As much as I like puzzles, I like stories more. And that is what this book is all about β the story of puzzles and the tales of the puzzlers who created them.
But have no fear. There are puzzles aplenty in this book, some of the greatest ever designed. There are classics from unknown sources as well as puzzles that are brand new. There are important firsts, such as the first crossword puzzle and mechanical puzzles from the turn of the century. There are puzzles that dangled the lure of easy money before a starving nationβs eyes and puzzles whose solutions saved thousands of lives and helped win a war.
And thereβs murder, mystery, and magic. You'll be tricked, and then given the chance to figure out how it was done. Puzzling crimes will be presented for you to test your sleuthing ability.
I've also interviewed important people in the world of puzzles β people such as Martin Gardner, the Dean of American Puzzlers β and found out how they came to puzzle design (and just what their favorite puzzles are).
"All this, and, as they say, much more. Itβs a book to read. And itβs a book to play with. For these are The Greatest Puzzles of All Time." β from the Introduction
Matthew J. Costello is a contributing editor at GAMES magazine and a feature editor at Analog and Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine. He covers film and video regularly for the Los Angeles Times. His first horror novel, Sleep Tight, was published in 1987, and he will have two new novels out in 1988.