The Canterbury Puzzles

by Henry Ernest Dudeney

"There is really a practical utility in puzzle-solving," remarked English mathematician and puzzle creator Henry Dudeney. "Regular exercise is supposed to be as necessary for the brain as for the body. Many of us are very apt to suffer from mental cobwebs, and there is nothing equal to the solving of puzzles and problems for sweeping them away. They keep the brain alert, stimulate the imagination and develop the reasoning faculties."
One of England's greatest composers of mathematical puzzles, Henry Dudeney (1847–1930) had a talent for finding solutions to problems that seemed unsolvable. With only a basic education as background, he began creating puzzles for a local paper when he was only nine years of age; later in life, he developed sophisticated mathematical problems requiring subtle skills.
This unique book for challenge-loving teenagers and veteran puzzle solvers of all ages presents more than 110 of Dudeney's puzzles — not as individual problems but as incidents in connected stories. The first 31 problems are posed by the pilgrims in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales : additional puzzles are presented using different characters in other venues. Many require only the ability to exercise logical or visual skills; others, like the Ribbon Problem or The Riddle of St. Edmonsbury, offer a stimulating challenge to the mathematically advanced. In all cases, solutions are provided at the end.
"An extremely ingenious book which abounds in problems that will keep the reader busy for hours." — Manchester Guardian

Genres: Puzzles, Mathematics, Nonfiction, Classics, Science, Games

256 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1919

About the author

married to Mrs. Henry Dudeney

Reviews

[Ami Iida · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the definitive edition of mathematical puzzles.
In this book puzzles of prototype to total appearance which are only the combination of all puzzle.

There are 70 different prototypes in mathematical puzzles.
The combination has a vast number..............
70C1 + 70C2 + 70C3 + ..................... + 70C69 + 70C70
Let's start to solve the problem from the favorite page !!!

[Yogi Saputro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plus points
- It has overarching theme. Designing puzzles are quite challenging already, so it is aprreciated. Putting them together in a story helps to bring this book into 'recreational' side rather than 'mathematics'.
- Puzzles are diverse. Like humour, certain people prefer certain puzzles. This book has something for everyone

Minus points
- Archaic english adds extra obscurity for non-natives like me

[James Ng · Rating 3 out of 5]

A difficult read not just because of the puzzles but the archaic English used as well as the explanations of the solutions are not always clear or concise.

[Analuabc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Muitos enigmas. Mas não são fáceis.

[Bogumił · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wide variety of puzzles. Some can be solved in your head, some on paper, or even some only by computer.

[Charissa Wilkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overview: Puzzles have been popular as long as humans have had a society. How many of us could solve these brain twisters without resorting to the answer key?

Dislikes: Simplicity doesn't necessarily mean imbecilic. A picture puzzle can actually stretch your thinking, just as much as a mathematical puzzle.

Likes: If you aren't gifted with mathematics, you will need the answer key.

Conclusion: Give your brain a workout with this interesting book.

[Jeff Yoak · Rating 2 out of 5]

This had a few new puzzles for me, but generally they were of a type that I don't tend to prefer. When the cleverness is in the wording, it tends to appeal to me less than when the confines of working the puzzle are completely clear to me and the solution is tricky in and of itself.

[David · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nope, not my cup of tea. I wanted a little bit of metal exercise but each of the characters riddles where either on the verge of intractable without CERN's PC's or easy enough for a dead stoat to solve.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some nice puzzles, some not so nice.