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Book Reviews

Solve 15 Puzzle Problems

Some early 15 Puzzle book Reviews

 Martin Gardner, Author of 15 Classic Books on Mathematical Recreations
            Jerry Slocum and Dic Sonneveld have written an amazing tour de force. It covers in fantastic detail the history of the greatest mechanical puzzle craze ever to sweep not only the United States but also England and Europe. The Rubik’s Cube mania was modest in comparison. Did Sam Loyd, America’s greatest puzzle maker, invent the notorious 14-15 sliding block puzzle? He claimed he did but the claim was a total lie. Loyd had nothing whatsoever to do with either the puzzle or its popularity.
The research done by the two authors is awesome. It is a book hard to put down.

Will Shortz, Crossword Editor, NY Times & PuzzleMaster, National Public Radio
… this is a surprising, entertaining, and painstakingly researched book…
           This is a book that everyone interested in puzzles will enjoy.

Professor Don Knuth, Stanford U., Author of The Art of Computer Programming
This book is a visual delight in addition to setting incredible new standards in historical research about the world's fascinating puzzle subculture.

THE LILLY LIBRARY

            Soon to be the home of the extensive puzzle collection of Jerry Slocum, the Lilly Library is a treasure house of rare and beautiful books and manuscripts, including Shakespeare’s First Folio, the New Testament of the Gutenberg Bible, Audubon prints. The opening of a special Slocum Collection Room in August 2006 will begin a new stage in the cultural history of mechanical puzzles: for the first time a major research-oriented rare book library will house, and make available to scholars for hands-on use and study, a world-class collection of mechanical puzzles and books about puzzles. The university is deeply grateful to Jerry Slocum for making this possible. A broad range of Jerry's puzzles will be beautifully displayed in new cases especially constructed for them with the help of generous donors.
           
Learn more about The Lilly Library.

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