Here is a stunning new collection of classic mind-teasers--elegantly conceived and beautifully presented by one of the world's top design groups.

    Each chapter explores a different theme, for example fractals, surreal numbers, the sculptures of Berrocal, tiling the plane, Ramsey theory and code breaking, all combining to create a rich diet of recreational mathematics. Most chapters can be readily understood by the uninitiated: at each turn there are challenges for the reader and a wealth of references for further reading. Gardner's clarity of style and ability systematically to simplify the complex make this an excellent vehicle in which to start or continue an interest in recreational mathematics.

    Clues are drawn from many different areas of the Christie corpus, including names and descriptions of characters, places, and things—such as victims and witnesses, houses and villages, murder weapons, and jewels.Test your professional skills on traditional crosswords of both standard American and British cryptic types, and find out just how well you know Dame Agatha’s good works. Your knowledge of critical, yet completely and honestly chosen details can mean triumphant success or deadly failure in solving puzzles based on mysteries such as Murder on the Orient Express or Elephants Can Remember. Devotees of word games will also be delighted to discover the amazing Double Crostic (often called the highest form of the art); a mammoth Agatha Christie Title Hunt; Harley Quin and Parker Pyne Word Finds; a Hercule Poirot Cypher; a Miss Marple Kriss-Kross; a Miss Marple Quotefall; and a mysterious Poisoners Word Grid and Match-up. But don’t worry, we won’t keep you hanging—answers are provided at the back of the book in case of dire need.