that life is not always a bowl of cherries. We all take for granted life plays out the same for everyone, no matter the physical or mental challenges that are in front of us. This book reminds us that even though things may look good from the outside, it is the whole person we need to discover.

After the first 20 pages, I was making 20-point plays
in games that I would never have seen before this
book. Whole categories of life and death problems
can be reduced to simple questions about the shape of
their potential eyespace. Having this in your favor
is something that every player needs to know.

Some of the problems are fairly tricky at the 10kyu level.

This book introduces different life and death situations and variations of them. Actually the book has 36 groups of different shapes of life and death situations. Every group has the same vital characters which are explained with few words and examples. After that thera are a few problems and pretty good answers to problems. This happens again in every chapter.

This is a book you HAVE TO READ WITH GO-BOARD! You should try to solve problems, that gives you good overview what is important in every shape. I found it educationnal to "play" problems with someome. Both try to kill or save a group. That worked for me and my friend.

This book is good for a player who has already played a few games and notices he/she is loseing groups which he/she thinks should be alive.

I learned to notice new good and bad shapes in my games.

Having recently read a few books that tried to answer the question, "What is Life?" I was glad to find this one! The answer is simple. Life is two eyes! If you have only one eye, you are dead.

That is why the door group is as dead as a, um, doornail. It only produces one eye.

You can't enjoy a game of go unless you have a pretty good idea if your groups are dead or alive. And this book is good at teaching you to see which shapes can form two eyes and which shapes can not. The chapters and quizzes in this book are excellent training. If you can answer the "status?" questions correctly, you are well on your way towards doing some serious damage to many of your opponent's more dubious formations.

Once you have learned the elements of go and have played some games, what comes next? Well, you need to learn a little about fuseki and joseki. And tesuji (or you won't be able to understand this book). But the first topic you need to learn really well is this one. And that's where this book comes in handy.

Introduction:

Life and death is one of the critical elements in the/a game of go, but what exactly is it? It is simply whether a player's stones are captured or prevented from being captured (though I won't go into a deeper explanation here). It's simple, yet very important. To become a strong player, an important fundamental is to be strong in life and death, and if you ask any go player (amatuer or professional) how, the answer will be "Solve lots of life and death problems."

Solving problems helps strengthen a go player's reading ability, and with repetition, the shapes in the problems will be more familiar to the player when they appear in his games (reading is when a player mentally forsees how the game will continue, thinking about different continuations, and to the find the best result possible for both sides). These fundamental shapes also appear in life and death.

The Book:

Content:

Normally, books about life and death are simply "problem books," which simply contain life and death problems. Life and Death (the book) is a bit different, and is mainly concerned about the fundamental shapes that appear.

The book begins with a small introduction about life and death, and defines some common terms that the reader will need to know. Moving along, each chapter is devoted to a specific shape, or theme. A chapter is begun by introducing the reader to the shape and showing them some of the common continuations that can occur. On the next page, the reader is put to the test, and is given some problems to solve.

Difficulty:

N.B.: The content in this book is aimed at stronger players who are at least in the single digit kyu range (9k up), and will not be suitable for beginners. For beginners, some books I recommend are the Learn to Play Go series by Janice Kim, to learn about the basics of life and death, and for life and death problems, the Graded Go Problems for Beginners series by Kano Yoshinori and 1001 Life and Death Problems by Richard Bozulich.

Summary:

Pros:

* Smooth process: I like how the reader is introduced to the shape and it's continuation, then is given problems to tackle himself.

* It is kind of a quasi-reference book, especially for the corner shapes, but is definitely not a life and death dictionary.

* Size: Though it's not related to the content of the book, it's a small book, which is a handy thing.

Cons:

* Price: My major gripe is the price, which unfortunately is the norm for go books translated into English. But still, $15 for this tiny book...

Conclusion:

Life and Death is an excellent book for the stronger kyu player to learn about the more difficult fundamental shapes that appear in games.

If you are a Go beginner, I recommend studying (as I did) the book of Go problems for 30-25 Kyu before this one.

But after that and Richard Bozulich's book, this is certainly the next book to turn to.

I'm currently studying this book, "Life and Death," and another book in this series by the same author, "Tesuji."

"Life and Death" is a step easier than "Tesuji," although counter-intuitively they are volumes 4 and 3 in the series. Although the techniques used to kill or save groups come from "Tesuji," the positions in "Life and Death" are simpler, more basic and far, far more common. The problems are a bit easier. So I recommend studying this one first.

This book is a must read. The writing was crisp and intelligent. The storyline was smart and sexy without being vulgar. The characters were well developed but at the same time the author leaves you waiting for more. This is among the best novels I have read in a very long time.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book Lights Out, Game Ova. It was truly one of the best books that I have read thus far this year. I thought the characters were very much a depiction of what you have in real life. Cousin Mike had me cracking up. I also like the unique words used to avoid making this book a dirty book during the erotic scenes. I thought those words spoke of the style and class of the author and I was very impressed. I also like the way he showed how men and women talk one way to each other and talk more formal when in a forum. Loke was a serious trip! I cannot wait for the Carterchronic. All eyes are on you Galuminatti!

Ice Cold and very Bold

I found the book to be a great book and it was given to me after it was read by my wife and she flat out read the book in a record 36 hours. She literally enjoyed it and demanded that I read it. Although there were a few errors in the book (I've yet to read one book that did not have an error), it did not detract away from the awesome storyline and character development. I have read many books and I am so tired of reading about how bad black men are and how much male bashing that goes on with us. I since in Sirocco's review the similar type of male bashing. I appreciate an author who takes the time to write some "real" but yet some positive energy about males within our society. We live in a sex crazed society and thus I support the storyline and saw parts of myself in this book that I had never heard of. In addition, my wife could also relate to the female insights and found the book on target. I applaud Galuminatti on his work and I think his book will be great discussion for both male and females alike. In addition, my son is a 25 year old, and guess what one of his favorite dances are?...That's right...the cabbage patch. Now, he can also dance to many of the ole school dances so I thought that example by Scirocco was somewhat ineffective in attacking the editorial assessment of the book. Some people go to great lengths to attack and criticize. Overall, the book is a very positive, page turning, exciting book and I really think Scirocco totally missed the boat. It really makes you wonder if she even read the book. I don't know this guy Galuminatti but I don't have to. Nevertheless, I strongly recommend his book to both men and women as the insights are right on target and the book is a great entertaining piece of literary art. I am also highly impressed that this is his first book. Galuminatti, I look forward to purchasing your next book.

I bought the book upon a recommendation from a good friend. After I started reading it, I couldn't stop! It was as if I was addicted to some sort of drug! Oftentimes, when I read, the plot encounters slow parts, but not this book. The plot never slowed down, it kept moving and moving. It dealt with a variety of adult situations which the author handled with erotic passion and truth. I actually finished the book in a matter of hours, finally completing it around 4 am! If you MUST read one book this year, don't check out Oprah's Book Club, check out Lights Out! Game Ova! I'm recommending it to all of my friends.

I pick up this book and could not put it down. The author's unique style of writing grabs your attention and you just hold on for the for ride. I completely read the book in one day. The love scenes were awesome, the Characters came to life, especially the Main Hero JR. As the story unfolds, you are held in suspense as to which direction JR will turn. You can't help but cheer him on as his life transitions from much pain to much gain. The book ending leaving you craving for more. I can't wait for next.

My wife is Jewish and I am in the process of conversion. I bought the book version and each year, I've faithfully bought the calendars and have given them as gifts.

They're informative, respectful, sensitive, hilarious, and I often feel I'm given a little bit of Judaica on each page.

A superb and highly enjoyable work!

I highly recommend this series.

Alan Lennox, Va

I recommend this calendar for anyone interested in Jewish culture and humor. As a history and trivia buff, I found it loaded with unusual and interesting facts and figures too.

Extremely well-edited, this author has a gift for picking just the right material, and blending beautifully to give the reader a rich experience.

More a book than calendar, I suggest you buy two: one to use, and one to keep as a reference.

Marilyn Shoen

NYC

FUNNY, FAT, FULL!!! OK, IT'S NOT POLITICALLY CORRECT TO BE ETHNIC. WHO CARES? THIS IS AN ETHNIC BOUQUET OF A LITTLE OF EVERYTHING. I WAS PARTICULARLY IMPRESSED WITH THE INFORMATION ABOUT NON-JEWS WHO CAME TO THE AID OF JEWS.

A WINNER. I LOVE GETTING AND GIVING IT.

IRV SACKOFF,
WEST VIRGINIA

Ususally calendars are simplistic -- a gimmick behind a date. A Little Joy, A Little Oy was a shocker. It's a superb blending of date and facts, humor, sentiment. Filled with information that many books don't offer, it far exceeded our expectations.

For anyone interested in Yiddishkeit I recommend it highly! A unique offering.

Ernie Small, LA

I received the book version as a gift, then I went out and bought the calendar in 2002, fell in love with the thoroughness of the entries. Then again in 2003 and now in 2004.

It never fails to disappoint. Frankly, I'm amazed that the entries are not only fresh, unusual, hysterical, but keep getting better and more seasoned.

It's full of a variety of Yinglishisms, which are my favorites, along with history, literature. Something for everyone.

I'm buying them up as great gifts.

More please!

Jason Blauvelt

I was pleased to find this book. I've only seen one other that showed the catahoula. This book is a must read if you are thinking about getting a catahoula. It tell's you just like it is. The catahoula is a wonderful breed and a joy to own if you give them the time and exercise they require.

As a first time Catahoula owner, I found this book invaluable. There isn't a lot of information available on the breed (compared to others) and after reading the book I felt I had a better understanding of my dog. Mr. Abney covers a wide variety of topics including healh, breeding, and history. The section I found most helpful was the section on breed traits. The pictures are wonderful, even though they're black and white. Your Catahoula will thank you for reading this book!

Finally, a book that discusses this wonderful dog. I adopted a stray dog 12 years ago. I did not know what kind of dog he was, but he was different from all the other dogs I have owned. My vet informed me that he is a Catahoula. He has been my companion ever since. I have been looking for someing more about this great breed and this book answered many questions about my dog, from why he has glass eyes to his need to please. My Catahoula was diagnosed with liver cancer recently, and has about six months left. If someone looked up the word "dog" in the dictionary, there should be a photo of a Catahoula. They are truly great dogs. Thanks for the great read!!

I recently adopted an 'unknown breed' dog from a no-kill shelter. While at the Grand Canyon last month, a tourist from Louisiana introduced himself, identified my dog as a Catahoula and gave an overview of the history...naturally I went home, checked the web, and confirmed his background. It has now become a hobby finding more and more information about this fantastic breed. Don Abney's book was a great foundation of knowledge for understanding our new family member and also having fascinating background history to tell my friends/family. All I could ask for is more pictures (color) and a list of reputable breeders/clubs...other than that I highly recommend this book! Thanks Don....

The book was very informative. This is a very complex and little-known breed. People need to be aware of what they are getting into when bringing a Catahoula into a suburban environment. This book was very helpful and straightforward. My Cindy is only 4 months old and is already exhibiting some of the traits pointed out by Mr. Abney. Consistency and persistence are very important when training this breed.

I like crafting very much. Greeting cards hold an especially dear place in my heart and I love to make them constantly. Just about everyone I know has received at least one homemade greeting card from me at one time or another. So yes, I'm always on the lookout for new books on the subject. This one, I have to say, is great!

It has innovative projects rnaging from the colorful, really creative ones to subtler, more elegant ones. There really is one for everyone and the instructions are very clear, detailed and, simple to follow. No crafter, regardless of skill, will have any trouble completing any of these cards.

The authors did a great job of writing this book. Also worthy is the creative use of rather unusual materials (for a card at least). I've been working with paper for a long time now and it still helped move some things inside of me which helped me come up with a whole set of new ideas on how to work and what to do. The pictures are great, you'll enjoy them and they'll inspire you to create some new, totally different projects of your own.

This is one book you'll definitely enjoy.

The first word that came to mind when I saw the projects in Making Greeting Cards with Creative Materials was "artsy". The next word was "collage". I think those two concepts neatly sum up the style and involvement level you can expect from this multimedia craft book.

Author MaryJo McGraw is clearly an experienced artist who has explored many techniques, but whose first love is obviously the paper arts. Although this is a book on greeting cards, there were a lot of projects that would work on a different scale for other purposes, such as embellishing scrapbooks; and many of them could be frame able art in their own right. The designs and color choices reflect rich, muted tones and multilayers of materials such as fibers, charms, gold leaf, wires, inks, watch pebbles, beads, punches, stamped papers and photos. Often the card shapes and closures are not the standard rectangular format. The processes are carefully explained and illustrated as though to first-timers, but the results will make you look like a terribly sophisticated artist.

If you're hoping for ideas that would make for good quantity mailings such as invitations, be aware that most people would probably not have the time or money to make these cards in bulk: these are complex labors of love that are definitely not suited to mass production. Never once did I read a suggestion that the reader purchase ready-made embellishments or stickers, because the emphasis here is on handcrafting rather than time efficiency. For the crafter who has special, personal sentiments to express however, these are the ideal medium for that individual touch to the recipient.
-Andrea, aka Merribelle

This book is an excellent starting place for skill building.

I don't know how the woman does it, but MaryJo McGraw has produced another winner. One might think that by the fourth book, her ideas and designs might be repetitive, but McGraw's latest foray into the seemingly overly crowded subject of "greeting cards" shows that the well is still quite full.

The title says it all and the paper artist/craftsperson who is looking to expand their skill and designs they will be pleased with the concepts that McGraw presents in this well illustrated and clearly written guide. She takes you beyond rubber stamps and beyond cute...many of the designs are just downright art but on a smaller canvas. More than a few of the cards are just...well, they are just too cool for words.

If you want to make cards just out of your rubber stamps, don't buy this book. If you want to expand your creative possibilities and make cards out of some very interesting stuff, then you should buy this book.

If you want to make greeting cards that are "oh, so sweet" don't buy this book. If you want to make greeting cards (or adapt the designs for other paper arts projects) that will knock the socks off the recipient then buy this book right now.

Dear prospective owner,
This book is definitely artsy and collagey as per the other descriptions--in what I would describe as a Stevie Nicks-kind of way. That said, it is very helpful for the beginner cardmaker like me.
My only caution if you're stocking up on how-to books is not to make my mistake and also buy the Everything Crafts Create Your Own Greeting Cards (Ed. Courtney Nolan), because 80% of the material in this book appears there as well. Save your $$ and buy this one--it has full color photos throughout.

Mind Games by Alan Brudner holds the reader hostage in a world of manipulation and mind control. The inept can empathize with technologically challenged, Cliff Lightman, as he's dumped into the world of techno-nerds, geniuses, monopolies, holographs and subliminal suggestions. Cliff isn't really interested in the computer his genius son Sky brings home for him, but attempts to learn so he can communicate by e-mail with Sky. The machine is programmed to lead him into the computer age gracefully, but neither of the men has any idea how quickly the fear of losing his son can make Cliff computer literate. Sky, a computer programmer for Avery Kord in Portland, Oregon, disappears days after setting up his father's computer in New York.

Cliff puts his new computer to use along with good old fashioned gum shoe investigation to find his son and uncovers a cesspool of technology designed to make and break governments, sway elections and influence court decisions without leaving a trace. Using the special avatar Sky programmed for him, Cliff learns how helpful, intelligent, comforting, resourceful, invasive, controlling and dangerous computer technology can be -- and maybe already is.

Mind Games is what block buster movies are made of. It kidnaps the reader's mind on the first page and reluctantly relinquishes it at the end impregnated with seeds of . . . fear, wariness, uncertainty?

This book is amazing! I think it is great. Definetly keeps you on the edge of your seat. Looking forward to Alan Brudner's next book.In my opinion, this book is worth every cent! Don't miss this one.

This is definately worth a read. Very clever thriller from an author that (at least until now) was an unknown. Reads quickly; so it is perfect for a plane flight or a rainy weekend. I got it as a gift and could not put it down. Who is Alan Brudner???

Terrific techno-thriller. The books zips along at a brisk and exciting pace without losing anything by way of intelligence. A rare find.

Mind Games takes us on a warp-speed race against time. In this dazzling debut novel, virtual reality takes on a life of its own, artificial intelligence becomes a force for salvation, and enduring love overcomes corporate intrigue. Yet behind the fast-paced cyberspace pyrotechnics is a brilliantly crafted mystery novel, filled with breath-taking surprises and fascinating characters that you will want to meet again. If ever there were a book that deserves to be on the big screen, this is it.

Permit me to rave about "The Mobius Strip." Then buy it, read it, and enjoy its many flavors. Math buffs will find it as mouth-watering as a bowl of Ben and Jerry's ice cream. The aesthetically inclined will be delighted by its initial simplicity and the helpful illustrations that enable them (and me) to grasp the book's mathematical profundities.

Always the entertainer, Cliff Pickover takes the stage with "Mobius Limericks to Get You in the Mood." Soon after we see a photo (by Paul Mobius) of his father's skull with Beethoven's skull grinning in the foreground. Shades of P.T. Barnum! And this is only the introduction!

Although the ideas in the book are presented with exceptional clarity and treated with utmost respect by the author, he does reveal his dry sense of humor upon occasion. Here is one of my favorite nuggets on page 11:

"One of the most mystifying Mobius arrangements is the sandwich Mobius strip, created with just two strips of paper. I have known people to ponder this for hours while listening to Pink Floyd without ever fully appreciating what they have beheld."

This gives you some idea of what's in store for the perceptive reader. The book swiftly advances beyond parlor tricks, toys, patented inventions, sailor's knots, the Book of Kells, and other amazing items until we find ourselves soaring into the realm of transcendental reality. One gets the feeling that the Mobius strip is the skeleton key to infinity. But then, so is the Klein bottle. So is Alexander's horned sphere. So is the Penrose triangle. So is M.C. Escher's art! The book is filled with these enigmatic jewels of understanding.

As the complexity of the kaleidoscope intensifies, Cliff Pickover suddenly becomes a fractal Will Rogers, dazzling us with topographical rope tricks. Strange loops are explained as he twirls them before our very eyes! Your mind is turned into a pretzel as your train of thought is twisted into a trefoil knot made of interlocking, multi-colored puzzle pieces. Notice the cover!

You may have to listen to the Moody Blues, Tangerine Dream, Enya, and Pink Floyd to fully grok the cosmological essence of all he has to say in this sweet little book. But it is well worth the effort. In the final chapters he connects all this to games, mazes, art, music, architecture, even literature and movies. Your powers of observation will only increase as you plunge deeper into Pickover's topographical ocean.

The mobius strip - a continuous loop with only one side and one edge - was popularized by the illustrations of M.C. Escher, yet few know of its history and the evolution of its concept. Drive Clifford Pickover here provides a lively survey of the strip from the mid-1800s when Drive Mobius described it, to its influence in the fields of math, science, engineering, and the arts. It's more than a concept: it offers up new methods of thinking and discussions here include related shapes and ideas as well.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

In 1633, Galileo Galilei said, "The universe cannot be read until we have learnt the language and become familiar with the characters in which it is written. It is written in mathematical language... without which it is humanly impossible to comprehend a single word." And so begins Dr. Pickover's amazing roller-coaster ride through a breathtaking array of topics in science and art.

Some of the book deals with topology and "glistening shapes that span dimensions." Other portions concern the Mýbius strip in countless settings, from molecules and metal sculptures to postage stamps, literature, architectural structures and models of our entire universe. The strip is featured in countless technology patents, which decorate the frontispieces of each chapter.

In some of the most impressive chapters, Pickover deals with endless loops in literature and mythology. He also coaxes readers to question the way they see the world and think about reality. For example, readers will become more conscious about what it means to visualize a one-sided object or what it means to have orientation-reversing paths in space.

Pickover also has a penchant for knots, and he notes that knots have been crucial to the development of civilization, where they have been used to tie clothing, to secure weapons to the body, to create shelters, and to permit the sailing of ships and world exploration. He also suggests that knot patterns have been found on burial stones engraved by Neolithic peoples. Today, knot theory has infiltrated biology, chemistry and physics. Pickover writes, "In a few millennia, humans have transformed knots from ornamental engravings on rocks to models of the very fabric of reality." I enjoyed this book immensely and recommend it to all readers interested in the science of imagination.

WoW! Another great book by Clifford Pickover. Math buffs and recreationists alike will love this book. This is a readable, non-technical tour de force of the Mobius band and its ubiquitous presence. Don't be fooled by my "non-technical". The concepts covered here will stretch the mind of most anyone not already thoroughly immersed in rubber geometry. The strip wends its one-sided way through knots, magic tricks, toys and games, hyperspace, art, architecture and even literature.

My only plea would be to have some of the illustrations in colour.

Highly recommended!

If the book of nature is written in mathematics, then the works of Clifford Pickover can safely be said to be a great Cliff's Notes version!

In all his work, Pickover has a genuine gift for making the abstract accessible and meaningful like here where he discusses perhaps the most famous creation of August Mobius: the Mobius strip.

To make one is very easy: 1) cut out a piece of paper in the shape of a ruler, 2) take one edge of the paper, turn it 180 degrees and 3) join it with the other end of the paper.

As a result of this operation, you will have created a circular looking object with a kink in the middle. That kink does something fascinating: it makes it so that if you trace your finger along the surface of the object, you will find that it only has one side!

As paradigm defying as this may seem, it litterally opens the door to interesting discussions about the various topologies (or surface formations) an object can assume. It begins a discussion of different dimensions and the exotic mathematics that describe them.

Filled with easy to follow discussion and lots of pictures, Pickover takes great pains to make sure he never leaves any readers behind.

This book is great and those who really enjoyed would be well advised to also read Pickover's Surfing Through Hyperspace and also his Time: A traveler's guide.