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This book contains scores of intriguing puzzles and paradoxes from Lewis Carroll, the author of Alice in Wonderland, whose interests ranged from inventing new games like Arithmetical Croquet to important problems in symbolic logic and propositional calculus. Written by Carroll expert and well-known mathematics author Martin Gardner, this tour through Carroll's inventions is both fun and informative.

Customer Reviews (4)

Excellent honors Geometry project!
I use this book as the basis for an honors project for my high school Geometry class.I teach a lesson about Lewis Carroll and his various logic puzzles and word ladders.This book is an excellent source for research and other games/puzzles to use with my students.

the editorial review math is exactly correct!
Ok, since there is some confusion on the issue, let me explain how the 2/3 comes about.We are looking for the probability that the second marble is white, given that the first one pulled out of the bag was.

First intuitively - if you think about it, if there had been 2 white marbles in the bag to start with you're more likely to have pulled out a white marble on the first draw than you would have if the bag started with one white and one black.That is, knowing that you pulled out a white marble, it's more likely that both marbles were white than it is that there was one of each.

Now mathematically - this is called conditional probability. Because of the problem description, before drawing the bag could either contain one of each color or two white marbles, each of these options with probability .5 (50%).If the bag has one of each, your probability of drawing white first is .5, and if it has two whites your probability of drawing white first is 1 (100%).

So, the (compound) probability that the bag has one of each *and* you get white first is .5 x .5 = .25 and the probability that the bag has both white and you get white first is .5 x 1 = .5.So, the total probability of getting white first is the sum of the probabilities of these two possible ways of that occuring, .75.

Now, the actual probability that was requested was that of there being a white marble in the bag after taking out a white one...that is, what's the probability of the bag having had 2 white marbles if you know it had at least one.This should be the same as the probability of getting two white marbles divided by the probability that the first marble was white.

Probability notation for this conditional probability is
P(W2|W1) = P(W1 & W2)/P(W2)

Which then is .5/.75, which is equal to 2/3 - the number given in the editorial.The result does maybe initially seem to be a strange number, but there is no wiggle room here.It's correct.

Letter to the editorial review
The Editorial has single handedly solved a modern dilemma in the world of Mathematics.I do believe it has been said that it is better to be assumed a fool then to open your mouth and remove all doubt.The final conclusion is that the contradiction leads us to realize a possible incompleteness in the system.Here is how:

Solution #1 As the state of the bag, after the operation, is necessarily identical with its state before it, the chance is just what it was, viz. 1/2. Solution #2 Let B and W1 stand for the black or white counter that may be in the bag at the start and W2 for the added white counter. After removing white counter there are three equally likely states:

Inside bag------Outside bag
W1--------------W2
W2--------------W1
B ---------------W2

In two of these states a white counter remains in the bag, and so the chance of drawing a white counter the second time is 2/3.This contradiction of the first solution might indicate that the system offers an incomplete answer (not that the first answer was wrong).

Essential for Lewis Carroll fans
Lewis Carroll was in "real life" Charles Dodgson, lecturer in mathematics at Oxford University and author of books on geometry and logic.Mathematics intrudes into his children's books, especially Sylvie and Bruno.There is nobody better qualified to explain this side of Lewis Carroll to the non-mathematician than Martin Gardner, author of the Annotated Alice and for many years the compiler of the Mathematical Puzzles column in Scientific American.This book will delight Carroll's many fans and may intrigue many who would not normally be attracted to children's fiction.I also recommend the two books on Lewis Carroll's puzzles by Edward Wakeling; as a professional mathematician, he brings a complementary perspective. ... Read more

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Softcover W.W Norton Book Club Edition, 2008. ... Read more

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With sixty-five Illustrations by Arthur B. Frost and nine by Henry Holiday.

"I have had nor rhyme nor reason"

Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (27 January 1832 - 14 January 1898), better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll, was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, Rhyme? and Reason? as well as the poems "The Hunting of the Snark" and "Jabberwocky", all examples of the genre of literary nonsense.

He is noted for his facility at word play, logic, and fantasy, which you will enjoy resign each pages of this book, which contains: Phantasmagoria, Canto I, The Trystyng, Canto Ii, Hys Fyve Rules, Canto Iii, Scarmoges, Canto Iv, Hys Nouryture, Canto V, Byckerment, Canto Vi, Dyscomfyture, Canto Vii, Sad Souvenaunce, Echoes, A Sea Dirge, Ye Carpette Knyghte, Hiawatha'S Photographing, Melancholetta, A Valentine, The Three Voices, The First Voice, The Second Voice, The Third Voice, Tèma Con Variazióni, A Game Of Fives, Poeta Fit, Non Nascitur, The Hunting Of The Snark, An Agony In Eight Fits, Fit The First, Fit The Second, Fit The Third, Fit The Fourth, Fit The Fifth, Fit The Sixth, Fit The Seventh, Fit The Eighth, Size And Tears, Atalanta In Camden-Town, The Lang Coortin', Four Riddles, I, Ii, Iii, Iv, Fame's Penny-Trumpet

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Customer Reviews (1)

Almost Impenetrable... And That's the GOOD Part!
This book was almost impossible to get through, although I really did try.The main problem is the author's style and writing ability.

Mechanical problems start in sentence structure and continue on to paragraph and chapter structure. For example, the author seems to think that the comma is the greatest invention ever given to mankind, and seems almost incapable of writing a simple declarative sentence.This quirk alone, while difficult to deal with, the entirety of German literature, after all, being assembled from page-long sentences, is made even worse by the fact that the author often uses these commas to connect seemingly unconnected thoughts, nonsequiturs, extremely esoteric facts about various British semi-dignitaries whom the readers is expected to know, and absolutely baffling and random quotes from who-knows-where.(See what I mean about sentence structure?!?)

These mechanical problems are combined with another annoying habit of not following any sort of time line, jumping forwards and backwards in time, and giving dates and facts that the author apparently knows the meaning of but which the reader does not.

To give you a wonderful feeling of this stellar piece of literary biography, I present the following quote from page 143.(What you need to know is that the author has never previously mentioned 4 July 1862 up until this point in the book, so the reader--unless he is also a mind reader-- has no idea what he is refering to!):

"Dodgson recalled how, throughout these journeys, his 'jaded Muse was goaded into action' by the children, and how tales were told, but never written down, until the famous 4 July 1862: 'they lived and died, like summer midges, each in its own golden afternoon.'"

And besides all of this-- and what is even more important-- I got no human feel for Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) from this book at all.

In short, I highly recommend reading this book if you want to see how NOT to write a literary biography-- or if you are the type of person who actually ENJOYED reading 'Finnegan's Wake'!

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Includes poems and nonsense verses that appear in "Alice in Wonderland" and other works of the author. ... Read more

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This collection of Lewis Carroll's sayings illustrates the sublime, joyous wit, as well as the serious side of one of the great Victorian eccentrics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Good Book, Good Service
Both the book and the service that supplied it were excellent. Delivery was prompt; book was all that it was advertised to be.

The Walrus and A. Carpenter
Angelica Carpenter has added to her impressive catalogue of author biographies written for children this one on Carroll, and the acknowledgement page indicates that she took pains over its accuracy by consulting the works and/or persons of several leading members of the Lewis Carroll Society. But she clearly had the good sense not to be overawed or confused by so many viewpoints, and has written here a clear and comprehensive survey of Carroll�s life which covers most of the important occurrences in a way which is accessible and appealing to the young audience at which she is aiming. Presumably on the relatively safe assumption that most of her readers will only know Carroll's Alice books (and maybe even only the Disney film version), she sensibly begins by recounting the story of the original telling of Alice's tale on a nineteenth-century July afternoon, and having enticed her young and therefore easily distracted audience in, is then able to segue neatly into the author�s actual history. The book is profusely illustrated, and although few if any of the images are unfamiliar to adult devotees of Carroll, their very variety � ranging amongst others from reproductions of Carroll�s and Tenniel�s drawings, to photographs of and by Carroll and others, to �Mr Walker, Profilist�s� 1840 silhouette of Charles Dodgson as a child � should help to ensure the continued attention throughout the book of the wayward young reader, as well as providing a valuable pictorial background to the biographical information.

I confess I was slightly taken aback to see reference made to the contentious topic of Carroll�s nude photography in Chapter 8, although the author deals with it there accurately and in the laudably proper context of both its perfect normality at the time and the extremely small number of such photographs that Carroll took. My unease was solely at whether this was, in view of the unhealthy interpretations imposed upon it nowadays, an appropriate subject to be mentioned in a children�s book at all, but I suspect that I am both very out-of-touch with how sophisticated young people have grown these days, and also with how widespread the wicked rumours are about Carroll that make it no longer possible to write such a book without in some manner dealing with them. Angelica Carpenter expertly dispatches the matter in little more than a page, pulling off the difficult feat of making it clear that the photographs were wholly innocent without implying any suggestion that they might not have been, and if the subject must be dealt with, I doubt it could be done much better. I am less comfortable with the second reference to the subject in the final chapter (Morton Cohen�s discovery of several nude child photographs in the Rosenbach Collection in the 1970s, which fuelled if not initiated the contemporary distrust of Carroll�s motives), but that chapter looks at Carrollian developments since his death, so I suppose this occurrence could not be omitted without rendering the biography dishonest.

In any event, I do not want to give a false impression of Angelica Carpenter�s book by dwelling too long on things which are beyond her control. Her biography is written for twenty-first century children, and although there are difficult matters to be briefly addressed along with the more agreeable account of Carroll�s unblemished life, she presents all her material with the same light touch, deftly ensuring that her young audience will be entertained whilst scarcely realising that they are being thoroughly informed at the same time. I think this excellent biography by Angelica Carpenter might well be helpful in creating enthusiasm among modern youngsters for Carroll himself, a delightfully funny and whimsical author whom they really should read! ... Read more

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Jabberwocky is the first book in an exciting and unique new series -- Visions in Poetry -- from Kids Can Press that will feature classic poems illustrated by outstanding contemporary artists in handsomely bound collectable hardcover editions. Visions in Poetry showcases some of the most talented book illustrators working today. The most celebrated nonsense poem in the English language, Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky has delighted readers of all ages since it was first published in Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, in 1872. Stephane Jorisch's stunningly inventive art adds a vibrant, surprising dimension to an already unforgettable poem. ... Read more

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"Walker Illustrated Classics" is a new series which brings together some of the best-loved stories ever told, illustrated by some of today's finest artists. These exquisitely designed books, with their magnificent words and glorious pictures, are a pleasure to read - and re-read. The classics have never looked so good!For over a hundred years, "Alice in Wonderland", Lewis Carroll's classic story of logic and lunacy has delighted young and old alike. More abundantly illustrated than previous editions, this award-winning interpretation is full of warmth and humour. The whole approach is contemporary and accessible: Alice herself is a child of today - casually dressed, personable, spirited. In Helen Oxenbury's hands, the topsy-turvy world of Wonderland is a wondrous place indeed! ... Read more

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The two tales in this book are both responses to Lewis Carroll's Wonder­land, aimed at instilling an interest in grammar in young and recalcitrant readers.Audrey Mayhew Allen wrote "Gladys in Grammarland" in 1897. In this story, Gladys becomes sleepy after class and finds that a Verb Fairy has taken an interest in her education.Louise Franklin Bache's charming play "Alice in Grammarland" was written in 1923 for "Better Speech Week" and was published in "Junior Red Cross News" in that year. In it, Carroll's Alice returns to meet old friends the Mad Hatter and the White Rabbit, together with the King and Queen of Grammarland. ... Read more

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This Book Is In French. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Adventures d'Alaice au Pays des Merveilles
I don't read any French but do have the start of an Alice collection.This book had to be part of it.Received quickly and in excellent condition. ... Read more

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The book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is a treasure of English children's literature and was first published in 1865. It has been translated into many languages. An Irish translation by Pádraig Ó Cadhla (1875-1948) was published in 1922 but no other Irish version has appeared since. The present Irish version is a completely new translation. K. Verschoyle drew the illustrations for Ó Cadhla's version, whereas this new book contains the famous illustrations of Sir John Tenniel, which first appeared in the original English edition. -- Is seoid de litríocht na bpáistí an leabhar Béarla Alice's Adventures in Wonderland a foilsíodh den chéad uair sa bhliain 1865. Is iomaí sin teanga a bhfuil aistriúchán den scéal le fáil inti. Foilsíodh aistriúchán Gaeilge le Pádraig Ó Cadhla (1875-1948) sa bhliain 1922 ach ní fhacthas leagan ar bith eile i nGaeilge go dtí anois. Is aistriúchán nua ar fad an leagan seo thíos. K. Verschoyle a rinne na léaráidí le haghaidh aistriúchán Uí Chadhla. Is iad na pictiúir cháiliúla a rinne Sir John Tenniel agus a bhí sa chéad eagrán Béarla atá le feiceáil sa leabhar seo. ... Read more

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Yes, this is the Lewis Carroll who wrote Alice in Wonderland, and this work shows the same quirky humor. Here you see Carroll the mathematician at his playful best. Don't let the title of the first work mislead you--this isn't about modern symbolic logic but about ways of expressing classical logic with symbols. It's loaded with amusing problems to delight any mathematical puzzler. He turns logic into a game played with diagrams and counters, giving you hundreds of challenging and witty syllogisms to solve. Great mind-stretching fun.

Over 350 ingenious problems involving classical logic: logic is expressed in terms of symbols; syllogisms and the sorites are diagrammed; logic becomes a game played with two diagrams and a set of counters.

Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (27 January 1832 - 14 January 1898), better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll, was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, Symbolic Logic, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the Snark" and "Jabberwocky", all examples of the genre of literary nonsense.

He is noted for his facility at word play, logic, and fantasy, which you will enjoy in each pay of this book! ... Read more

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A unique edition of Through the Looking-Glass, one of the world's best-loved stories, illustrated by Peter Blake, one of the leading figures of Pop art best known for the Beatles' Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover. Ten fabulous watercolours by Blake accompany the complete text of this classic of children's literature, bringing the story alive for a new generation of readers - and for those who last read it in their childhood. Includes a special 'behind the scenes' interview with Blake, in which the artist discusses the ideas and influences behind his illustrations and reveals his visual sources. ... Read more

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Charles Lutwidge Dodgson—known better by his pseudonym, Lewis Carroll—was a 19th century English logician, mathematician, photographer, and novelist. He is especially remembered for his children’s tale Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel, Through the Looking Glass. By the time of Dodgson’s death in 1898, Alice (the integration of the two volumes) had become the most popular children’s book in England. By the time of his centenary in 1932, it was perhaps the most famous in the world. This book presents a complete catalogue of Dodgson’s personal library, with attention to every book the author is known to have owned or read. Alphabetized entries fully describe each book, its edition, its contents, its importance, and any particular relevance it might have had to Dodgson. The library not only provides a plethora of fodder for further study on Dodgson, but also reflects the Victorian world of the second half of the 19th century, a time of unprecedented investigation, experimentation, invention, and imagination. Dodgson’s volumes represent a vast array of academic interests from Victorian England and beyond, including homeopathic medicine, spiritualism, astrology, evolution, women's rights, children's literature, linguistics, theology, eugenics, and many others. The catalogue is designed for scholars seeking insight into the mind of Charles Dodgson through his books. ... Read more

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Lewis Carroll is one of the most quoted authors in the English language. He is popularly known as the greatest of English nonsense writers, though some argue that he is not truly a nonsense writer at all. Examine his writing, including the very popular Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass.

This title, Lewis Carroll, part of Chelsea House Publishers’ Modern Critical Views series, examines the major works of Lewis Carroll through full-length critical essays by expert literary critics. In addition, this title features a short biography on Lewis Carroll, a chronology of the author’s life, and an introductory essay written by Harold Bloom, Sterling Professor of the Humanities, Yale University. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Lively tips for writing letters (or email!)
Edgar Cuthwellis lightly edited this book of Lewis Carroll's miscellaneous pieces for cohesion as a single work.Many of the riddles in the "Pillow Problems" section aren't really solvable for current readers, in my opinion, but the "Night Writing" essay on the how-to's of letter writing are still quite applicable to email correspondence (and were, frankly, the reason I bought the book).Also includes some of those unstoppable rhymes that come to obsessives in the wee hours, a few hand shadows, and some tips on nocturnal eating.There's also a useful table for a letter-substitution cipher to keep a message private between sender and recipient. This is a sweet book for the Carroll or epistolary collector. ... Read more

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Continue the adventure with the classic sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in this Lewis Carroll masterpiece.Also comes with the original 1st edition cover. ... Read more