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Rating: 
Summary: A basic introduction to the basics of many puzzles
Review: Humans love puzzles. They appear in artifacts thousands of years old and are part of every culture. One can open almost any newspaper in the United States and find a crossword puzzle and some other kind of problem for solution. Logic puzzles are also popular and can be used to teach the basics of mathematics and problem solving. Furthermore, the skills needed to solve them can be learned, and this book is designed to teach them.
The author teaches a course in solving puzzles at the University of Toronto, and much of this material is from that course. However, the level is one where anyone with an interest in puzzles will be able to understand it. Most of the techniques used to solve the problems involve the construction of charts and working through the various options. With the exception of the alphametics, very little mathematics is involved, and then it is the most basic of algebra.
There are also some points in this book that mathematics teachers could incorporate into their classes. For years I have used alphametics in my introductory classes in programming. They are an excellent example of coding a series of nested loops that exhaustively searches for a solution. I have also occasionally used a logic problem as a filler in mathematics exams as high up as advanced calculus. Students seem to enjoy them.
If you are fascinated by puzzles and would like to improve your skill, then this is a book for you. Many puzzles are presented and solutions to all are included. Happy puzzling!
Rating: 
Summary: The world needs more books like this!
Review: I wanted to echo Charles Ashbacher's positive and fairminded review of this book (and counter the hostile and unfair review by the first reviewer). This book by Marcel Danesi is designed to provide people with an accessible way to approach logic puzzles (as Ashbacher pointed out, there is a good deal of *mathematical* puzzles as well but they do not require a great deal of math background). If -- as the negative reviewer argued -- this book is on a introductory level, so much the better! There are a lot of people who would like to and should get into logic puzzles and games.This book is a great way to avoid some of the pitfalls and intimidating obstacles faced by puzzle-solvers -- whether you are a novice or an *expert.* As for the comments made by the 1st reviewer ... it really is unfair to bash this book based on some sort of egotistical grounds as that particular reviwer seems to be doing. If this book is mostly for *beginners* -- and I believe, on the contrary, that it would be great for puzzle enthusiasts as well -- then there is absolutely nothing wrong with that! Everyone needs to be able to walk before they can run and if beginners get a taste for puzzle-solving from a book like this and go on to harder puzzles, then great for them! Frankly, in this world today, we need to encourage more people to get into logic rather than discourage people by the kinds of arrogant attitudes displayed by the 1st reviewer. Also recommended: *Problem Solving Through Recreational Mathematics* by Averbach & Chein, *Puzzles for Pleasure* by Barry Clarke, *Mensa Logic Brainteasers*, and Marcel Danesi's new book *The Puzzle Instinct* (which not only provides puzzles but also discusses puzzles from an anthropological perspective ... i.e., how puzzles are a part of various important themes in human culture throughout recorded history).
Rating: 
Summary: Not for a serious puzzler.
Review: To be fair, this book does do a decent job of illustrating some useful, if elementary, techniques for solving popular classes of problems. However, most people who would find such a book interesting have already seen the old chestnuts in here and know how to solve them. A serious puzzler would rather complain about how the problems are ambiguous, well-known, trivial, poorly stated, and/or poorly solved. I'd recommend this to an elementary school teacher trying to teach a unit on logic. But for everyone else, I suggest looking elsewhere. Fortunately, I got my copy free from the publisher. To me, that's about what it's worth.
Rating:
Summary: Not for a serious puzzler.
Review: To be fair, this book does do a decent job of illustrating some useful, if elementary, techniques for solving popular classes of problems. However, most people who would find such a book interesting have already seen the old chestnuts in here and know how to solve them. A serious puzzler would rather complain about how the problems are ambiguous, well-known, trivial, poorly stated, and/or poorly solved. I'd recommend this to an elementary school teacher trying to teach a unit on logic. But for everyone else, I suggest looking elsewhere. Fortunately, I got my copy free from the publisher. To me, that's about what it's worth.
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