3D Puzzles Books

This is a nice little book young children can enjoy during the holidays. The illustrations did not have quite the variety, color and detail I expected but the printing of the poem along with the
pictures makes for an interesting visual experience and is a good
way to contain grandchildren and keep them quiet for awhile!
Thank you, Martha Morrise

The whole family spends time together looking at them. It's amazing to see the pictures pop out at you and to figure out what they are.

These 3-D things really irked me until I finally got it. I don't have a clue as to how it works but all of a sudden I saw a snowman on the bookcover! Nice stocking stuffer kind of book.

My daughter loves the, "...'Twas the night before Christmas..." poem. We pass the book around so everyone can see the 3-D pictures (which drives my husband crazy!...he can't see 'em!) Very clever.

I had tried to learn the so-called "speed cubing" methods online and had been completely frustrated. Dan Harris lays it all out perfectly: it is very easy to follow and understand. That doesn't mean that the technique is all that easy to learn: with a massive amount of algorithms to memorize it will certainly be an undertaking of some months before you can claim complete mastery of the CFOP method.
The sections on the 2x2, 4x4, and 5x5 cubes are also very easy to follow. There is one typo that I found in the 5x5 chapter. The algorithms in Table 8.3, p125 are wrong: they are written (R r) U (R' r') U (R r) (U2 u2) (R' r') (R r) and (R2 r2) U (R2 r2) U (R2 r2) (U2 u2) (R2 r2). I spent a frustrating 10 minutes trying to figure out why I couldn't complete the centers. I found that the correct algoritms are (R r) U (R' r') U (R r) U2 (R' r') and (R2 r2) U (R2 r2) U (R2 r2) U2 (R2 r2).
At the end of the book there is also a chapter that has algorithms for all sorts of cool patterns that can be applied to an already finished cube.
This is a great book and no true Rubik's fanatic should be without it!

I taught myself much of the methodology outlined in this book by scrounging around the Internet for various algorithms, etc. Dan Harris' website ([...]) was instrumental in teaching me how to plan ahead, and he's used his skills at creating written tutorials for a very hands-on hobby to write an excellent book.

This book has several advantages over the way that most of us have had to learn our way around the cube. First, it's laid out in a linear fashion, so ideas are introduced to the reader in a very organized way, interspersed with lots of examples. Second, through the format of a published book, a comprehensive set of the many algorithms needed for a complete speedsolving solution are presented in a bound paper copy. This is perfect for someone who wants to carry the book and a cube in their backpack or messenger bag and keep notes about which algorithms are most comfortable, which have been committed to memory, etc. I bought this book specifically for Dan's great presentation of the last layer orientation algorithms, which I have yet to learn. Having all of the algorithms organized in such a thoughtful way, in a medium that I can easily carry with me is exactly what I've needed.

Great work, Dan!

This book seems best suited to people who already know how to solve the cube and who would like to find out how to improve their solutions. In my case, I hit a wall with my homebrew solution at about 60 seconds. While 1 minute solves are nice, it's not impressive in a world where a 20 second solve is not terribly competitive. This book seems to have the solution for that. It's too early to claim success, but what I've worked through so far is very good.

Would this book be suitable for a cubing novice? That's a tough call. The book does start from scratch teaching a basic solution, but I feel other resources online are a little clearer for the absolute beginner. However, a dedicated learner could work entirely from the book. Just keep in mind that pace is very quick, and the author doesn't do that much hand holding.

Would this book be suitable for an experienced speed cuber? That's hard to say, since I'm not in that category. If you follow another solving system, the book should be a very easy introduction to the authors strategy. I suspect that no matter where you are, you'll get a few new algorithms and tricks. There's also the 2x2x2, 4x4x4 and 5x5x5 solutions, which ought to provide additional value to the hardcore cuber.

This book is deceptively short. Although it weighs in at barely 160 pages, there's really a lot of content if you work through the material. It's taken a week to work through the first 50 pages, and that's just the intro material. I suspect it will be months, if not years, before I've even come close to exhausting what the book has to offer. In that regard, it's a tremendous value, and I can wholeheartedly recommend the book.

I think this book is very well written. Dan Harris clearly knows his way around a Rubik's cube. My favorite part of the book was the section on the history of the cube and the stats.

Even though the book is good, it is difficult to solve the cube without actually seeing someone do it. I learned how to solve the Rubik's cube from a YouTube video by Dan Brown. I think his YouTube user name is Pogobot.

Brandon Simpson

magic eye is one of the best books to get your imagination going and it helps to keep your eyesight great. The only thing is you cant find this book in any shops so look online!

magic eye is one of the best books to get your imagination going and it helps to keep your eyesight great. The only thing is you cant find this book in any shops so look online!

I think Magic Eye is a fabulous book for children, and adults. It really brings you into the book and shows you the wonderful world of 3-D. Once you open this book, your eyes will stick to it, and you can't put it down until your done. So please buy this book, you will be happy if you do. Magic Eye is really what I'm saying, it's great!

This is a book of fantastic stereograms. Each page has a picture that initially seems like an intricate design. However, by staring intently at the designs in the book one sees amazing 3-d images that appear to come out of the book towards you, a lot like a good hologram. For example, a field of grass becomes a 3-d image of grazing sheep. The book is fun for all ages and makes you want to look at it over and over again.

This is a book of fantastic stereograms. Each page has a picture that initially seems like an intricate design. However, by staring intently at the designs in the book one sees amazing 3-d images that appear to come out of the book towards you, a lot like a good hologram. For example, a field of grass becomes a 3-d image of grazing sheep. The book is fun for all ages and makes you want to look at it over and over again.

got this book as a christmas gift. what a treat! it is in full color with challenging puzzles for those kinds of people that are good with spatial abilities.

It is a close call when trying to decide if the most beautiful aspect of this book is the extent of the detail of the images of the puzzles or the puzzles themselves. The coloration, contrast, orientations and three-dimensional aspects of the images are astonishing and the publishers are to be commended for spending the extra resources to achieve the high quality. Many of them even have realistic looking shadows.
The puzzles fit into many categories, some are putting structures together to make shapes, others are identifying and categorizing the orientations of collections of objects and some require that you move objects to achieve a specific orientation. I was able to solve some within a few seconds, others took a few minutes, where I needed to draw explanatory figures and some I simply got wrong. Solutions to all are included, but only the minimum of explanation is given.
The prettiest set of puzzles that I have ever seen, this is a book that artists can enjoy. It could serve as a textbook in how to correctly create images for books.

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

I can not say enough about this book! It was a tremendous help. My biggest complaint abut plot-based video games is that the goals and objectives can be too hard to figure out. Several times this was the case for me while playing "Prince of Persia 3D." I was so frustrated, I contemplated quitting the game. However, this book by Andrew Bub helped smooth out all of the incongruities that the programmers of the Prince of Persia failed to rectify (in my opinion), and helped me finish the game. Mr. Bub's writing style was intelligent yet easy to read, obviously written by someone who has spent a lot of time "in the trenches." I look forward to his next stategy guide!

I purchase Prince of Persia around christmas time cause it had some great graphics. Then I started playing it. I was a man with no sense of purpose so I guess at thing alot and read the manual over and over again to no avail. The game was no longer fun. I was like a lost boy in the woods without a compass. Finally I dicided that it was time to do somthing so I bought the book. Now I have a compass better yet this book is more like a GPS unit. I have completed two level and boy is this game fun. If you are lost and need to find your way than this book is for you.

The pages in this book are the most Xeroxed pages of all my books combined. Making the puzzles and (mistakenly?) let someone see it. The puzzle seems to disappear or is given away before it is 2 weeks old. I have several copies of each puzzle ready for construction just in case.

For all who didn't know, Dragon's Lair 3D: Return to The Lair was a game which almost didn't make it to shelves. Bogged down in development hell for some time, then after some trouble finding a publisher, Ubi Soft rescued this title, and it made it to shelves after all--enjoying moderate success for some months after launch across all available platforms.

As far as guides go, you're certainly getting everything you could want, or expect, and then some. Bestiary, item's lists, secret item locations, treasure item locations, walkthroughs, puzzle solutions, and full 3D maps. But as if all this weren't enough, you're also getting a short history of Dragon's Lair, profiles of the creators, and even a time line revealing every entry in the franchise (unfortunately, a couple of the more obscure sequels are so rare collectors will be hard pressed to ever find them), and that Dragon's Lair has appeared on almost every gaming platform ever made. My only true gripe with this guide is that while the guide tells you that collecting the treasure hidden in the levels opens new gameplay modes, it doesn't tell you what those modes are, or how much of the treasure you need to collect to unlock them (hopefully not all of it, as some of the treasure is VERY difficult to get--particularly in one specific room where the guide offers no suggestions or hints about how to get it). I'll have to ding it for that too--most people buy guides for the sake of puzzle solutions, finding secrets, and unlocking bonus content--sometimes even to the point of having the plot given away, being led by the hand, or having puzzles spelled right out; not to be given vague, inspecific hints, then left to figure it out on your own through repetition. Fortunately enough though, these instances are rare--in the overwhelming majority of cases, it does offer suggestions on how to get treasure (generally in a sidebar). You can argue that the best guides give away secrets without handing out plot spoilers, but in a game where the primary objective is so straightforward, is there really a point to it?

All in all, while not perfect, this guide is an excellent companion for the game, almost completely ensures that you won't get stuck, is in full color, and has all the extras we've come to expect from modern strategy guides. It's also out of print, and near impossible to find on shelves unless it's by chance in a place that handles second hand games and guides. But people who bought this game as a permanent addition to their collection because of nostalgic value would do well to grab a copy of this guide while it's still available. It's the only official guide available for the game, it's inexpensive here on amazon, and I highly recommend it.

This is a great book. It makes in seem so simple to use! My friend has this book and he loves it. Definitly a good book. The only problem is sometimes it can be a small bit complicated.

Interacitve Games to Keep your mind Sharp.
A take-it-with-you book to provide endless hours of interest and intrgue.
Definitely worth the price.