100 Best Puzzle Books of All Time

We've researched and ranked the best puzzle books in the world, based on recommendations from world experts, sales data, and millions of reader ratings. Learn more

Featuring recommendations from Ev Williams, Brad Feld, Eric Weinstein, and 15 other experts.
1

Ready Player One

The bestselling cult classic--soon to be a major motion picture directed by Steven Spielberg.



At once wildly original and stuffed with irresistible nostalgia, READY PLAYER ONE is a spectacularly genre-busting, ambitious, and charming debut--part quest novel, part love story, and part virtual space opera set in a universe where spell-slinging mages battle giant Japanese robots, entire planets are inspired by Blade Runner, and flying DeLoreans achieve light speed.

It's the year 2045, and the real world is an ugly place.

Like most of...
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Steve JurvetsonA gift to all of my Apple II programming buddies from high school and Dungeons & Dragons comrades. (Source)

Fabrice GrindaI have lots of books to recommend, but they are not related to my career path. The only one that is remotely related is Peter Thiel’s Zero to One. That said here are books I would recommend. (Source)

Dominic Steil[One of the books that had the biggest impact on .] (Source)

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2
A New York Times Bestseller

Kyle Keeley is the class clown, popular with most kids, (if not the teachers), and an ardent fan of all games: board games, word games, and particularly video games. His hero, Luigi Lemoncello, the most notorious and creative gamemaker in the world, just so happens to be the genius behind the building of the new town library.

Lucky Kyle wins a coveted spot to be one of the first 12 kids in the library for an overnight of fun, food, and lots and lots of games. But when morning comes, the doors remain locked. Kyle and the other winners...
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3
Based on the science that shows that people middle-aged or older who solve word games and brainteasers have a significant cognitive advantage over those who do not, 399 Games, Puzzles & Trivia Challenges is the illustrated game book specifically created to cross-train the brain. Here are 399 games to stretch, challenge, and push the reader, all of which stimulate the formation of neurons—literally, regrowing the brain.

Plus they’re not only good for you, but just plain good—these games are fun. 399 Games, Puzzles & Trivia is a lively mix of challenges,...
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4
ARE YOU A GIFTED CHILD Looking for special opportunities?
When this peculiar ad appears in the newspaper, dozens of children enroll to take a series of mysterious, mind-bending tests. (And you, dear listener, can test your wits right alongside them.) But in the end just four very special children will succeed. Their challenge: to go on a secret mission that only the most intelligent and resourceful
children could complete. To accomplish it they will have to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where the only rule is that there are no rules.
As...
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5

The Eleventh Hour

When Horace the elephant turns eleven, he celebrates in style by inviting his exotic friends to a splendid costume party. But a mystery is afoot, for in the midst of the games, music, and revelry, someone has eaten the birthday feast. The rhyming text and lavish, detailed illustrations each provide clues, and it's up to the reader to piece them together and decide whodunit! "The fun of poring over the pictures is matched by the enjoyment derived from the textwitty, ingenious verses." -- Publishers Weekly Graeme Base is the author of many award-winning books for children, including Animalia... more

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6
An ingenious code hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci.

A desperate race through the cathedrals and castles of Europe.

An astonishing truth concealed for centuries . . . unveiled at last.


While in Paris, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is awakened by a phone call in the dead of the night. The elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum, his body covered in baffling symbols. As Langdon and gifted French cryptologist Sophie Neveu sort through the bizarre riddles, they are stunned to discover a trail of clues hidden in the...
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Recommended by Ev Williams, Neal O'Gorman, and 2 others.

Neal O'GormanCertainly, a previous non-business book which I really enjoyed (along with many other people) was the Da Vinci Code. I was living in the States at the time, and it was a rare occasion to be on a plane and not see someone reading it. (Source)

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7
This is, quite simply, the best and most popular puzzle book ever published in the Soviet Union. Since its first appearance in 1956 there have been eight editions as well as translations from the original Russian into Ukrainian, Estonian, Lettish, and Lithuanian. Almost a million copies of the Russian version alone have been sold.
Part of the reason for the book's success is its marvelously varied assortment of brainteasers ranging from simple "catch" riddles to difficult problems (none, however, requiring advanced mathematics). Many of the puzzles will be new to Western readers, while...
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8
In 1862 Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, a shy Oxford mathematician with a stammer, created a story about a little girl tumbling down a rabbit hole. Thus began the immortal adventures of Alice, perhaps the most popular heroine in English literature.

Countless scholars have tried to define the charm of the Alice books--with those wonderfully eccentric characters the Queen of Hearts, Tweedledum, and Tweedledee, the Cheshire Cat, Mock Turtle, the Mad Hatter et al.--by proclaiming that they really comprise a satire on language, a political allegory, a parody of Victorian...
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Eric Weinstein[Eric Weinstein recommended this book on Twitter.] (Source)

Larry DoyleYou’d have to be a zombie to miss the humour in it – it’s hilarious. Although the book is ancient, the humour feels modern (Source)

Jean WebbAn imaginative, clever and fun fantasy story that satirises nineteenth century England at the same time as celebrating academic thinking. (Source)

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9

Book Scavenger (Book Scavenger, #1)

A hidden book. A found cipher. A game begins . . . .

Twelve-year-old Emily is on the move again. Her family is relocating to San Francisco, home of her literary idol: Garrison Griswold, creator of the online sensation Book Scavenger, a game where books are hidden all over the country and clues to find them are revealed through puzzles. But Emily soon learns that Griswold has been attacked and is in a coma, and no one knows anything about the epic new game he had been poised to launch. Then Emily and her new friend James discover an odd book, which they come to believe is from...
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10

And Then There Were None

The World's Bestselling Mystery

"Ten . . ."
Ten strangers are lured to an isolated island mansion off the Devon coast by a mysterious "U.N. Owen."

"Nine . . ."
At dinner a recorded message accuses each of them in turn of having a guilty secret, and by the end of the night one of the guests is dead.

"Eight . . ."
Stranded by a violent storm, and haunted by a nursery rhyme counting down one by one . . . one by one they begin to die.

"Seven . . ."
Who among them is the killer and will any of them survive?

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Recommended by Rian Johnson, and 1 others.

Rian Johnson@AdamLanceGarcia I think And Then There Were None is her best book, but The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd and Curtain are probably tied for my personal favorite. (Source)

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Don't have time to read the top Puzzle books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
11

The Westing Game

A bizarre chain of events begins when sixteen unlikely people gather for the reading of Samuel W. Westing's will. And though no one knows why the eccentric, game-loving millionaire has chosen a virtual stranger—and a possible murderer—to inherit his vast fortune, one thing's for sure: Sam Westing may be dead ... but that won't stop him from playing one last game! less

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12
The fearsome foursome is back in the second installment of the New York Times bestselling series praised by Rick Riordan!

The Mysterious Benedict Society is up against a new mission, significantly closer to home. After reuniting for a celebratory scavenger hunt, Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance are forced to go on an unexpected search--a search to find Mr. Benedict. It seems that while he was preparing the kids' adventure, he stepped right into a trap orchestrated by his evil twin Mr. Curtain.

With only one week to find a captured Mr. Benedict, the...
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13

Chasing Vermeer (Chasing Vermeer, #1)

When a book of unexplainable occurrences brings Petra Andalee and Calder Pillay together, strange things start to happen: seemingly unrelated events connect, an eccentric old woman seeks their company, and an invaluable Vermeer painting disappears. Before they know it, the two find themselves at the center of an international art scandal, where no one — neighbors, parents, teachers — is spared from suspicion. As Petra and Calder are drawn clue by clue into a mysterious labyrinth, they must draw on their powers of intuition, their problem-solving skills, and their knowledge of Vermeer. Can... more

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14
IF YOU FAIL,
ALL IS
LOST.

Join the Mysterious Benedict Society as Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance embark on a daring new adventure that threatens to force them apart from their families, friends, and even each other. When an unexplained blackout engulfs Stonetown, the foursome must unravel clues relating to a nefarious new plot, while their search for answers brings them closer to danger than ever before.
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15
"The most original, most profound, and most humorous collection of recreational logic and math problems ever written." — Martin Gardner, Scientific American
"The value of the book lies in the wealth of ingenious puzzles. They afford amusement, vigorous exercise, and instruction." — Willard Van Orman Quine, The New York Times Book Review
If you're intrigued by puzzles and paradoxes, these 200 mind-bending logic puzzles, riddles, and diversions will thrill you with challenges to your powers of reason and common sense. Raymond M. Smullyan — a celebrated mathematician,...
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16
"Another scintillating collection of brilliant problems and paradoxes by the most entertaining logician and set theorist who ever lived." — Martin Gardner
"Smullyan is not your run-of-the-mill puzzlemeister; he polishes up old chestnuts, spins variations on a theme, and peoples his logical world with a delightful cast of characters." — Science 82
"I believe Ray Smullyan to be the Lewis Carroll of our times. His little books of logic puzzles will be remembered long after most of us are forgotten." — Peter Denning, Chairman of the Computer Science Department, Naval Postgraduate...
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17

The Parker Inheritance

The letter waits in a book, in a box, in an attic, in an old house in Lambert, South Carolina. It's waiting for Candice Miller.

When Candice finds the letter, she isn't sure she should read it. It's addressed to her grandmother, after all, who left Lambert in a cloud of shame. But the letter describes a young woman named Siobhan Washington. An injustice that happened decades ago. A mystery enfolding the letter-writer. And the fortune that awaits the person who solves the puzzle. Grandma tried and failed. But now Candice has another chance.

So with the help of Brandon...
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18
Martin Gardner é o maior especialista mundial em matemática recreativa. Neste livro, o mais aclamado do autor, apresenta-nos uma série de acontecimentos súbitos que resolvem um problema com elegância e rapidez. Com este livro Gardner pretende estimular a inspiração repentina e a reviravolta mental através de uma série de problemas aparentemente complexos, mas fáceis de resolver se tivermos essa destreza, esse Ah! less

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19
This is a challenging puzzle book covering logic, philosophy, psychology, artificial intelligence, computer science and mathematics. It contains many puzzles and their solutions and aims to attract many readers in an age where computer science, logic, and mathematics are becoming increasingly important and popular. less

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Don't have time to read the top Puzzle books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
21

The Gollywhopper Games

Gil Goodson's future happiness depends on winning the Golly Toy & Game Company's ultimate competition. If Gil wins, his dad has promised that the family can move away from all the gossip, false friends, and bad press that have plagued them ever since "The Incident". Inside the toy company's fantastic headquarters, Gil will have to master trivia, solve puzzles, and complete physical stunts—and he'll have to do better than all of the other kids competing.

Oh, and did we mention that Gil's every step—and every mistake—will be broadcast on national television? Hold on tight,...
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22
Winston Breen finds puzzles everywhere, even on pizzas, and solving them is what he does best. But when his sister uncovers mysterious wooden strips with words and letters that even Winston can't figure out, the entire family is obsessed. It turns out the strips are part of a scavenger hunt that a town patriarch set up for his children. If all four sets are put together, they will lead to a ring worth thousands of dollars.

Cooperating seems like a no-brainer to Winston, but to solve the puzzle, the group has to overcome mysterious threats, mutual mistrust, 25-yearold clues, and...

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24
Over a period of 25 years as author of the Mathematical Games column for Scientific American, Martin Gardner devoted a column every six months or so to short math problems or puzzles. He was especially careful to present new and unfamiliar puzzles that had not been included in such classic collections as those by Sam Loyd and Henry Dudeney. Later, these puzzles were published in book collections, incorporating reader feedback on alternate solutions or interesting generalizations.
The present volume contains a rich selection of 70 of the best of these brain teasers, in some cases...
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25

Journal 29 (Journal 29, #1)

Journal 29: Interactive Book Game

Journal 29 is a unique book game where you can solve riddles and puzzles and submit your answers online to get the keys and move forward.
To solve the riddles, you need to think out of the box.

You can write, draw, search, fold pages, combine different methods and try to get those riddles right.
Journal 29 is a 148 pages book providing over 63 riddles you can solve.

The Story:

A top secret excavation did not bring any result for 28 weeks.
It was on the 29th week...
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27
Welcome, boys and girls, readers of all ages, to the first-ever Library Olympiad! Kyle and his teammates are back, and the world-famous game maker, Luigi Lemoncello, is at it again!
 
This time Mr. Lemoncello has invited teams from all across America to compete in the first ever LIBRARY OLYMPICS. Will it be fun? Like the commercials say. . . HELLO? It’s a Lemoncello! But something suspicious is going on . . . books are missing from Mr. Lemoncello’s library. Is someone trying to CENSOR what the kids are reading?! In between figuring out mind-boggling challenges, the kids will have...
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28

The Colossal Book of Mathematics

s/t: Classic Puzzles, Paradoxes & Problems
Whether discussing hexaflexagons or number theory, Klein bottles or the essence of "nothing," Martin Gardner has single-handedly created the field of "recreational mathematics." The Colossal Book of Mathematics collects together Gardner's most popular pieces from his legendary "Mathematical Games" column, which ran in Scientific American for twenty-five years. Gardner's array of absorbing puzzles and mind-twisting paradoxes opens mathematics up to the world at large, inspiring people to see past numbers and formulas and...
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29
"A charming and challenging adventure." — Wordplay, the Crossword Blog of The New York Times
Alice and her friends return for another romp through Wonderland and the Looking-Glass with these eighty-eight puzzles, paradoxes, and logic problems. Raymond M. Smullyan's characters speak and behave like the originals, and their puzzles abound in typical Carrollian word play, logic problems, and dark philosophical paradoxes. Isaac Asimov described this book as "amusing, entertaining, and surprisingly educational. And it might just send you back to reread Alice."
Readers of...
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30
World-renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned to a Swiss research facility to analyze a cryptic symbol seared into the chest of a murdered physicist. What he discovers is unimaginable: a deadly vendetta against the Catholic Church by a centuries-old underground organization -- the Illuminati. In a desperate race to save the Vatican from a powerful time bomb, Langdon joins forces in Rome with the beautiful and mysterious scientist Vittoria Vetra. Together they embark on a frantic hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, and deserted cathedrals, and into the depths of... more

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Don't have time to read the top Puzzle books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
31

The Colossal Book of Short Puzzles and Problems

For more than twenty-five years, Martin Gardner was Scientific American's renowned provocateur of popular math. His yearly gatherings of short and inventive problems were easily his most anticipated math columns. Loyal readers would savor the wit and elegance of his explorations in physics, probability, topology, and chess, among others. Grouped by subject and arrayed from easiest to hardest, the puzzles gathered here, which complement the lengthier, more involved problems in The Colossal Book of Mathematics, have been selected by Gardner for their illuminating; and often... more

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32
This exclusive companion book to the bestselling Mysterious Benedict Society series is a mind-bending collection that will put YOU to the test! With full-color artwork throughout, this companion features ingenious new puzzles, riddles, and brainteasers compiled by Mr. Benedict himself, with the help of Reynie, Kate, Sticky, Constance, and other Society associates. Think you have what it takes to join the Mysterious Benedict Society? Open this book and find out! less

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33

Animalia

More than three million copies of Animalia have been sold around the world, making Graeme Base’s amazing alliterative alphabet book one of the most beloved titles of the past quarter century. To celebrate thirty years, Abrams is proud to publish a special anniversary edition. Animalia’s incredible imaginary world intrigues all readers. Each page includes hidden objects and ideas: start with “A is for An Armoured Armadillo Avoiding an Angry Alligator” and you’ll find aprons, ants, aces, Atom-brand anchovies, and much more. The rest of the alphabet is just as much fun!
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34
Serious solvers know that the puzzles in "The New York Times" get harder as the week goes on. From an easy Monday to a downright difficult Friday puzzle, this brand new collection is sure to challenge you with every passing day. See how far you can get!
*50 daily size puzzles
*First appearance of these puzzles in book form
*Covered spiral binding
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35
For many years Stewart Coffin has been inventing and building solid geometrical puzzles. His craftsmanship and originality of design have won him a devoted following among puzzle enthusiasts and collectors the world over. In this unique book, Stewart provides an enjoyable and educational guide to the history, geometry, and practical construction of three-dimensional puzzles. The Puzzling World of Polyhedral Dissections includes full coverage of the many different types of interlocking assembly puzzles, from burrs, Tangrams, and polyominoes to those using such polyhedra as the rhombic... more

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37
There are alternate cover editions for this ASIN here and here.

If you ain’t scared, you ain’t human.

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He’s surrounded by strangers—boys whose memories are also gone.

Nice to meet ya, shank. Welcome to the Glade.

Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a...
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38

Where's Waldo Now?

In paperback for the first time!

The elusive little guy you loved as a kid has ventured into an affordable new format, ready to boggle a new generationl. Now he's easier to carry around -- but just as hard as ever to find!
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39

Puzzle Island

The reader is asked to find hidden animals in the pictures and identify a mysterious creature believed to be extinct. less

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40

Masquerade

Somewhere in Britain Jack Hare lost the Moon's gift to the sun. Solve the riddles, unravel the puzzles, and see if you can figure out where. less

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Don't have time to read the top Puzzle books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
41

The Shadow Cipher (York, #1)

It was 1798 when the Morningstarr twins arrived in New York with a vision for a magnificent city: towering skyscrapers, dazzling machines, and winding train lines, all running on technology no one had ever seen before. Fifty-seven years later, the enigmatic architects disappeared, leaving behind for the people of New York the Old York Cipher—a puzzle laid into the shining city they constructed, at the end of which was promised a treasure beyond all imagining. By the present day, however, the puzzle has never been solved, and the greatest mystery of the modern world is little more than a... more

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42

Jumble® Anniversary

65 Years of Jumbles!

For sixty-five years, millions of newspaper readers have delighted in solving the daily Jumble®, which appears in hundreds of national papers and in these puzzle books that offer hours of challenging wordplay and fun. Each page features a series of mixed-up words coupled with a cartoon clue, and certain letters from each word are used to form the answer to the puzzle. less

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43
When their beloved aunt--matriarch of the world's most powerful family--dies, orphaned siblings Amy and Dan Cahill compete with less honorable Cahill descendants in a race around the world to find cryptic clues to a mysterious fortune.

Book includes game cards which the reader may use to play an online version of the treasure hunt.
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44
A perennial bestseller by eminent mathematician G. Polya, How to Solve It will show anyone in any field how to think straight. In lucid and appealing prose, Polya reveals how the mathematical method of demonstrating a proof or finding an unknown can be of help in attacking any problem that can be "reasoned" out--from building a bridge to winning a game of anagrams. Generations of readers have relished Polya's deft--indeed, brilliant--instructions on stripping away irrelevancies and going straight to the heart of the problem. less

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45
“Tell no one what I’ve given you.”

Until he got that cryptic warning, Christopher Rowe was happy, learning how to solve complex codes and puzzles and creating powerful medicines, potions, and weapons as an apprentice to Master Benedict Blackthorn—with maybe an explosion or two along the way.

But when a mysterious cult begins to prey on London’s apothecaries, the trail of murders grows closer and closer to Blackthorn’s shop. With time running out, Christopher must use every skill he’s learned to discover the key to a terrible secret with the power to tear the world apart.
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46
“The most entertaining logician and set theorist who ever lived” (Martin Gardner) gives us an encore to The Lady or the Tiger?-a fiendishly clever, utterly captivating new collection of 225 brainteasers, puzzles, and paradoxes.
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47
If 3=T, 4=S, 5=P, 6=H, 7=H ... what is 8?

What is the next letter in the sequence: M, V, E, M, J, S, U, ?

Which of the following words is the odd one out: CHAT, COMMENT, ELF, MANGER, PAIN, POUR?


GCHQ is a top-secret intelligence and security agency which recruits some of the very brightest minds. Over the years, their codebreakers have helped keep our country safe, from the Bletchley Park breakthroughs of WWII to the modern-day threat of cyberattack. So it comes as no surprise that, even in their time off, the staff at GCHQ love a good puzzle. Whether...
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48
Collected over several years by Peter Winkler, of Bell Labs, dozens of elegant, intriguing challenges are presented in Mathematical Puzzles. The answers are easy to explain, but without this book, devilishly hard to find. Creative reasoning is the key to these puzzles. No involved computation or higher mathematics is necessary, but your ability to construct a mathematical proof will be severly tested--even if you are a professional mathematician. For the truly adventurous, there is even a chapter on unsolved puzzles. less

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49
Now you can color along with the master, Thomas Kinkade, Painter of Light. And what could be better than coloring these paintings with the timeless magic of classic Disney stories and their captivating characters?

In this unique coloring book, sixty-three paintings from Thomas Kinkade's Disney Dreams Collection are presented in color across from the black line art of the same image. Enter the world of the Painter of Light as you create your own renditions of these paintings inspired by classic Disney movies, including The Jungle Book, Lady and the Tramp,...
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50

Floors

Charlie had his chocolate factory. Stanley Yelnats had his holes. Leo has the wacky, amazing Whippet Hotel.

The Whippet Hotel is a strange place full of strange and mysterious people. Each floor has its own quirks and secrets. Leo should know most of them - he is the maintenance man's son, after all. But a whole lot more mystery gets thrown his way when a series of cryptic boxes are left for him . . . boxes that lead him to hidden floors, strange puzzles, and unexpected alliances. Leo had better be quick on his feet, because the fate of the building he loves is at stake . . . and...
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Don't have time to read the top Puzzle books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
52
Warning: this description has not been authorized by Pseudonymous Bosch.
As much as he'd love to sing the praises of his book (he is very vain), he wouldn't want you to hear about his brave 11-year old heroes, Cass and Max-Ernest. Or about how a mysterious box of vials, the Symphony of Smells, sends them on the trail of a magician who has vanished under strange (and stinky) circumstances. And he certainly wouldn't want you to know about the hair-raising adventures that follow and the nefarious villains they face. You see, not only is the name of this book secret, the story...
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53
Bigger is definitely better in the case of the second oversized puzzle book from the world's top newspaper, USA TODAY.

The USA TODAY Jumbo Puzzle Book 2 is a collection of brain games including 400 puzzles that will amuse and entertain.

Logic, crossword, Sudoku, Word Roundup, and Hidato will keep fans busy for hours and hours. This hefty tome features twice the number of puzzles than most books. Sharpen your pencils and get ready for challenging fun!
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54
Remarkable selection of puzzlers, graded in difficulty, that illustrate both elementary and advanced aspects of probability. Selected for originality, general interest, or because they demonstrate valuable techniques, the problems are ideal as a supplement to courses in probability or statistics, or as stimulating recreation for the mathematically minded. Detailed solutions. Illustrated. less

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55
Featuring 100 F*cking Adult Activities: Coloring, Sudoku, Dot-to-Dot, Word Searches, Mazes, Fallen Phrases, Math Logic, Word Tiles, Spot the Difference, Where the F*ck did the Other Half Go, Nanograms, Brick-by-F*cking-Brick, Word Scramble, and Much More! less

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56
This book is a compilation of math puzzles that appeared in British newspapers in the early 20th century. The quizzes are just as challenging, entertaining, and addictive now as they were a century ago. It is hard to put this book down. Some of them are easy but many will challenge even the best math buffs. It's a fun and sizable collection of 430 of the best puzzles of the time.

(fairhavenpress.com)
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57
Harvard professor of symbology Robert Langdon awakens in an Italian hospital, disoriented and with no recollection of the past thirty-six hours, including the origin of the macabre object hidden in his belongings. With a relentless female assassin trailing them through Florence, he and his resourceful doctor, Sienna Brooks, are forced to flee. Embarking on a harrowing journey, they must unravel a series of codes, which are the work of a brilliant scientist whose obsession with the end of the world is matched only by his passion for one of the most influential masterpieces ever written, Dante... more

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58

Journal 29

Revelation (Journal 29, #2)

Journal 29 Revelation is a unique book game where you can solve puzzles and submit your answers online to get the keys and move forward in the story. To solve the puzzles, you need to think out of the box. You can write, draw, search, fold pages, combine different methods and try to get those puzzles right. Journal 29 Revelation is a 152 pages physical book with over 52 puzzles to solve.

The story of Journal 29 Revelation takes place after the events of Journal 29. It is not necessary to have solved Journal 29 to enjoy Journal 29 Revelation.
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59
I'm M, or at least that's how I'm known, and I'll be your guide.

The Herculean test of your grit is as follows: Find the word or phrase solution to each one of my encrypted logic puzzles, called Theorems. Doing so will earn you entry into the elite ranks of The Master Theorem. It may take you some time, but trust me—it’ll be worth it.

What's in it for you:
Read my cryptic ramblings alongside each encrypted logic puzzle, called a Theorem Decipher each puzzle to reveal the word or phrase answer Become an expert in codes, ciphers, and...
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60
Mazes provide hours of fun for boys & girls, and are some of best early childhood education tools out there! This collection of thoughtful mazes will help your child develop critical skills such as problem solving, visual perception, and fine motor skills.


Features:

3 difficulty levels (Easy, Medium, Hard) suitable for ages 4-6, and 6-8 Beautifully illustrated mazes that will entertain, stimulate, and challenge your young one Start building key logical and analytical capabilities at a young age
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Don't have time to read the top Puzzle books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
61
Simon & Schuster celebrates ninety-five years of crossword puzzle excellence with 300 new, never-before-published Thursday to Sunday-sized brain breakers. Sharpen your pencils—unless you dare to use a pen.

In 1924, Simon & Schuster published its first title, The Cross Word Puzzle Book. Not only was it the publisher’s first release, it was the first collection of crossword puzzles ever printed.

Today, 95 years later, Simon & Schuster’s legendary crossword puzzle legacy continues with a brand-new collection of 300 crosswords, which offer hours...
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62
This is not really a book. This is a building in the shape of a book...a maze. Each numbered page depicts a room in the maze. Tempted? Test your wits against mine. I guarantee that my maze will challenge you to think in ways you've never thought before. But beware. One wrong turn and you may never escape!
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63
A Civil War sword...A watermelon stabbing...

Missing roller skates...

A trapeze artist's inheritance...

And an eyewitness who's legally blind!

Theses are just some of the ten brain-twisting mysteries that Encyclopedia Brown must solve by using his famous computerlike brain. Try to crack the cases along with him--the answer to all the mysteries are found in the back!
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64

The Unbreakable Code (Book Scavenger, #2)

Mr. Quisling is definitely up to something mysterious, and Emily and James are on high alert. First, there’s the coded note he drops at a book event. Then, they uncover a trail of encrypted messages in Mark Twain-penned books hidden through Book Scavenger. What’s most suspicious is that each hidden book triggers an arson fire.

As the sleuthing friends dig deeper, they discover Mr. Quisling has been hunting a legendary historical puzzle: the Unbreakable Code. This new mystery is irresistible, but Emily and James can’t ignore the signs that Mr. Quisling might be the arsonist.
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65
A clear-headed command of logic can make the mind powerful enough to outmaneuver the devil himself, according to these intriguing stories. More than 200 puzzles, problems, and paradoxes await within these pages, woven together by a wizard's captivating narrative. The Sorcerer — so skilled in the art of logic that his reasoning seems like magic — takes a puzzle-based perspective on the principles underlying the works of mathematician Georg Cantor. His fascinating riddles involve probability, certainty, time, and infinity, and they unfold amid a landscape populated by honorable knights, lying... more

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67

The Maze of Games

Read the Puzzle.
Solve the Puzzles.
Get Out Alive.

Colleen and Samuel Quaice are teenagers living in 1897 England. During a visit to Upper Wolverhampton Bibliotheque, they discover a musty book called THE MAZE OF GAMES. Opening the book summons the Gatekeeper, a mysterious skeletal guardian who plunges the Quaices into a series of dangerous labyrinths, populated with myriad monsters and perplexing puzzles.

Only by solving their way through the Gatekeeper's mazes will the Quaice children find their way home. Can you help them escape?

A Wondrous...
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68
Color your favorite Disney Princess in a setting imagined by Thomas Kinkade. The large-format Disney Princess Coloring Poster Book features exceptionally detailed black line art so fans of all ages can create their own interpretations of classic Disney stories such as Snow White, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Cinderella, Pocahontas, Tangled, Sleeping Beauty, and The Princess and the Frog.

This deluxe poster book contains 16 large, 11 x 14 easily removable coloring pages, printed...
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69
Wind your way through pages of endless fun!

Decode a secret message using the phases of the moon, wind your way through a pizza maze, find hidden presidents, borrow some drachmas, unscramble an invention time line, play super duper tic-tac-toe, classic hangman, match up snowflakes, and more with The Everything Kids’ Puzzle Book!

You can also look for Mervin the Mouse every time you turn the page—he’s watching from his hiding place to help you through this wild and whacky jam-packed puzzle book! Sharpen more than one pencil—there are enough puzzles here to...
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70

Where's Waldo?

The amazing original that set off the worldwide search for Waldo! Perfect for the youngest Waldo searcher, this special edition contains all the fun of the original but with lots of eye-boggling extras! Anyone who has found Waldo before will want to find him all over again because he's in a new place in every scene. And now readers can also search for Woof, Wenda, Wizard Whitebeard, Odlaw, and much more—all newly added to this special edition! less

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71
For daring puzzlers—a book of mind-bending conundrums handpicked by the pied piper of popular math

Long before Sudoku swept the world, the Victorians puzzled over relationships (If two men each marry the other’s widowed mother, what is the relationship between their sons?), and the ancient Chinese favored counting challenges (If a cock costs 5 pieces, a hen 4 pieces, and a chick ¼ of a piece, how can you buy 100 total cocks, hens, and chicks with 100 pieces?). Some people may claim to “hate math”—but history is proof that everybody loves a good...
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72

Expert Sudoku

Expert Sudoku is an all-new collection of handcrafted puzzles for the expert puzzle-solver. This is the book that challenges skilled solvers and Sudoku-lovers at the top level—every one of the 320 puzzles is rated "difficult." Good luck!
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74

Winterhouse (Winterhouse, #1)

An enchanting urban fantasy middle-grade debut―the first book in a trilogy―set in a magical hotel full of secrets.

Orphan Elizabeth Somers’s malevolent aunt and uncle ship her off to the ominous Winterhouse Hotel, owned by the peculiar Norbridge Falls. Upon arrival, Elizabeth quickly discovers that Winterhouse has many charms―most notably its massive library. It’s not long before she locates a magical book of puzzles that will unlock a mystery involving Norbridge and his sinister family. But the deeper she delves into the hotel’s secrets, the more Elizabeth starts to realize...
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75
THE INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Entertainment Weekly's 20 New Books to Read in September
Nylon's 12 Great New Books to Read This September
Newsweek's Best Books to Read in September 2018
Paste's 12 Best Novels of 2018
Library Journal's Best Debut Novels of 2018
BookPage's Most Anticipated Fall 2018 Fiction

In his much-anticipated debut novel, Hank Green--cocreator of Crash Course, Vlogbrothers, and SciShow--spins a sweeping, cinematic tale about a young woman who...
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76
It all began with The Scream. And ended with . . . well, if we told you that, it wouldn’t be a mystery! But in between The Scream and The Very Surprising Ending, three friends find themselves on a scavenger hunt set up for a girl they never met, in search of a legendary ring reputed to grant wishes. Are these sleuths in school uniforms modern-day equivalents of Nancy, Harriet, or Scooby? Not really, they’re just three nice girls who decide to help out a weird lady, and end up hiding under tables, tackling word puzzles and geometry equations, and searching rather moldy storage rooms for “the... more

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79
The Great Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon away from life as a San Francisco web-design drone and into the aisles of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, but after a few days on the job, Clay discovers that the store is more curious than either its name or its gnomic owner might suggest. The customers are few, and they never seem to buy anything; instead, they "check out" large, obscure volumes from strange corners of the store. Suspicious, Clay engineers an analysis of the clientele's behavior, seeking help from his variously talented friends, but when they bring their findings to Mr.... more
Recommended by Brad Feld, and 1 others.

Brad FeldRobin Sloan’s [...] book, Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, was my favorite book of 2013. (Source)

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80
It's only logical--boost your brainpower with 150 logic puzzles for adults.

It's time to give your mental muscles a real workout! Stuffed full of clever and cunning challenges, this collection of logic puzzles for adults is perfect for puzzlers looking to prove (and improve) their skill.

Featuring a variety of puzzle types--including Sudoku, Masyu, Logic Grids, and Nonograms--these easy-to-understand (but tough-to-solve) puzzles will help keep your mind sharp as you remain engaged and entertained for days to come. Brainpower on!

This exciting...
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83

The Wright 3 (Chasing Vermeer, #2)

Spring semester at the Lab School in Hyde Park finds Petra and Calder drawn into another mystery when unexplainable accidents and ghostly happenings throw a spotlight on Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House, and it's up to the two junior sleuths to piece together the clues. Stir in the return of Calder's friend Tommy (which creates a tense triangle), H.G. Wells's The Invisible Man, 3D pentominoes, and the hunt for a coded message left behind by Wright, and the kids become tangled in a dangerous web in which life and art intermingle with death, deception, and surprise. less

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84
Experience hours of entertainment with these classic word search puzzles.

Printed in a large, and easy-to-read size, this is the perfect gift for adults and kids.

Features:

101 stimulating and addictive puzzles 30 overlapping words per puzzle Easy-to-read large font Exciting themes
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85

Lateral Thinking Puzzlers

Logic is not enough. Edward de Bono coined the phrase "lateral thinking" to describe a process of thinking that is different from normal, vertical or forward thinking. Here are nearly a hundred mind-benders, from easy to fiendishly hard, that make you think laterally in order to explain the set of circumstances surrounding a seemingly inexplicable situation. 96 pages, 18 b/w illus., 5 3/8 x 8 1/4.
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86
From Wall Street to Silicon Valley, employers are using tough and tricky questions to gauge job candidates' intelligence, imagination, and problem-solving ability -- qualities needed to survive in today's hypercompetitive global marketplace. For the first time, William Poundstone reveals the toughest questions used at Microsoft and other Fortune 500 companies -- and supplies the answers. He traces the rise and controversial fall of employer-mandated IQ tests, the peculiar obsessions of Bill Gates (who plays jigsaw puzzles as a competitive sport), the sadistic mind games of Wall Street (which... more

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87

Mathematical Carnival

s/t: From Penny Puzzles, Card Shuffles and Tricks of Lightning Calculators to Roller Coaster Rides into the Fourth Dimension less

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89

Algorithmic Puzzles

While many think of algorithms as specific to computer science, at its core algorithmic thinking is defined by the use of analytical logic to solve problems. This logic extends far beyond the realm of computer science and into the wide and entertaining world of puzzles. In Algorithmic Puzzles, Anany and Maria Levitin use many classic brainteasers as well as newer examples from job interviews with major corporations to show readers how to apply analytical thinking to solve puzzles requiring well-defined procedures.
The book's unique collection of puzzles is supplemented with...
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90

The Calder Game (Chasing Vermeer, #3)

Petra, Calder, and Tommy, the sleuths at the center of the amazing CHASING VERMEER and THE WRIGHT 3, are back with a labyrinthine new mystery to solve.

When Calder Pillay travels with his father to a remote village in England, he finds a mix of mazes and mystery . . . including an unexpected Alexander Calder sculpture in the town square. Calder is strangely drawn to the sculpture, while other people have less-than-friendly feelings towards it. Both the boy and the sculpture seem to be out of place . . . and then, on the same night, they disappear! Calder's friends Petra and Tommy...
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92

Walls Within Walls

Perfect for tween readers who enjoy mysteries and puzzles and books like Chasing Vermeer, this page-turning debut novel is filled with adventure, intrigue, and heart.

After their father, a video-game inventor, strikes it rich, the Smithfork kids find they hate their new life. They move from their cozy Brooklyn neighborhood to a swanky apartment on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue. They have no friends, a nanny who takes the place of their parents, and a school year looming ahead that promises to be miserable.

And then, one day, Brid, CJ, and Patrick...
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93
Warren the 13th is the lone bellhop, valet, waiter, groundskeeper, and errand boy of his family’s ancient hotel. It’s a strange, shadowy mansion full of crooked corridors and mysterious riddles—and it just might be home to a magical object known as the All-Seeing Eye. Can Warren decipher the clues and find the treasure before his sinister Aunt Annaconda (and a slew of greedy hotel guests) beats him to it?

This middle-grade adventure features gorgeous two-color illustrations on every page and a lavish two-column Victorian design that will pull young readers into a spooky and...
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94
Why does elf + elf = fool? How many meals will Miss Mush, the lunch teacher, have to cook for the food to taste as bad as it smells? This book is packed full of brain teasers and maths puzzles and all the wacky pupils from Wayside School to help you find the logical solutions to all the problems. less

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95
This delightful collection from the magician of math introduces readers to magic squares, the Generalized Ham Sandwich Theorem, origami, digital roots, an update of the Induction Game of Eleusis, Dudeney puzzles, the maze at Hampton Court palace, and many more mathematical puzzles and principles.

"Gardner is often the clown prince of science. . . . His Mathematical Games column in Scientific American is one of the few bridges over C. P. Snow's famous 'gulf of mutual incomprehension' that lies between the technical and literary cultures."—Time
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97
Gideon the Ninth is the most fun you'll ever have with a skeleton.

The Emperor needs necromancers.

The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman.

Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead bullshit.

Tamsyn Muir's Gideon the Ninth unveils a solar system of swordplay, cut-throat politics, and lesbian necromancers. Her characters leap off the page, as skillfully animated as necromantic skeletons. The result is a heart-pounding epic science fantasy.

Brought up by unfriendly, ossifying nuns, ancient...
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98
Variety Brain Game Puzzles include 1.) 26 Word Fill-in with 140 words per puzzle and starter word for each puzzle. 2.) 50 Word Search (17x17) grid with 38 words per puzzle and all are themed. 3.) 50 Code Word Puzzles with 3 starter letters in each puzzle. 4.) 150 Sudoku Puzzles with 4 levels (very easy to hard). 5.) 100 Cryptograms with at least one starter letter in each puzzle (Quotes). 6). 25 mazes from easy to difficult. All puzzles can be easy or difficult depending on your expertise. These puzzles are NOT large print. These puzzles are NOT spiral bound. less

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99

Logical Labyrinths

This book features a unique approach to the teaching of mathematical logic by putting it in the context of the puzzles and paradoxes of common language and rational thought. It serves as a bridge from the author's puzzle books to his technical writing in the fascinating field of mathematical logic. Using the logic of lying and truth-telling, the author introduces the readers to informal reasoning preparing them for the formal study of symbolic logic, from propositional logic to first-order logic, a subject that has many important applications to philosophy, mathematics, and computer science.... more

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100

Mathematical Circus

s/t: More games, puzzles, paradoxes & other mathematical entertainments from Scientific American : with thoughts from readers, afterthoughts ... from the author, and 105 drawings & diagrams
The twenty chapters of this book are nicely balanced between all sorts of stimulating ideas, suggested by down-to-earth objects like match sticks and dollar bills as well as by faraway objects like planets and infinite random walks. We learn about ancient devices for arithmetic and about modern explanations of artificial intelligence. There are feasts here for the eyes and hands as well as for...
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Don't have time to read the top Puzzle books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.