Gardner, Martin: Perplexing Puzzles and Tantalizing Teasers ©1988 Martin Gardner; Dover Publications Softcover, perfect-bound, 180 pages ISBN: 0486256375

Image Courtesy of Dover Publications

Comments: Although not a magic book math and math puzzles are often used in magic tricks. These puzzles may provide an inspiration for some of your magic routines, and are always a good exercise for the mind.

From Dover Publications: "This Dover edition, first published in 1988, is an unabridged republication in one volume of Perplexing Puzzles and Tantalizing Teasers, originally published by Simon & Shuster, Inc., New York, in 1969, and More Perplexing Puzzles and Tantalizing Teasers, originally published by Pocket Books, a division of Simon & Shuster, Inc., under their Archway imprint, in 1977."

Contents:

Part 1: Perplexing Puzzles and Tantalizing Teasers

9 Introduction
11 Ridiculous Riddles
12 Handies
14 Fun with Palindromes
16 The Lost Star
17  Find the Hidden Animals
18 Tricky Questions
19 The Five Airy Creatures
20 The Maze of the Minotaur
21 The Dime-and-Penny Switcheroo
22 A Dozen Droodles for Nimble Noodles
24 Tantalizing Toothpick Teasers
26 Read the Thriftigrams
28 More Tricky Questions
29 Mr. Bushyhead's Problem
30 Sneaky Arithmetic
31 The Careless Sign Painter
32 The Undecidables
34 Sally's Silly Walk
35 Still More Tricky Questions
36 Guess The Typitoons
37 The Fish and the Robot
38 The Christmas-Star Puzzle
39 The Boring Bookworm
39 The Triangular Turkey
40 Find the Best Words
42 Zoo-lulus
44 Unscramble the Beast
46 Solve the Animal Equations
48 The Undecidable Stairway
49 More Sneaky Arithmetic
50 How Clever are You?
54 Folding-Money Fun
57 "Knock, Knock ... Who's There?"
58 Word Bowling
59 The Great Bracelet Mystery
60 And Still More Tricky Questions
62 A Pair of Eye Twiddlers
64 The Puzzling Barbershop Sign
66 The Amazing Mr. Mazo
67 Mother Hubbard's Cupboard
68 Solve the Bird Equations
70 The Last Tricky Questions
72 The Concealed Proverb
73 The Dime-and-Nickel Switcheroo
74 Mrs. Windbag's Gift
75 More Eye Twiddlers
77 Shake Out the Cherry
79 Answers (through page 95)

Part 2: More Perplexing Puzzles and Tantalizing Teasers

ix Introduction
1 Ten Ridiculous Riddles
2 Fat Bats and Other Funny Beasts
4 The Whistler
5 Where Does the Ball Go?
6 Tricky Questions
7 What Do You Do Next?
9 The Musicians of Inviz
12 To Be or Not to Be
14 What's the Difference?
16 Easy as ABC
18 Four Eye Twiddlers
21 Dividing the Cake
22 Find the Mistakes
24 Three Match Puzzles
26 Help Sherlock Catch the Criminals
28 The Two Watering Cans
29 See Sherman Shave
30 Find the Duck
31 Three Letter Word
32 Four More Eye Twiddlers
36 A Pair of Ants
37 What Do You Say Next?
40 Mysterious Heiroglyphics
41 Tricky Mysteries
43 Bee on the Nose
44 The Black and the White
45 Lewis Carroll's Gift
46 What's the Only Word?
47 The Vanishing Mouostache
48 The Three Kittens
50 Rescuing a Robin
52 The Secret Code
53 The Riders of Inviz
56 Rodney's Darts
57 More What Do You Say Next?
60 Noah's Ark
62 Ms. Feemster's Message
63 The Box Without a Lid
64 The Fish that U-Turned
65 New Angle on "What's the Difference?"
68 Love and What?
70 Around to It
71 Where Do They Live?
72 The Flatz Beer Goof
74 Walking in the Rain
76 Who Is It?
79 Answers