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Lewis Carroll in Numberland: His Fantastical Mathematical Logical Life
A penetrating work that explores the amazing imagination and mathematical genius of the man who wrote Alice's Adventures in Wonderland . Just when we thought we knew everything about Lewis Carroll, here comes a highly original biography that will appeal to Alice fans everywhere. Fascinated by the inner life of Charles Lutwidge Dodson, Robin Wilson, a Carroll scholar and a noted mathematics professor, has produced this revelatory book―filled with more than one hundred striking and often playful illustrations―that examines the many inspirations and sources for Carroll's fantastical writings, mathematical and otherwise. As Wilson demonstrates, Carroll―who published serious, if occasionally eccentric, works in the fields of geometry, logic, and algebra―made significant contributions to subjects as varied as voting patterns and the design of tennis tournaments, in the process creating imaginative recreational puzzles based on mathematical ideas. In the tradition of Sylvia Nasar's A Beautiful Mind and Andrew Hodges's Alan Turing , this is an engaging look at the incredible genius of one of mathematics' and literature's most enigmatic minds. 100 illustrations
208 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
21 people are currently reading
523 people want to read
About the author
Robin J. Wilson
51 books13 followersRobin James Wilson (born December 1943) is a professor in the Department of Mathematics at the Open University, a Stipendiary Lecturer at Pembroke College, Oxford[1] and, as of 2006, professor of geometry at Gresham College, London, where he has also been a visiting professor. On occasion, he guest teaches at Colorado College.
From January 1999 to September 2003 Robin Wilson was editor-in-chief of the European Mathematical Society Newsletter.[2]
He is the son of Harold Wilson, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He has two daughters: Catherine and Jennifer.
From January 1999 to September 2003 Robin Wilson was editor-in-chief of the European Mathematical Society Newsletter.[2]
He is the son of Harold Wilson, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He has two daughters: Catherine and Jennifer.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
March 30, 2013
This is a badly needed book.
It used to be understood that word games, fantastic imagery, and puzzles were both a great way to keep the mind limber and to entertain, but no one mastered these arts, particularly in combination, more than Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, aka Lewis Carroll. I thought I was familiar with Dodgson's life and work. Then I read this book. It is definitely a biography more than an in-depth technical work (although it's a very effective survey), so readers wanting to explore Dodgson's works will need other sources. But if you want to know who Charles Lutwidge Dodgson was, this is the right work.
One star off for some minor organizational deficiencies, in my opinion.
It used to be understood that word games, fantastic imagery, and puzzles were both a great way to keep the mind limber and to entertain, but no one mastered these arts, particularly in combination, more than Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, aka Lewis Carroll. I thought I was familiar with Dodgson's life and work. Then I read this book. It is definitely a biography more than an in-depth technical work (although it's a very effective survey), so readers wanting to explore Dodgson's works will need other sources. But if you want to know who Charles Lutwidge Dodgson was, this is the right work.
One star off for some minor organizational deficiencies, in my opinion.
December 18, 2018
If you love Math and English literature, you are in all probability a Lewis Carroll fan. If all the three marks are checked, then you must read this book else you can pass. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
December 16, 2021
When I bought this book a few years ago I was under the impression it was about the math that hides behind Lewis Carroll’s fictional writings. That is not what this book is. This book is a gloss of the life of Charles Dodgson, with emphasis on his education, his obsession with puzzles of math and logic and his use of these in his teaching ( mostly in teaching children with various levels of engagement on the part of the students). The author doesn’t really do much of a deep dive in any area of Dodgson’s life. Unless you like the challenge of narrative math problems or logic syllogisms you could probably just read the time line of Dodgson’s life featured at the start of this book and be none the worse for wear. This book did remind me how much I disliked math in school, even though I was good at it, and how much I have lost over the years since I last used any of it (which, dear reader, I won’t own to how long it’s been).
If you are looking for a great book on the math and physics behind the Alice stories I highly recommend Alice in Quantumland by Robert Gilmore.
If you are looking for a great book on the math and physics behind the Alice stories I highly recommend Alice in Quantumland by Robert Gilmore.
August 4, 2012
I wanted to love this book more than I did. Anytime the book discussed Lewis Carroll's life, early years and his relations to Alice in Wonderland, I was overjoyed. However, this book's main focus is on Lewis Carrol's life as a mathematician and that part was...difficult for me to read and understand. I find math to be an already challenging subject to understand, so looking at the equations even with the step by step logic, I found it still going way over my head.
Did I dislike the book? Not at all! There were certainly parts that were very enjoyable, especially all this historical information. If you have a huge interest in math, this is a great book. But if your like me and you were more interested in Lewis Carroll's life, this still has some value.
May be one day I will finally understand math. ONE DAY.
Did I dislike the book? Not at all! There were certainly parts that were very enjoyable, especially all this historical information. If you have a huge interest in math, this is a great book. But if your like me and you were more interested in Lewis Carroll's life, this still has some value.
May be one day I will finally understand math. ONE DAY.
October 8, 2017
Lewis Carroll è noto a tutti per le avventure di Alice nel paese delle meraviglie. Alcuni sanno anche della sua mania di fotografare bambine, spingendosi fino a definirlo un depravato sessuale represso (anche se non si hanno notizie di alcun suo atto contro la pubblica decenza). Ma la sua personalità è molto più variegata, come si può leggere in questa biografia che racconta la sua vita a tutto tondo, compreso il suo lavoro come fotografo (uno dei più importanti del XIX secolo), di matematico (onesto, pur senza essere fuori categoria: importanti i suoi lavori sui sistemi di voto) e di persona comunque in prima fila nella società dell'epoca. La traduzione (disclaimer: conosco Franco Ligabue da una vita) è stata un mezzo tour de force per rendere le rime e i giochi di parole dell'originale, per il sollievo del lettore non madrelingua inglese.
February 17, 2022
This was a great balance between biography of Lewis Carroll (Charles Dodgson) and examples of his works. Although his Alice series is referenced, the focus is on his mathematical and logical problems and the book manages to portray the joy he had teaching those concepts.
There is enough explanation for someone not well-versed in the topics, but I think that someone who already enjoys math and formal logic will get the most out of this book. In particular, it was interesting to see the historical context in which his advancements were made, and the contrasts to other mathematicians and logicians of the time.
There is enough explanation for someone not well-versed in the topics, but I think that someone who already enjoys math and formal logic will get the most out of this book. In particular, it was interesting to see the historical context in which his advancements were made, and the contrasts to other mathematicians and logicians of the time.
Read
February 18, 2023A side to Lewis Carrol (real name Charles Dodgson) I hadn't known at all. And not just a side of his personality, but rather a part of the very foundation for his "Alice" stories and pretty much every endeavor he chose to fill his very busy life. Also of main interest was his involvement in amateur photography as it was first being practiced. His fantastic early photographs of children (scant few are presented in the book) are very likely worth a volume all their own and I aim to seek out his work.
The quality of writing for this particular "mathematical biography" is the bare minimum and thankfully allows Dodgson to do most of the 'talking.'
The quality of writing for this particular "mathematical biography" is the bare minimum and thankfully allows Dodgson to do most of the 'talking.'
May 15, 2020
This is a hard book to define. It doesn't set out to be much a biography. More than anything, it is an exploration (sometimes more a list than an analysis) of the mathematical side of Dodgson. Imagine pressing the math subsection in Dodgson's wikipedia page.
It begins with a lengthy (seemingly editorial mandated) list of quotes from Carroll novels like "Wonderland" and "Looking Glass" that explore "math" in some way. We see bits and pieces from his life and accomplishments (mostly in the beginning), like a summary of the man's multifaceted pursuits. Ultimately, the book is most in service of Dodgson the mathematician.
To someone who knows nothing about math and even less than nothing about Dodgson as he relates to math, I learned a lot. There are some really fascinating tidbits about history and Dodgson in here.
The beats not math oriented though often seem inserted after the fact (also, as if by editorial mandate). The author scatters in some mentions about the Liddells and a paragraph stating that Dodgson is not a pedophile. There is so little time given to these things, it feels often arbitrary.
By the end, it devolves into dozens and dozens of excerpts featuring math puzzles and publications by Dodgson. Some are really fun and interesting, but most (as someone who struggles with math in general) are well beyond my ability to even ponder. I had to skip and skim more than I am normally comfortable with. That said, there are some marvelous quotes along the way of how others perceived the man's games and mathematical writing.
The author doesn't seem to want to make too many conclusions for his readers though, so you have to come to your own understanding about what these things say about the man (which isn't necessarily a bad thing). In some way, it feels like a rorschach test--there is enough here to learn a lot about Dodgson, but not enough to know him outside of his work.
After reading this book, I am convinced more than ever that Dodgson was a genius that changed history in more ways than one: a pioneer in photography, children's writing, and math. It's undeniable how brilliant he was and how much he changed the course of history.
It's a short read, but I am not sure who the audience for this is. Most people are coming into this book because they love Alice's adventures (the book's title and cover are speaking more for them than the novel itself). It isn't a bad book though and I am happy to have read it.
(For me)
After reading the introduction to "The Complete Illustrated Lewis Carroll" I wanted to learn more about Dodgson. I only knew the man based on his most famous works (the Alice books), the controversy around his photography, and the debate (still raging today) whether or not he was a pedophile.
I have always loved the Alice books--I think they are phenomenal--but due to everything else I knew about the man I had no interest in learning more. In that introduction though, I was presented with a supremely peculiar, obsessive, curious, and brilliant man. Most importantly, the quotes and ideologies expressed in those pages mirrored the villain in the book I am writing perfectly.
I began re-reading "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Alice Through the Looking Glass" to better my own writing in the world of fantasy. Discovering Dodgson himself might serve as an inspiration for my book was a welcome surprise.
So, I ordered three different biographies on Charles Dodgson and watched the BBC documentary about him. The BBC documentary, though not much in the way of a film (or helpful to my goals), does an incredible job of arguing that Dodgson was most likely a pedophile. It's hard to refute the points they make and it is a shame. I think, like many I suppose, we all hope better of those we've heard terrible things. I was very open to the notion of modern eyes judging different times through the wrong lens...I am less in this instance after watching the film.
After reading this book though, I know so much more about the man, while also feeling like I know nothing at all. We'll see how the next biography goes...
It begins with a lengthy (seemingly editorial mandated) list of quotes from Carroll novels like "Wonderland" and "Looking Glass" that explore "math" in some way. We see bits and pieces from his life and accomplishments (mostly in the beginning), like a summary of the man's multifaceted pursuits. Ultimately, the book is most in service of Dodgson the mathematician.
To someone who knows nothing about math and even less than nothing about Dodgson as he relates to math, I learned a lot. There are some really fascinating tidbits about history and Dodgson in here.
The beats not math oriented though often seem inserted after the fact (also, as if by editorial mandate). The author scatters in some mentions about the Liddells and a paragraph stating that Dodgson is not a pedophile. There is so little time given to these things, it feels often arbitrary.
By the end, it devolves into dozens and dozens of excerpts featuring math puzzles and publications by Dodgson. Some are really fun and interesting, but most (as someone who struggles with math in general) are well beyond my ability to even ponder. I had to skip and skim more than I am normally comfortable with. That said, there are some marvelous quotes along the way of how others perceived the man's games and mathematical writing.
The author doesn't seem to want to make too many conclusions for his readers though, so you have to come to your own understanding about what these things say about the man (which isn't necessarily a bad thing). In some way, it feels like a rorschach test--there is enough here to learn a lot about Dodgson, but not enough to know him outside of his work.
After reading this book, I am convinced more than ever that Dodgson was a genius that changed history in more ways than one: a pioneer in photography, children's writing, and math. It's undeniable how brilliant he was and how much he changed the course of history.
It's a short read, but I am not sure who the audience for this is. Most people are coming into this book because they love Alice's adventures (the book's title and cover are speaking more for them than the novel itself). It isn't a bad book though and I am happy to have read it.
(For me)
After reading the introduction to "The Complete Illustrated Lewis Carroll" I wanted to learn more about Dodgson. I only knew the man based on his most famous works (the Alice books), the controversy around his photography, and the debate (still raging today) whether or not he was a pedophile.
I have always loved the Alice books--I think they are phenomenal--but due to everything else I knew about the man I had no interest in learning more. In that introduction though, I was presented with a supremely peculiar, obsessive, curious, and brilliant man. Most importantly, the quotes and ideologies expressed in those pages mirrored the villain in the book I am writing perfectly.
I began re-reading "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Alice Through the Looking Glass" to better my own writing in the world of fantasy. Discovering Dodgson himself might serve as an inspiration for my book was a welcome surprise.
So, I ordered three different biographies on Charles Dodgson and watched the BBC documentary about him. The BBC documentary, though not much in the way of a film (or helpful to my goals), does an incredible job of arguing that Dodgson was most likely a pedophile. It's hard to refute the points they make and it is a shame. I think, like many I suppose, we all hope better of those we've heard terrible things. I was very open to the notion of modern eyes judging different times through the wrong lens...I am less in this instance after watching the film.
After reading this book though, I know so much more about the man, while also feeling like I know nothing at all. We'll see how the next biography goes...
September 26, 2020
4 stars & 4/10 hearts. To begin, I want to point out how intricate the cover is. It is made to look like a fascinating, tattered old book which is just so cool! (Our copy sustained water damage which simply improved this cool dustjacket, in my opinion). There are some simply hilarious quotes in this book and all the information on Carroll/Dodgson is interesting, of course. I will admit I skipped some of the mathematical pages (mostly the lengthy one dealing with algebra or something of that sort). Still, there were some cool bits of mathematical information, such as Dodgson's tips for learning math!
A Favourite Quote: [Context: Dodgson published mathematical problems in a magazine, children wrote in answers, & he graded them.] “One correspondant, SCRUTATOR, later wrote in to complain that the second question in Knot I ‘answers itself.’ Carroll responded:
“‘It is interesting to know that the question ‘answers itself,’ and I am sure it does the question great credit: still I fear I cannot enter it on the list of winners, as this competition is only open to human beings.”
A Favourite Quote: [Context: Dodgson published mathematical problems in a magazine, children wrote in answers, & he graded them.] “One correspondant, SCRUTATOR, later wrote in to complain that the second question in Knot I ‘answers itself.’ Carroll responded:
“‘It is interesting to know that the question ‘answers itself,’ and I am sure it does the question great credit: still I fear I cannot enter it on the list of winners, as this competition is only open to human beings.”
April 6, 2022
Take the "mathematical life" of the title seriously: while this does include biographical information, it's primarily an overview of Carroll/Dodgson's mathematical writings, focusing on the "recreational mathematics" side rather than the academic material. That means a lot of puzzles, visualizations, and stories. Some are inspired by Alice; others are standalones. I used it in conjunction with Gardner's Annotated Alice to get a broader view of the two Alice books along with the rest of Carroll's writing. If he lived in this era rather than the Victorian period, he would've been a big hit on Youtube.
FMI see my blog post at A Just Recompense.
FMI see my blog post at A Just Recompense.
February 15, 2025
If you love mathematics and are a Lewis Carroll fan, I would recommend this book tremendously. Robin Wilson offers a captivating look at the lesser-known side of Lewis Carroll as a mathematician. He explores Carroll's contributions to geometry, logic, and algebra, showing how his academic work intertwined with his literary genius. The book reveals the mathematical mind behind the whimsical stories, and demonstrates how Carroll’s logical thinking influenced his writing. Engaging and well-researched, this biography provides a unique perspective on the intersection of creativity and mathematics. As Alice herself says, “I can't go back to yesterday because I was a different person then,” reflecting the dynamic layers of Carroll’s own intellectual journey.
July 23, 2021
I didn't know much about Charles Dodgson/Lewis Carroll when I picked this up. The book is a quick and easy read (apart from any time spent delving into the math puzzles). It summarizes Dodgson's life and work, and to a small but welcome degree puts his mathematical accomplishments in context. Quotes from Dodgson's published works and private journals give the flavor of his passion for math problems. I appreciated some of the more general history of mathematical education too; for example I learned about the widespread use of Euclid's books (in various English translations) in the English educational system, until reforms moved away from exams based exclusively on this one author.
February 21, 2021
This book is pretty biographical in nature. I was hoping for more rabbit trails and fan theories of deep messages in Alice in Wonderland. That's not necessarily what I recieved. Sure, there are some explanations such as the meaning behind the poem Twinkle Twinkle little bat. (Mad Hater in the old Batman cartoon quoted this and my kids instantly recognized the source.) But, a majority of it is explaning the mysteries of the man himself. Dodgson was and is a very intriguing person. I learned a lot about him and do not regret reading the "wrong" book.
April 26, 2023
Had to skim some of the math and logic puzzles to get this back to the library on time. An interesting mix of biography and math games, this book would be better to gnaw on slowly over several months than to hurry through. Definitely made me interested in seeking out some of Lewis Carrots math and logic writing.
January 30, 2021
Nice biography of Lewis Carroll's life as a mathematician and his skill at solving logic problems. Includes lots of examples of puzzles and logic questions. At times it feels like long lists of these but the book is short overall and they can be skipped if you don't feel like solving them.
January 13, 2018
While I got into some of math talk Carroll worked in, overall it felt dry at times. And I have a mathematical mind. I will use some of his problems on my students though.
August 23, 2019
Heheheheh mine’s an author signed version XDDD nuf said
June 4, 2022
Re-read this, having forgotten I had already read it a decade ago. It's worth reading but perhaps not twice!
March 24, 2009
A biography of the mathematician Charles Dodgson, alias author Lewis Carroll. Robin Wilson is a mathematician and thus can intellegently write about Dodgson's contributions to mathematics. Dodgson was first and foremost a mathematician, as a student he was very diligent and tested at the top of his class at Oxford. In an age without calculators, and a measuring system which required all kinds of conversions, Dodgson became very adept at mental math, techniques for calculations and memorization. The sample test questions from the Oxford exams gives one an idea of the incredible ability for calculation required at the time.... Seems incredibly tedious to me! As a tutor and teacher, Dodgson found "tricks" for calculations to help his students, also invented many puzzles and logic games in order to show them the fun of math. The reaction to his puzzles is the same today as with his students and acquaintences in his day. Either they "get it" and find the puzzles fascinating, or they think he is crazy. I recommend this book for people who find math puzzles interesting; if you don't, forget it. You need to take time to at least attempt the puzzles. I found that in some cases I didn't understand the context enough to understand what was being asked, or don't know enough about the monetary system to be able to solve them. Some were fun, though. If you spend time reading this in the evening and go to bed working through a puzzle in your head, you may find yourself dreaming in some kind of Wonderland -- Beware! It seems to me that Dodgson's best mathematical work was on a fair electoral system. It would be worthwhile to revisit this topic and consider revising our electoral system.
December 5, 2014
On recommendation, Charles Dodgson wrote under the pseudonym of Lewis Carroll for all of his literary exploits - most notably the Alice in Wonderland series. A qualified mathematician from Oxford; there was no limits to the types of problems this great man applied his mind to. The book is full of puzzles, riddles, euclidean geometry problems that Dodgson designed over his life time. Dodgson even devised a nifty technique for calculating determinants of large matrices. He was also an avid photographer. He died at the age of 65 from severe bronchial influenza.
The book is written by a mathematician for mathematicians. Its a pity the biographer didn't spend a chapter or two explaining Dodgson's technique and thought process in devising the strange and fabulous characters in Alice in Wonderland. I understand from other sources that Dodgson based a number of the characters on some of the most important mathematical concepts we use today. Overall, I was bit disappointed.
The book is written by a mathematician for mathematicians. Its a pity the biographer didn't spend a chapter or two explaining Dodgson's technique and thought process in devising the strange and fabulous characters in Alice in Wonderland. I understand from other sources that Dodgson based a number of the characters on some of the most important mathematical concepts we use today. Overall, I was bit disappointed.
June 16, 2009
Lewis Carroll in Numberland is a very interesting book. It focuses on the life of Charles Dodgson, aka Lewis Carroll. Instead of focusing on the main thing Dodgson is known for, the Alice in Wonderland books, this book focuses on his education and his incredible intellect - especially in the area of mathematics. Dodgson was an unbelievably intelligent man who studied a variety of topics and actually helped devise new ways to work math problems. My only complaint about this book was that toward the end it kindof got bogged down in math problems and examples to show how Dodgson thought and what he accomplished, but to someone who is not a math genius it was a little boring. But, overall it was interesting to read a book about Charles Dodgson's "other life" as a college professor and mathematician.
May 26, 2012
I enjoyed seeing the math side of Lewis Carroll. It was very interesting to see how hard he worked growing up and how diligent he was as a professor. He always seemed to be interested in sharing math with the world whether between characters in his fictional books or in his pamphlets about a certain math topic at hand. I liked the puzzles that were shared in the book of which Carroll had published or written in his journals. I wish there were clearer explanations for solutions; plus some of the answers did not have solutions. I am only giving this book three stars because, while I thought it interesting at first to see the quotations from the books and pamphlets that Carroll actually wrote, it got distracting after awhile. Also in many instances the author described what Carroll said or did, then included the quotation, almost like - see, here's the proof - but it was redundant.
June 21, 2009
This is a great book for math teachers as it presents a neat method for solving 3X3 and 4X4 determinants and has lots of math puzzles. On the other hand some of the puzzles are hard to understand given the 19th century style and terminology.
The book presents the life of Charles Dodgson, which itself is very interesting. Again, non-British readers who do not understand the British system of higher education will be confused, but the main points will come through.
Dodgson is shown to have a very imaginative and inventive mind both in his whimsy (Alice in Wonderland, etc.) and in his math lessons. He is very much a teacher always trying find ways to get across mathematical ideas, especially logic. He invents games and puzzles.
The book presents the life of Charles Dodgson, which itself is very interesting. Again, non-British readers who do not understand the British system of higher education will be confused, but the main points will come through.
Dodgson is shown to have a very imaginative and inventive mind both in his whimsy (Alice in Wonderland, etc.) and in his math lessons. He is very much a teacher always trying find ways to get across mathematical ideas, especially logic. He invents games and puzzles.
February 25, 2009
I first became aware of this book when I heard Robin Wilson deliver a Book-Launch Lecture at Gresham College which was a really nice overview of the book, I found.
The book is particularly good in how it deals so succinctly with this area of Lewis Carroll's life which was most important to him but which is so often neglected or only referred to as something of an aside to the Alice books.
If you want to dig deeper into Lewis Carroll, you have to find out about his maths, and this book is perfect for that (as well as being very interesting, regardless!)
The book is particularly good in how it deals so succinctly with this area of Lewis Carroll's life which was most important to him but which is so often neglected or only referred to as something of an aside to the Alice books.
If you want to dig deeper into Lewis Carroll, you have to find out about his maths, and this book is perfect for that (as well as being very interesting, regardless!)
March 26, 2014
I enjoyed this book, but it's for a particular kind of numerically-oriented person.
Helps to also know a little about Oxford.
I read it slowly and gave thought to some of the problems. It's not deep modern math.
I liked reading it in conjunction with The Logic of Alice: Clear Thinking in Wonderland which I need to finish (it helped renewing my copy of Inspiration software).
Helps to also know a little about Oxford.
I read it slowly and gave thought to some of the problems. It's not deep modern math.
I liked reading it in conjunction with The Logic of Alice: Clear Thinking in Wonderland which I need to finish (it helped renewing my copy of Inspiration software).
September 11, 2009
LOVED this book (in a four star non-fiction kind of way.) I think I would have enjoyed Lewis Carrol/Charles Dodgson as a professor. A kindred spirit in my bizarre love of symbolic logic.
Some of the examples given of his number/logic riddles and problems are outstanding. I'm enjoying them with the boys.
Also a great history on how we moved from Euclidian Algebra to modern Algebra. In case you were interested :)
Some of the examples given of his number/logic riddles and problems are outstanding. I'm enjoying them with the boys.
Also a great history on how we moved from Euclidian Algebra to modern Algebra. In case you were interested :)
September 19, 2010
The biographical bits were quite fun and Wilson points out how Carroll/Dodgson used math and logic in his stories. Dodgson was a gifted mathematician and much of the latter half of the book details Dodgson's work in mathematics and geometry.
Which I'm sure is interesting but after a while just makes my head hurt. The logic stuff was kind of interesting.
Which I'm sure is interesting but after a while just makes my head hurt. The logic stuff was kind of interesting.
June 4, 2022
An interesting book about Charles Dodgson covering his academic career and introducing many of his mathematical and logical puzzles. It's worth reading just for the latter - it's surprising that some of these aren't better known and some day when I have time (yeah, right) I'll learn some properly to impress people!
September 14, 2011
This is a biography of Charles Dodgson (pen name Lewis Carroll) who was a mathematician at Oxford University. He loved puzzles & problems and especially trying to stump children. His puzzles stumped me several times. I did learn some math tricks, though. I'll have to try these puzzles on someone.
I did skip parts of the book as I was not interested in the geometry or his thesis on logic.
I did skip parts of the book as I was not interested in the geometry or his thesis on logic.
July 16, 2012
I read about 2/3 of this book, sort of skipped around. I loved the chapter on his puzzles and for that alone gave it a 4. One puzzle in particular was extremely cool and I am still mulling over how it could possibly be real--but I did it myself, and it's a mystery! Also learned some surprising stuff about "Lewis Carroll".
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews