William Poundstone





William Poundstone

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When I was an eight-year-old boy in West Virginia, a friend of my father's gave me a paperback copy of Martin Gardner's Mathematical Puzzles & Diversions. He gave it to me because (a) it had all these logic puzzles in it, and they were "too hard" for him and (b) my father had boasted that I was a pretty bright kid. So maybe I would like it. As I thumbed through the Gardner book, it struck me as the most sophisticated, grown-up book I'd ever come across.

Half of the puzzles were about cigarettes or martinis! It seemed that way, anyhow. "Arrange six cigarettes so that each touches the other five. . ." "You have a glass of gin and a glass of vermouth and one spoon. . ." I suppose I had an inkling that there were even more grown-up books tha...more


William Poundstone isn't a Goodreads Author (yet), but he does have a blog, so here are some recent posts imported from his feed.
Pity the summer tourist in New York, the city where everything is more expensive than it is back home. Last month, Serendipity 3, an East Side eatery popular with visitors, introduced a $69 hot dog. Call that a leading indicator: Several Manhattan restaurants introduced $100+ hamburgers prior to the 2008 meltdown, but not many have since — maybe lest the masses storm the place with pitchforks.... read more »
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Published on August 10, 2010 15:05 • 118 views
Average rating: 3.70 · 2,185 ratings · 377 reviews · 18 distinct works
Prisoner's Dilemma
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3.87 of 5 stars 3.87 avg rating — 372 ratings — published 1992 — 12 editions
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Fortune's Formula: The Unto...
4.01 of 5 stars 4.01 avg rating — 352 ratings4 editions
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How Would You Move Mount Fu...
3.36 of 5 stars 3.36 avg rating — 411 ratings — published 2003 — 12 editions
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Priceless: The Myth of Fair...
3.5 of 5 stars 3.50 avg rating — 237 ratings — published 2010 — 8 editions
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Are You Smart Enough to Wor...
3.32 of 5 stars 3.32 avg rating — 208 ratings — published 2012 — 6 editions
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Labyrinths of Reason: Parad...
3.95 of 5 stars 3.95 avg rating — 129 ratings — published 1988 — 6 editions
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Carl Sagan: A Life in the C...
3.9 of 5 stars 3.90 avg rating — 102 ratings — published 1999 — 2 editions
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Gaming the Vote: Why Electi...
3.75 of 5 stars 3.75 avg rating — 99 ratings — published 2008 — 4 editions
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Big Secrets
3.93 of 5 stars 3.93 avg rating — 87 ratings — published 1983 — 5 editions
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Biggest Secrets
3.83 of 5 stars 3.83 avg rating — 54 ratings — published 1993 — 2 editions
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GR-101: Book Appr...: It's Covered! 146 16 Nov 12, 2010 07:45pm  


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