Another Fine Math You've Got Me Into--

Populated by curious creatures whose stories unfold with jokes and puns, this mathematical wonderland of puzzles and games also imparts significant mathematical ideas. Ian Stewart -- an active popularizer of mathematics, university professor, and former columnist for Scientific American's "Mathematical Games" section -- has selected sixteen of his columns from Pour la Science, the French edition of Scientific American, for this collection. Most are based on a mathematical idea, dressed up with oddball characters and wacky wordplay. "The Lion, the Llama, and the Lettuce" relates how farmer Algernon Quinn got his produce to market (it's also about graph theory); "Through the Evolvoscope" incorporates flying cats and and flipperpotami (and catastrophe theory); and "The Group-Theorist of Notre Dame" touches upon group theory, by way of the well-known Hunchback. In the foreword to this volume, Martin Gardner notes that Ian Stewart "is that rare combination of one who knows and loves mathematics on all its bewildering levels and can write about them with zest and humor... It is impossible to read him without learning a great deal and thoroughly enjoying the instruction." Book jacket.