David Singmaster believes in the presentation and teaching of
mathematics as recreation. When the Rubik's Cube took off in 1978, based
on thinly disguised mathematics, he became seriously interested in
mathematical puzzles which would provide mental stimulation for students
and professional mathematicians. He has not only published the standard
mathematical solution for the Rubik's cube still in use today, but he
has also become the de facto scribe and noted chronicler of the
recreational mathematics puzzles themselves.Dr Singmaster is also an
ongoing lecturer of recreational mathematics around the globe, a noted
mechanical puzzle collector, owner of thousands of books related to
recreational mathematical puzzles and the 'go to' source for the history
of individual mathematical puzzles.This set of two books provides
readers with an adventure into previously unknown origins of ancient
puzzles, which could be traced back to their Medieval, Chinese, Arabic
and Indian sources. The puzzles are fully described, many with
illustrations, adding interest to their history and relevance to
contemporary mathematical concepts. These are musings of a respected
historian of recreational mathematics.