Best puzzles books according to redditors
We found 179 Reddit comments discussing the best puzzles books. We ranked the 86 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
2. The Man Who Counted: A Collection of Mathematical Adventures
6 mentions
Used Book in Good Condition
I'm not familiar with anything current but I'm sure it exists. When I was doing the bulk of my learning we were still carving holes in strips of cardboard to produce code. Someone younger would probably give better, more current advice.
In general, refining your problem solving skills involves a great deal of introspection. Everything you complete you should go back and analyze the stumbles you had along the way. What caused delays, what produced bugs, what just didn't work very well. Look at these things and try to determine what you could have done differently. No better teacher than failure.
Two very old books that got me started: Aha: Gotcha and Aha:Insight. They are amazing puzzle books written by the master of puzzles, Martin Gardner. They have a bit of a math slant, but not too much. Read the reviews to see if it floats your boat.
Math, imo, is the basis of solid problem solving. It's the reason we learn math from pre-K all through university. You're not doing it so you can do calculus at the grocery store, and I've never used a lick of it in my career, but it does teach you how to think in a logical manner, breaking big problems down into little ones.
Another book that had some impact on my career was Design of Everyday Things. Good read for usability.
In my opinion, some of the books and articles of Martin Gardner are an excellent source. Some of them are accessible to both kids and adults, and are good at showing the side of mathematics that's about puzzles and playing.
https://www.amazon.com/Aha-Insight-Gotcha-Spectrum/dp/0883855518
Ok, cutting and pasting my own post from early in the year. (Sorry about the formatting.) I originally composed this for a friend who claimed he was ready to work on chess for 20 hours/week. I don't think he's kept it up.
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Here's what I recently emailed someone in the same situation as you - well, his goal was year-end.
If you STUDY chess for 15-20 hours/week for a year, you should be 2000 strength by the end of the year, and 2200 (I expect - much better than me) by the end of next year. Studying is the same as for math and music - it does not include leisure time like playing blitz.
You can break down your chess study into five buckets:
Tactics (start now and continue forever)
Endings (start in April and continue)
Playing/competing (start in February / start reading in July)
Strategy/middlegame planning (start in August and continue)
Openings (start in November and continue)
I think you need to begin them in that order - overlapping, of course.
[1] Tactics - do these books in order. DO the problems, however long it takes - don't look up an answer until you have a solid solution. If the books offer clues on the page (e.g. this page is all pins and skewers), go through and black them out with a marker in advance.
[2] Endings
[3] Playing/competing Play slow games, at time controls of Game/60 to Game/120, preferably against stronger players. Keep score, then analyze and annotate those games in depth, without using a computer. Then go over the games and your analysis with a stronger player, e.g. bring it to Sunday chess club.
I should really stress this - chess is about playing, not just studying. You need to find a variety of strong players, not just computers, and play against them. You might also consider playing correspondence.
If you play in tournaments during this time, DO NOT THINK ABOUT YOUR RATING. Also, NEVER offer or accept a draw, EVEN if the option is losing. During the next two years, your only goal is to learn and improve. Learning comes from playing on.
After a few months of playing and analyzing slow games, read these books:
By "read" I mean go through them slowly, doing every exercise, thinking about every comment to every game. It's hard work.
[4] Strategy/planning
[5] http://www.amazon.com/Build-Your-Chess-Opening-Repertoire/dp/1901983897 [How to Build Your Chess Opening Repertoire]
Of course someone else could construct an equally valid study plan with hundreds of entirely different books, but ... the ones I've chosen are excellent, and I strongly believe that they are sufficient.
I don't mention computers very much. I think they can be most useful as sparring partners for learning your basic endings and (eventually) openings. But don't let your study center around computers or opening databases or internet blitz.
And of course ... don't let it stop being fun. :-) Maybe that's where some blitz comes in. Otherwise, what's the point?
I have found it!
It is "The man who counted" and I seem to have mixed up a few of the particulars of the story, but there you have it.
Wikipedia page.
| How much better could some of these titans actually become?
One answer would be: no better than the technology and wisdom he was handed in the tablet.
In John Nunn's Chess Puzzle Book (expanded edition) is the chapter, "The Test of Time" (not to be confused with the same-titled book by Kasparov). The author's thesis - based on his studying of games - is that the world's best players of about a century ago would be about 2100 FIDE strength today.
I'd be most interested if the tablet were handed to Alekhine or Rubinstein, both obsessive perfectionists. Or Nimzowitsch, whose articulate writings were accessible and groundbreaking. Or the hypermodernists, Tartakower, Breyer and Reti, who had wild imaginations. Or God Himself: maybe He would've beaten Steinitz in their games.
So... I love this stuff, but I am terrible at it. Even knowing the "rules" for making puzzles & riddles, I still cannot make them. My brain just has no ability here, I guess. However, I have a crutch that I use: I buy books of this stuff. Lots & lots of them. Some are even made specifically for D&D. Allow me to link you to some of the things I've bought.
I demand top regard, seeking first prize.
I'm gone ere the fall and shunned by the wise.
Whatever you do, I'll claim you do more.
To find me just look where the lions roar.
Anyway, this is going on too long already. I'll attach more links in a reply.
I've stopped using the chess.com puzzles, 1) because the timer is infuriating (I know it can be turned off), and 2) some of the problems are terrible. They're ambiguous. If you're lucky, there will be comments explaining, but not always. The problems are frequently missing continuations to see the "point" of the puzzle.
Anyway, I've been doing problems from a book on my Kindle offline. I can do them at my own pace, and the author has hand-selected and explained each problem (unlike the computer-selected ones on chess.com):
http://www.amazon.com/Tactics-Chess-Games-Everyday-Players-ebook/dp/B009TBYA7U/
As far as tactics as a way to improve, I think it's the single most useful thing you can do. But not all tactics collections are created equally. Some are garbage.
There's the "Aha!" books by Martin Gardner
https://www.amazon.com/Aha-Insight-Gotcha-Spectrum/dp/0883855518
Also he's got a lot more puzzle books
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Gardner_bibliography
That looks like LaFosse's. He has a ton of variations. This book of his is great, it has that model: http://www.amazon.com/dp/4805312262/ref=pe_385040_30332190_pe_175190_21431760_M3T1_ST1_dp_2
The best book I know about different kinds of puzzles is Puzzlecraft, by Thomas Snyder and Mike Selinker. I don't remember how international it is, though it certainly covers many of what would be considered "Japanese" logic puzzle types (how Japanese they are is questionable).
They are working on a new layout now. It's coming out next month.
You can see details about it here.
There's an 11-step procedure in the book Puzzlecraft: The Ultimate Guide on How to Construct Every Kind of Puzzle, if you have it.
Cool, which T-Rex? Satoshi has a nice one My favorite from another creator may be John Montroll's fox which I've folded so many times in high school, that I memorized!
I think for my own, my favorite is the mayfly, I just like how it turned out. That and the shrimp are the two most complex models I can fold from memory. With the other ones, I still need to see the crease pattern!
I'd say just start with some easy ones first, just so you can get into learning the folding techniques, terminology and diagram interpretations. I recently purchased the book called Easy Origami for my nephews who are 8 and under to get them to start learning. The models in this book are very simple so it probably wouldn't take you very long to master them. Then you can start to move to more challenging things. Learning how to fold the paper crane is always a popular one I find. Everyone always likes it, especially when I do really small ones.
As for paper, try craft stores or paper stores. If you can't find any place that sells origami paper, any square sheet of paper will do. You can use rectangular paper if you just fold it to a square first and cut off the excess strip.
I purchase my paper from this store, although I live close by so I go in person: The Paper Place. You can order online and they apparently ship within Canada (They are located in Toronto), to United States and to the UK.
Once you start getting into more difficult stuff, I found this site to be helpful. They collect videos of tutorials on how to do stuff in a bunch of different categories:
http://www.origamivideo.net/
Figure out what type of things you like to make and practice! It takes time and patience to learn it.
Just recently I started getting into modular origami. I found it to be challenging but when you complete one, they look amazing. It's get frustrating though when you're trying to learn new designs. I find learning to fold the pieces that make up a modular origami piece the easiest usually, it's the assembly that gets me!
Here's a fun book I was given in high school for winning a school-wide math contest by my math teacher.
https://www.amazon.com/How-Cut-Cake-Mathematical-Conundrums/dp/0199205906
The butterflies are all by Michael J. LaFosse. I got the patterns from here and here.
The boxes are by Tomoko Fuse. I have a slew of her books. This one is decent for beginners. This one is ideal for beginners but, alas, is out of print.
The other tiny things are by Meenakshi Mukerji and are from this book. She has a fabulous website with an absolute wealth of pictures, info, and diagrams for modular and geometric models. And if you check out her guest gallery, well gee, doesn't that second group of photos look familiar? ;-)
That bothered me too. I gather that the jokes are strained even in the original German. I liked that book even so.
Another book you might like is The Man Who Counted: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0393309347
In Lauren Ipsum I stuck to the real words, with some exceptions. I call programs "poems" to stress the desire for elegance. To smooth over the difference between programmers and computer scientists, in the book they are both called "composers".
For a book you could look at Puzzlecraft: The Ultimate Guide on How to Construct Every Kind of Puzzle. It was in some Humble Bundle a while ago, but I have only read the first few chapters. Seems to cover many types of puzzles from riddles and crosswords to ... not sure. Not sure if it even has anything about puzzles in digital games, but I imagine the thought processes behind all sorts of puzzles are similar.
EDIT: I only know noticed that one author of that puzzle book, Mike Selinker, is also a published (board) game designer that has worked with some of the largest publishers like WOTC and Avalon Hill on games like Pathfinder Adventure Card Game and Pirates of the Spanish Main. Not sure if that is important or useful information, but hopefully that book also covers some of the types of puzzles that are in games then.
https://www.amazon.com/Aha-Insight-Martin-Gardner/dp/071671017X/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=TMSE4QQVMX4M815KJWAV
I know I'm late but I'm pretty sure "nosmo king" was in this puzzle book written by Martin gardener
I always liked these "what is the name of this book?" type arguments.
Might have been Maze by Christopher Manson
"What is the name of this book?"
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https://www.amazon.com/What-Name-This-Book-Recreational/dp/0486481980/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1541944649&sr=8-1&keywords=what+is+the+name+of+this+book
Now don't look into variant sudoku puzzles (the black hole that it is). You'll feel like your inventing whole new strategies.
My favorite variant is Kropki Sudoku.
Edit will add some links.
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Example: https://gp.worldpuzzle.org/sites/default/files/Sudoku%20Round1.pdf
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- https://www.amazon.ca/Puzzles-Dr-Djape-300-puzzles/dp/1979609950/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=djape&qid=1558058506&s=gateway&sr=8-2
- https://www.amazon.ca/Mammoth-Book-New-Sudoku/dp/0762449365/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?keywords=mammoth+book+of+new+sudoku&qid=1558058540&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmrnull
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\^ They really like Sandwich Sudoku (outside clues), but it looks like they are exploring more variants recently.
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Adding https://krazydad.com/ to the list
Awesome! Lots of other people linked great references as well, hope you find something that interests you. I've always been fond of animal origami, it's great fun. I also forgot to mention John Montroll's work there - I find his models much simpler compared to Lang's, but no less fun to fold.
This book (How to Cut a Cake: And other mathematical conundrums) has this covered. It also covers how to split something with more than two people. A must for anyone planning a party where a cake will be shared.
I like big sexy books. Here are some of my recommendations. Though finding the physical copies of some may be difficult.
How many times have pictures of these books made a showing in /atheism. We get it, they're a pretty good read. We all hypocritically revere and jerk off to them like theists do to the bible. How about reading a textbook on mathematical principles, Principles of Physics, or Astronomy. You want your mind blown? Read anything related to infinity.
Some great thinkers were staunchly religious. Try Symbolic Logic and the Game of Logic. Computer science at it's basics.
God is not Great, page 6:
"Sacrifices and ceremonies are abhorrent to us, as are relics and the worship of any image or objects (even including objects in the form of one of man's most useful innovations: the bound book)."
If you thought that was good, take up mathematics as a hobby. That's what we live for.
Book recommendation
Maybe the book Maze?
What is the name of this book?
As a beginner, I would say play the Italian for white, as it is more reliable for beginners, with less theory to learn with, and you can practice your attacking at the same time. For black, play the simple 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 and go from there. There are a lot of resources out there to help you out, such as videos on youtube, files on the interet, engines, etc
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Practising you attacking skills requires you to do tactics, I recommend the book 1001 Chess Tactics, which can be found here
https://www.amazon.com/Tactics-Chess-Games-Everyday-Players-ebook/dp/B009TBYA7U
or you can use a tactics trainer such as the ones on lichess.org or chess.com however, lichess is free while chess.com requires a membership
The Turing Omnibus has a bit of that sort of thing. It is mainly focused on computer science, and features some anecdotes about the uses of the techniques explained. This book has a lot of contributors, so the tone varies a bit from chapter to chapter, but it introduces a lot of topics.
In Code examines the RSA (and goes into a bit of depth about Modular Arithmetic) as well as the author's exploration of an alternative encryption.
Aha! Insight and The Number Devil are good books too. They're both aimed at younger readers, and feature lots of illustrations but focus more on thinking about numbers (and problems) than the mechanics of doing calculations.
I would really love to teach my daughter how to do origami. She could use some extra fine motor skill practice for her writing and is understandably tired of busy work letter copying.
Gifting IS addictive!
My daughter drew this for you
This would be for her if it wins I don't know what shipping is because I'm guessing you don't have .ca prime so if it goes over I can find a cheaper item or I can chip in for the difference :D
When I heard about House of Leaves, I knew I shouldn’t get that on my Kindle. Many books with boxes to the side with comments will feel out of place. I am almost done with Lies My Teacher Told Me and, while I haven’t seen the physical book, I caught a paragraph here-and-there out of place. It wasn’t that bad though, just noticeable. Books with some sort of game or puzzle inside…
http://www.amazon.com/The-Christmas-Crimes-Puzzle-Manor/dp/0440504694/
http://www.amazon.com/Maze-Solve-Worlds-Challenging-Puzzle/dp/0805010882/
… won’t do at all. It also makes me wonder how effective “Choose Your Own Adventure” types will do in e-book format. I think some succeed not by being an e-book but more of a game. Let me check… yep.
http://www.amazon.com/Flight-From-The-Dark/dp/B005C6AYVW/
But what if I want to cheat? I can’t finish reading the book if my character is dead!
Came here to suggest that.
I've read that when I was eight years old and decided that I'd be a "mathematician" (whatever that meant for an eight year old).
I kinda veered off the path a bit and graduated in Computer Sciences.
But I digress... The man who counted. Great book! And it is available in english:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Man-Who-Counted-Mathematical/dp/0393309347/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348635831&sr=8-1&keywords=malba+tahan
Yeah it looks like it's just a journal - but there is a weed activity book: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0811862062/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
Well, it depends on what kind of origami you want to do.
These days I mostly do modular (fancy word for multi-piece) geometrical origami, and I love models that are simple and robust. Super-thin origami specialty paper works just fine, but I don't really need the level of precision it offers. So I use paper from brightly colored office memo cubes and old page-a-day calendars. Sometimes those pages are a bit off from truly square but they're close enough.
Thin, dedicated origami paper is a necessity if you're going to fold a complicated, single-sheet model like John Montroll's lobster (from this wonderful book) or Robert Lang's ant (from this excruciating gauntlet). Ordinary paper gets too thick and unwieldy with all the layers.
Sometimes the models in books and online galleries appear to be made from paper beyond your generic craft-store sheets, though. Maybe there are high-end origami paper retailers? I can only assume so. Beyond that, I've seen blog posts from people who mention they craft their own paper, which is a dizzying height of showoffery that I shall probably never attain.
This book by Lewis Carrol - of Alice in Wonderland fame was my introduction to logic:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Symbolic-Logic-Game-Dover-Recreational/dp/0486204928/ref=pd_bxgy_14_2/258-0056705-3870664?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0486204928&pd_rd_r=75cc6912-34eb-11e9-93a5-cfab5f712f42&pd_rd_w=X9vZa&pd_rd_wg=XLyvi&pf_rd_p=a0365e62-3353-40ad-91cf-d4ca762b18a7&pf_rd_r=MFZC67HBGENY14EXGDR5&psc=1&refRID=MFZC67HBGENY14EXGDR5
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https://www.amazon.com/Journal-29-Interactive-Book-Game/dp/1635871727 ?
A small book of logic puzzles and a sonic screwdriver pen I use to work them. I think it's a statement on how big a geek I am.
From the FAQ on the right side ---------->
1) Chess Tactics for Students by John Bain
3) Back to Basics: Tactics (ChessCafe Back to Basics Chess) by Dan Heisman
4) Winning Chess Tactics, revised (Winning Chess – Everyman Chess) by Seirawan
8) 1001 Tactics Time! From the Games of Everyday Chess Players by Tim Brennan and Anthea Carson
You should read The Man who Counted by Malba Tahan.
That reminded me of this
Maze?
http://www.amazon.com/Maze-Solve-Worlds-Challenging-Puzzle/dp/0805010882/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1465091470&sr=1-1&keywords=maze
A lot of interview questions are really just combinatorics questions; if you're in university, you should try and take enough math classes to take combo. I failed it when I took it, but it's still proven to be really useful (in fact, more useful than many of my compsci classes).
Aside from the interview books others have posted, generic riddle/puzzle books like What is the name of this book? are pretty cool.
Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:
Link: Maze
|Country|Link|
|:-----------|:------------|
|UK|amazon.co.uk|
|Spain|amazon.es|
|France|amazon.fr|
|Germany|amazon.de|
|Japan|amazon.co.jp|
|Canada|amazon.ca|
|Italy|amazon.it|
|China|amazon.cn|
This bot is currently in testing so let me know what you think by voting (or commenting).
Journal 29: Interactive Book Game https://www.amazon.com/dp/1635871727/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_TtEzDbN67JWX4
I’ve heard good things about this one.
What a fun contest!
Edit: after almost an hour of hunting down this list, I forgot to include the raffle phrase! Happy happy cake day! :) Hope it was a good one!
/u/a-moo_point
I don’t know if you like Disney or coloring but I am in love with his puzzles so I thought you might enjoy this coloring book
This book is one of my favorite resources for puzzle authoring.
I second the Kaplan books and add The Man Who Counted.
I used Chessbase and Word for my Kindle chess tactics book - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009TBYA7U/
I recommend starting simple and working your way up to more complicated stuff. I got started with this book:[Animal origami](
http://www.amazon.com/Animal-Origami-Enthusiast-Step-Step/dp/0486247929)
It has lots of models, and they get progressively harder, but start really simple.
If you don't want to buy anything just yet, I would suggest at looking though the models here: origami.org and just work your way up form simple to complex
This looks awesome, hope it's good fun.
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Official-High-Times-Smokers-Activity/dp/0811862062
I agree, at ten she may not be into Harry Potter yet. She probably likes Disney though and I found this one. Disney Dreams Collection Thomas Kinkade Studios Coloring Book https://www.amazon.com/dp/1449483186/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_EG4-BbS2YRWRN
Have you picked a jewelry kit? I’d bet she’d prefer that, but since she probably grew up poor added I a cheaper option just in case.
Me and my sister were really into making jewelry around that age.
I just started high school, and only recently discovered the beauty in math. I'm half-studying for the AMC 12 test tomorrow and half being distracted by reddit, but I want to say that it is never too late to discover how truly amazing math is. I understand this may sound annoying or stupid coming from someone who is exactly a third of your age, but I picked up a book called How To Cut A Cake by Ian Stewart this summer. Before this, I was just an ordinary kid who I guess liked math puzzles, and thought it was pretty fun when a teacher gives a cool problem, but I never really knew that I actually really liked math. Now I'm not telling you to read this, but this book really reminded me that math isn't something you just do in school, but rather a universal language spoken by everyone in this world, and used almost every moment of your life. This book helped me want to find opportunities to find math in stuff normal people won't. This was sort of my moment of realization. I don't know if this book will help you achieve that realization, but I believe it is definitely a good read for anyone. TL;DR rather than taking an old-school "sit down, study, and read" type of approach, I feel that it is a much better and more efficient learning experience to realize that math really is fun, and try to find opportunities to do math where normal people would simply ignore. This isn't something I can explain in words off the bat, but you will definitely, 100% know what I mean when you realize that you're actually doing math in the most unexpected situation.
Amazon.
Im currently reading this gem.
Anyone else read it?
http://www.amazon.com/Riddle-Rooms-1-Dungeon-Dilemmas/dp/1928807011/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1417038427&sr=1-1&keywords=dungeon+riddles
Tons of great encounters where level doesn't matter. I would suggest the "shadow imp" one. He locks the players in a seemingly normal room. He pokes them for damage if they don't keep trying to solve the puzzle. He's invincible moves at the speed of light, he's basically a God of msichief. You have to solve a series of riddles and figure things out to get the key to open the door. Players are teleported into the room with essentially only their underwear and are ejected before they die.
There are bunch of magic items they can retrieve from the puzzle room.
Earlier than 2000s, and I think the pics are in black and white (not color), but this is the first thing I thought of: Mazes by Christopher Manson.
If it was not this, was it more like this?: Pierre the Maze Detective (this is one of a series)
Oh great! Here is something on my wishlist I would like to learn :)
I wonder if his book might be useful in understanding angles he approaches things from?
The book Maze involved a cash prize:
http://www.amazon.com/Maze-Solve-Worlds-Challenging-Puzzle/dp/0805010882
A+ sir!
reminds me of a funny book I read once
I personally get most my Sudokus online instead of books as I like variants more and there's more variety there. I have a few books that have satisfy my enjoyment of variants.
The Mammoth Book Of New Sudoku by Gareth Moore If you want a lot of puzzles, this will probably suit you well. It has many common and uncommon variants. This one also has some overlapping grid puzzles.
Sudoku Mix #1 by Logic Masters India: Classic Sudoku and 5 variants. Nice handcrafted puzzles. This one has a slowly increasing difficulty per variant. Good for beginning new variants.
Mutant Sudoku by Thomas Snyder and Wei-Hwa Huang A large number of puzzles per variant from easy to very hard. Some common and some uncommon variants. Very nice book, but does go outside the normal sudoku books a lot. I wish there were more books like this.
For an entertaining and helpful introduction to this topic you should check out this book:
https://www.amazon.com/What-Name-This-Book-Recreational/dp/0486481980