The Canterbury Puzzles and Other Curious Problems

by Henry Ernest Dudeney

INTRODUCTION Readers of The Mill on the Floss will remember that whenever Mr. Tulliver found himself confronted by any little difficulty he was accustomed to make the trite remark, "It's a puzzling world." There can be no denying the fact that we are surrounded on every hand by posers, some of which the intellect of man has mastered, and many of which may be said to be impossible of solution. Solomon himself, who may be supposed to have been as sharp as most men at solving a puzzle, had to admit "there be three things which are too wonderful for me; yea, four which I know not: the way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid." Probing into the secrets of Nature is a passion with all men; only we select different lines of research. Men have spent long lives in such attempts as to turn the baser metals into gold, to discover perpetual motion, to find a cure for certain malignant diseases, and to navigate the air. From morning to night we are being perpetually brought face to face with puzzles. But there are puzzles and puzzles. Those that are usually devised for recreation and pastime may be roughly divided into two classes: Puzzles that are built up on some interesting or informing little principle; and puzzles that conceal no principle whatever-such as a picture cut at random into little bits to be put together again, or the juvenile imbecility known as the "rebus," or "picture puzzle." The former species may be said to be adapted to the amusement of the sane man or woman; the latter can be confidently recommended to the feeble-minded. The curious propensity for propounding puzzles is not peculiar to any race or to any period of history. It is simply innate in every intelligent man, woman, and child that has ever lived, though it is always showing itself in different forms; whether the individual be a Sphinx of Egypt, a Samson of Hebrew lore, an Indian fakir, a Chinese philosopher, a mahatma of Tibet, or a European mathematician makes little difference. Theologian, scientist, and artisan are perpetually engaged in attempting to solve puzzles, while every game, sport, and pastime is built up of problems of greater or less difficulty. The spontaneous question asked by the child of his parent, by one cyclist of another while taking a brief rest on a stile, by a cricketer during the luncheon hour, or by a yachtsman lazily scanning the horizon, is frequently a problem of considerable difficulty. In short, we are all propounding puzzles to one another every day of our lives-without always knowing it. A good puzzle should demand the exercise of our best wit and ingenuity, and although a knowledge of mathematics and a certain familiarity with the methods of logic are often of great service in the solution of these things, yet it sometimes happens that a kind of natural cunning and sagacity is of considerable value. For many of the best problems cannot be solved by any familiar scholastic methods, but must be attacked on entirely original lines. This is why, after a long and wide experience, one finds that particular puzzles will sometimes be solved more readily by persons possessing only naturally alert faculties than by the better educated. The best players of such puzzle games as chess and draughts are not mathematicians, though it is just possible that often they may have undeveloped mathematical minds. It is extraordinary what fascination a good puzzle has for a great many people. We know the thing to be of trivial importance, yet we are impelled to master it; and when we have succeeded there is a pleasure and a sense of satisfaction that are a quite sufficient reward for our trouble, even when there is no prize to be won. What is this mysterious charm that many find irresistible? Why do we like to be puzzled?

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

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.