No comments about Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Beta.

2 comments about Cunning Lateral Thinking Puzzles (Puzzle).

1. I have been an avid fan of lateral thinking puzzles from youth upwards. There are a number of "classics" that you come across over and over. If I were to mention the albatross, midget and countless dead bodies, you might know what I mean! However, here we have a compilation of brand new puzzles to satisfy our appetites. These are bright and fresh from novel ideas but they remain faithful to the classical formula. They have the vital lateral twist and retain the ability to leave you either clapping one hand to your forehead in dismay or brimming over with triumph when you succeed.
   
   The variety is of puzzles is worth a mention. There is a wide range of scenarios, including a good number taken from real life. Some are relatively easy whilst an equal number are very difficult. There is something for everyone here - it should suit most tastes.
   
   This book is ideal for entertaining your family or friends for an evening indoors or on a long journey. It will grip their attention, stimulate their imagination and test their lateral thinking skills, in search of the cunning solution!



2. If you are into "thinking outside the box", these puzzles will occupy your mind for hours.

5 comments about Knit and Crochet with Beads.

1. I had great hopes that crochet would have equal parts of knit and crochet and boy was I wrong. For you knitters, it is about 75% knit and 25% crochet. I just expected more balance and didn't get it.



2. Inspiring and instructive. As always, Lily's instructions are clear and easy to follow, even for techniques that are new and a little different. The projects are stunning and quite "finish-able." And Lily's "signature" sense of humor keeps you company while you create and learn. A winner.



3. Who else but Lily could do it? I have knitted beaded purses on 0000 needles, but never considered knitting a beaded garment until reading this book. Lily explaind every way that it can be done in clear and precise language, with excellent pictures and charts. The patterns are glorious! Patterns for sweaters and shawls and really beautiful items that are truly one of a kind. And not knit on itty bitty needles either. You don't don't need a magnifying glass to knit these beauties! I am working on the Vargas Girl Sweater in pale blue Rowan cashmere with gold and copper beads, a large investment, but the results are gorgeous!! This book is a must have for the truly glamorous knitter!



4. Very informative book. Gave some great ideas on how to add beads to some of my projects.



5. This book is geared towards intermediate or advanced knitters who want to take their projects to a whole new level. Beads add an entirely new dimension to your knitted pieces. I am a jewelry designer who enjoys knitting and this book brings together two of my passions. The instructions and drawings are very clear. My favorite patterns are the Ethereal Lace Tunic and the Grace Kelly Collar. Both are simply gorgeous! If you love beads and knitting or crocheting, you will enjoy this book.

5 comments about Hanson-Roberts Tarot Deck.

1. This is the best Tarot deck I have found and it was also the first one I ever owned. My parents brought me up reading Thoth and I thought that was the only deck to use until I found this little gem.
   
   The Hanson-Roberts deck doesn't have all the frills and extra symbols of most decks, and some would say that is a weakness. To me, it's actually the deck's strength. It doesn't bog it down with details that confuse the novice reader and the expert will probably own another deck that has the symbols anyway.
   
   This deck has wonderful energy to it. It's like a caring grandmother that wants to steer you on the proper path. She may ignore the bad, or understate it, but she always knows what's best.



2. I bought this deck based on the recommendations at amazon and I absolutely love it! It has given me very clear, powerful readings. The artwork is so vivid that it leaves an imprint on your imagination thereby making it easy to memorize the cards with very little effort. As other readers have said, the eyes of the characters almost come to life so their personalities are easier to read and remember. If you love the art, then I would go for it and buy it. I also like the Hanson-Roberts Tarot Companion which gives detailed descriptions of each card.



3. this was my first tarot deck, i think it is beautiful. the best thing about this deck for me is that its a bit smaller than regular tarot decks i ve seen. i have small hands and so the larger ones are akward for me. these ones seem to be about the same size as regular cards, but the pictures are still beautifully detailed. it comes with a little book that tells you the interpretatins and layouts. this will be the second time i bought them.



4. I originally bought this deck back in 1991. I was just discovering the Tarot, and I was attracted to the artwork. I immediately fell in love with it. The images are beautifully crafted, the colors are soothing, and it follows the Rider-Waite tradition which makes it easy to study (since most books out there on the subject of the Tarot follow the Rider-Waite tradition.) I know there are "flashier" decks out there, and I have purchased some of those; but I've never felt the same connection to those decks as I do to this one, and sadly they just lay dormant in my closet. Instead, this is my baby. When I decided to start doing psychic parties, the first thing I did was buy a new copy of this deck specifically for parties. I keep my original deck to myself. I recommend it whole-heartedly.



5. I own this deck for many years already; is very pretty and the images on it will speak to you easily even if you are a beginner. The more you study it the more this cards will make sense to you and the more you will see on it. I found it beautiful, easy to read and the images are just charming. I own several decks and this is the one I use every day. One of my daughters is already learning to read tarot and this too is her favorite because of the easy images to understand. Also the smaller size comes in very handy.

4 comments about Great Book Of Domino Games.

1. For generations, folks in my family have played various domino games, though I don't recall ever seeing a set of written rules. I'm delighted that I found the rules to these games and scores of others in Jennifer Kelley's "Great Book of Domino Games." From domino solitaire to versions involving eight or more players, the games are all here -- and so is plenty of five-star fun for friends and family, including kids who develop math skills as they become accomplished players. This superb little book is on my list for birthday gifts.



2. This is a wonderful book that really introduced us to a lot of great evenings in our house. It has a wide variety of games for double six sets and double nine sets, and any number of players. The games we've played have been enjoyable for the adults as well as for the children, and many of the games have even helped our daughter's math skills - - a game such as muggins, where you try to make the pips on the open ends add to multiples of 5. There are old stand by's here, as well as games that have been newly invented. At a price like this, for all the fun we've had, well, it's tough to find a better, more enjoyable deal.



3. I want to congratulate Ms. Kelley for an outstanding research about the variations of this pastime. Very well written for a descriptive book about the generalities of each variation. I really like to contact Ms. Kelley in order to share some thoughts. My emails are: gtejeira@panamacom.com gtejeira66@yahoo.com

   Sincerely,

   Gabriel Tejeira




4. Just what the sport needed at the time of its publication the "GREAT BOOK OF DOMINO GAMES" is pretty much all good as a thing to anyone who might try it. It acheives a decent five stars by effectively making its mark as for what it is. I was looking for a bigger sized complete exposition of the sport of domino (to be honest) when I first read the GBODG but still was quite pleased with the outcome of reading it. I was so inspired that I later went on to write and publish a book myself - so my hat is really off to you Ms. Kelley! A good first choice for domino studying!

5 comments about Caro's Most Profitable Hold'em Advice.

1. I know his poker tells was a great seller, i sold over 200 copies which is a lot for a small book seller, but i never really liked the book myself, nor the followup by the FBI guy. This new i liked a lot, even seems like someone else wrote it and used caros name, the hokiness is gone, and its right to the point and the point is made before he movesd on, the title is accurate "advise" not trying to by the only correct writer in the poker industry, being brunsons bother in law helped him earlier on, but this book seems to be devoid of brunsons input except for a credit or two. of all caros books, i reccomend this one over the rest for an experienced player who has already encountred some of the ssituations he writes about. we cant sell it ourselves on amazon yet but we will soon. david spriggs aka pocket rocket aka new books cheap.



2. It's rather difficult to clearly analyze Mike Caro's most recent book because some of the advice he gives is a bit controversial, and other parts can only be pulled off by experts.
   
   First, let me state that there is a wealth of very valuable information in the book. Granted, much of it has been previously published in his earlier works, and magazine articles, but here, it's all available in one place. I especially liked the section about treating Hold'em as a business as well as the occasional piece that really made me think about my game.
   
   However, Mr. Caro STRONGLY advocates creating a loose image in order to induce more calls, and increase profit. Several sections stress this, and advise the player how to do it. As I recall, he and another author, went round and round about this several years ago. To my mind, Mr. Caro has not proven that creating the loose image is the best path, especially for beginning players. Furthermore, and more importantly, it is very easy for a non-expert player to attempt this strategy and cost themselves some serious money. Newer players should be very careful in their attempts to be like Mike.
   
   So, while I do recommend the book [all of Caro's material is worth reading]I strongly advise the players to be careful when implementing some of it's advise.



3. What a terrible book. Sure, Caro has the awesome "mad genius" reputation, and certainly his analysis was cutting edge a couple decades ago. But much of what he teaches has been debunked by newer, better research. There are odd bits of useful information in this book, but there is lots of other information that contradicts what the best poker thinkers of today are preaching, and they back it up with math. Caro backs it up by referring to his "research," without actually describing that research. The best analogy I can think of is that Caro is like Einstein. He came up with a groundbreaking theoretical approach, like relativity, that changed the way people thought about the universe of poker; but he got left behind when others came up with quantum theory. E.g., he doesn't seem to have caught on to current thinking on the concept of equity in tournament play, especially near the bubble. Does he not believe that ICM works? Most winning tournament players do. And many other examples I don't have time to cite. He can't accept that another, better theory has supplanted his, no matter how vividly the data demonstrates it. Also, his writing style here is very irritating. How many times must we read things like "Do you want to know why blah, blah, blah? Well, I'll tell you. Here's why...." Yuck.



4. First of all this is a great poker book. I consider myself a stuent of the game and read ALOT of books on Hold em. Mike's advice is sound and works. He does advocate having a loose and playful image and it does illict more calls. How many times have you tightened up your play against a intimdating oponnet? I also find myself calling more than I should to friendly players with my marginal / semi strong hands. Mike's book put this whole psychology into a easily readable format. I noticed a distinct upswing in my profits after reading the book and implementing some of his techniques. Now this style of play is not or everyone. If you want to play like a rock and sneer at other players you will probally still make a profit, but you will be mising out on ALOT of extra money at the tables. Read the book and then reread it and all of his techinques fall into place. This book changed the way I play poker in so many ways.



5. I don't have time to write a full review right now, but I'll put in this quickie to negate some of the negative reviews on amazon.
   
   PROS
   This book has almost everything a semi-skilled player needs to take their game to the next level. Mike breaks down the play and analysis in order, by street to give the book a logical flow in the beginning. After that, he expands on general topics such as bankroll management, bluffing, treating poker like a business, etc.
   
   The advice is very pragmatic and much more realistic than most other books. Let's face it. Most of the time you should fold. But in those special circumstances when you have the right player in the right position with the right sized pot, then you can do other moves. Mike says as much and gives solid advice on when to and when not to do certain moves.
   
   Also, the section on treating poker like a business is pure gold. Let's face facts. Most of us play with too much ego from time to time. His advice is a wake up call for those of us play as though we need to prove how smart we are.
   
   CONS
   The book is very math light, so you won't find any modeling of hand distributions. I personally really enjoy hand distribution modeling, but it's yet to prove it's usefulness to me so I didn't miss it here. In fact, the shortcoming of modeling (for me) is that all of the math is only as valid as the assumptions (your read). So after reading "Killer Poker: By the Numbers", I felt that this book was a bit of a missing link between the modeling and reality.
   
   The second short coming is that this book is really just a collection of all of his previous work. Is that so terrible? If you've managed to read just about ALL of his newspaper and magazine articles as well as his books and his section in Super System II; then you may feel like you've already read most of this book. Personally, I've ready A LOT of his writings, and I only recognized about 25% of it in this book.
   
   REBUTTLES
   For those who criticize his recommendation to create a wreckless table image (while actually playing solid), what do you think about Doyle Brunson's recommendation to create an aggressive table image by always betting and raising, or Johnny Chan's recommendation to the exact same thing? Or what about Daniel Negraneau's recommendation to appear to be a call station so you can't be read? Most players agree that it's good to appear more wreckless than you actually are. However, Mikes advice is in the minority that explains how to appear wreckless without actually being wreckless.

5 comments about Miniature Rider Waite Tarot Deck.

1. This is one of my favorite Tarot decks because of its portability. It is the miniature version of the Waite deck, and it roughly fits in the palm of my hand, which makes it very easy to shuffle. However, I just want to share a few praises and pointers that I've run across while using these cards.

   On the positive side, these cards are beautiful with hints of classical and medieval themes, which makes these cards feel nostalgic and unique. Another great aspect is that there are many "Learn How to..." tarot books on the market that use this deck in their lessons. An additional asset is this deck's portability. It's truly fantastic. This deck is great for travel and it's discrete. Let's face it, how many of us want to explain why we're toting tarot decks? Unfortunately, mysticism, esoterica and tarots are still frowned upon by many.

   On the challenging side, I find the very Judeo Christian imagery limiting because it's so emphatically chivalric in tone, and few modern people achieve this state. Additionally, the suit of wands--which generally symbolizes elemental passion, the ego and desire--hardly conveyed anything I would associate with these themes. Also, the gender divide is a bit awkward. We have two male archetypes, which are the King and the Night. The female archetype is the queen. Last, we have an androgynous page, which can be male, female or epicene. What this gender arrangement translates to is an older gentleman (King), a young man (knight), androgynous individual (page), and a female (Queen). So where is the maiden? How is it that all women are lumped summed under a queen? Many readers use the pages to represent young women, but I find this troubling, since the page can be a young woman, an adolescent male or female, an epicene, a child etc, and when it shows up in the answer, who do we point to? I feel that this kind of gender schema leads to confusion and makes this deck a bit dated. My last concern is that the Rider Waite tends to veil the darker and more shadowy sides of human nature and our complexities, which makes readings a bit harder to interpret because results tends to be resoundingly "good and moral," or "bad and duplicitous," and few people are so extreme. Hence, a more realistic tone would be nice, but I realize that this kind of tone would directly conflict with its medieval and chivalric picture schema.

   All in all, once you get used to the pictures and its antiquated themes, you'll find this deck enchanting because it's so lovely and convenient. Other decks are about that have more modern pictorial representations for the Major and Minor Arcana--which incorporates a broader religious spectrum, which is nice--but this is still the handiest deck to tote around, and you can do it discretely.




2. These are a great deck to carry in your purse or pocket for times you can practice reading your cards. A little bit smaller than an normal deck of cards these take up much less space than other decks. Rider Waite is of course, a great starter deck and is easy to use. Great addition to your tarot card collection



3. I had wanted the Rider Waite tarot for years. I saw it at a local mall they had a bunch of them. But at $18 I thought it wasn't worth the price for a deck that I personally could've drawn myself. I don't know about thinking up the idea for the first modern tarot and thinking up the actual pictures of the deck, but the artwork was so mediocre and not life-like and unrealistic that I personally could've drawn and painted these. Don't believe me? I got a grade of A B- in college Art 101 in the division III local school and was Art 101- painting. I just didn't think a deck with such mediocre artwork would be the same price as the much better Aleister Crowley Thoth tarot. Then one day I was looking on the wensite for a local bookstore named after a famous person. I saw a bunch of different versions of the Rider Waite tarot. I was debating between the pocket and miniature. The pocket was cool it was about the size of the small version of the Aleister Crowley Thoth Tarot. I also have the larger version of the same Crowley deck. With that large of a size for a deck of cards you need a dinner table or similar just to have room for most technical spreads. The smaller one you can do readings on a shelf the size of about a laptop computer. That was the size of any tarot deck I preferred- it was much for practical because it took up less space and could be easily carried in a bigger man's pocket. After I did some measuring and thinking I decided on the miniature. I was going to get the pocket but the miniature was only $12. That's a good deal for a deck of tarot cards. Most decks of any quality are usually like 20 bucks, so about half the price for a smaller version of the same deck. The good things about this deck are: Arthur Waite was a famous occultist, writer and Golden Dawn member, - this deck was the first modern deck and became the standard, - the price was about half that of most really good decks for a smaller version, - the smaller the deck is the more practical because you don't need a family sized dinner table or the living room floor to do readings. The bad was only I estimated the size of the cards 2 by 3 inches. It was smaller than the small Crowley tarot. When I got it, I was expected a little bigger but it fit in the palm of my mind. But it's not so small as to be flimsy. They should've made it 3 by 5 like the Thoth deck. And as I stated the artwork on the cards was so mediocre I could make a reprint version of this same deck at a little lower quality only because I wasn't its creator. The Rider Waite tarot in any version is one of the only decks I'd recommend because it was made by a famous occultist who knows what their talking about. I like this deck because it is good and portable.



4. I love most Rider Waite decks but this miniature deck turned out to be a big flop. The scanning job was done poorly and some of the figures look distorted. The standard miniture deck is a lot better. Also the coloring isn't sooo special for my personal taste. I still prefer the original version light colors to Albano's or even to the Universal version.
   
   I recently found a Lo Scarabeo edition of the 1910 version and the colors are just perfect.



5. I am just learning to use the Tarot, and here is one of the best tips given to me by a friend with many years of experience with the Tarot. She told me to buy a second deck, tape each card of the deck onto a separate piece of notebook paper, and keep them in a 3-ring binder. In this binder I keep notes of my impressions and what I am learning about each invidivual card while getting to know the cards names and meanings. I decided this miniture deck would be perfect to tape into my notebook/journal. This has been a priceless learning tool, because I can look back and read notes I made months ago, notes I would have otherwise forgotten.
   
   I purchased another miniature deck because the size is so portable. Now I carry the cards with me everywhere, and when I have a few free moments I'll pull them out. The smaller cards are easier to work with, and this is the deck for you if descretion is important. The prints and coloring on both of my miniature decks are just as clear and vibrant as the larger deck--no distortions whatsoever.

5 comments about Street Magic: Great Tricks and Close-Up Secrets Revealed.

1. I predict that this book will become a classic for both beginning and intermediate magicians. Very little of the material is new and it won't make you the next David Blaine, but it does provide excellent handlings of classic tricks which require little or no set-up. The explanations and photos are clear and helpful.



2. This book not only contains great tricks but it also explains them in a way easily followed, with detailed color photographs and understandable text. Highly recommended!



3. This is easily one of the better books for beginners. Quite a few pictures and clear instructions make this a real winner. The author does a superb job of explaining how to present each illusion which in reality is far more important than the mechanics behind the trick. This is a nice change from many of the other magic books targeted at the novice. By the way, the tricks cover a wide range (e.g. cards, coins, mentalism) and are all of high quality.



4. The content is quite good, but the typeface is very small, about 6 point. If you have any eyesight problems at all, you will have problems reading this book.



5. There are some nice tricks.About 60 percent of the book are card tricks,which I thought were way to many.If you like doing card tricks and some illusion tricks using different objects this book is for you.Every trick is explained very well in detail.Most props that are used while performing magic tricks can be found around the house, but there are a couple of magic tricks you will need to purchace from any magic store which will cost no more than a couple of dollars.There was one trick that I recently performed that had everyone puzzled.It is wise to do a trick only once to a group.But this trick was so good that after doing it 5 times to the same group of people no one could guess how I did it.Just about everyone will ask you after performing a trick how the magic trick was done.The hard part is not telling them because they will keep asking.

5 comments about The Inquisition: An illustrated guide to the secretive protectors of the imperium (Warhammer 40,000 (Bradygames)).

1. Alot of regurgatation from easy to access sources but will provide some background for those harder to find or pay for.
   
   Lovely to have everything gathered in one book and is quite nicely displayed and illustrated.



2. If you're a hard core fan of the Inquisition this is the book for you. If you're less of a fan of the Inquisition and simple enjoy a well written and produced product, you'll enjoy this as well.



3. I cam to the Warhammer 40K universe through Dan Abnett's Ravenor and Eisenhorn trilogies, both of which feature Inquisitors. I've happily read other Warhammer novels. There seems to be something about the distopian universe Warhammer is in that inspires writers.
   
   I found the guide to be a lot of fun. The only problem is that more than half of the material comes from Abnett's novel. If you've read them, you already know half the entries in the guide. I had hoped for more new material.
   
   If you like Warhammer and haven't read Abnett's stuff, this will be rewarding. Then go read the books.



4. This is an encyclopedia, primarily of Abnett's Inquisition stories (Eisenhorn, Ravenor etc), not a guide to the Inquisition. I was expecting something more along the lines of the Sabatt crusade art + text book that Abnett had done. This doesn't even really feature any original artwork. This is a pretty bad miss on the part of the Black Library. If they were going to do an encyclopedia, at least they could have done a bit more to let you know what the sources of some the characters etc were. There is little here to help you fluff out your background for 40k armies, help you write your own 40k fan story, etc. I'm not sure what purpose this fills in my 40k library. Give this one a miss if your Black Library budget is limited.



5. They book was very detailed, but enless you have read just about "EVERY" book written about WARHAMMER 40.000, you will be a bit lost. I wish it had more illistrations.

5 comments about The Joy of Mathematics: Discovering Mathematics All Around You.

1. This book could have been good if the author had done a careful job of writing the text, and perhaps if the illustrations were original, and above all if the author had understood the material she was writing about. Sadly these are often not the case with this book.

   Rather, this book gives every sign of being essentially copied from bits of many dozens of other books. All the illustrations appear to be low-quality xerographic copies from other books (clearly used without any permissions).

   But worst of all, the book is chock full of misstatements, misconceptions, and sentences that don't convey any meaning.

   This book gives the non-expert reader the impression that he or she is learning something, but a great deal of the time this is just the illusion of learning.

   I will list a few of the errors and illusory learning that I can readily find:
   ________
   p. 6: The illustration of the cycloid curve should show it to be in a vertical direction where one arch meets another; instead it is at 45 degrees to the vertical.
   ________
   p. 7: It is stated that when marbles are released in a cycloid-shaped container, they will reach the bottom at the same time. This phenomenon occurs for a bowl whose cross-section is an *inverted* cycloid, but that is omitted.
   ________
   p. 13: Both the "impossible tribar" and "Hyzer's optical illusion" are NOT mathematically impossible, contrary to what is written. (They can be constructed in 3 dimensions.) Twistors are mentioned but not defined, even in a rough, metaphoric way -- just not at all.
   ________
   p. 18: It is mentioned that pi cannot be the solution of an algebraic equation with integral coefficients, but there is no discussion in the book of what such an equation is.
   __________
   p. 19: Also, it is stated that the probability of two randomly chosen integers' being relatively prime is 6/pi. Not only should the correct number be 6/(pi * pi), but the idea of randomly choosing an integer is left completely undiscussed, although there is no known way to do this.
   ________
   p. 38: The Platonic solids (aka regular polyhedra) are discussed here, but although they are defined twice, neither definition is correct. (The author neglects to mention that the faces of such a solid must be *regular* polygons.)
   ________
   p. 45: The Klein bottle is discussed and illustrated here, but there is no mention that a genuine Klein bottle cannot be constructed in ordinary 3-dimensional space. (The familiar model of a Klein bottle depicted here is a self-intersecting version of the real Klein bottle, which does not intersect itself. This is much like the fact that a picture of a knot drawn in the plane must appear as if the knot intersects itself, though it does not do so in space.)
   ________
   p. 46: The illustration at bottom purports to show what the model of the Klein bottle would look like if it were sliced in half. The halves are erroneously shown as identical, but they should be mirror images of each other.
   ________
   p. 78: The title of this page is "Fractals -- real or imaginary?"
   This is an entirely misguided question that will only confuse the reader. All mathematical concepts are real within mathematics, and do not exist (except as approximations) in the real world.

   It's a worthwhile topic in the philosophy of mathematics, and could well have been introduced in this book, but it has nothing whatsoever to do with fractals per se.
   ________
   p. 91: Here the author attempts to describe a model of hyperbolic geometry (in a circular disk) devised by Henri Poincaré. However, she gets it exactly backwards, saying that objects get smaller as they approach the boundary of the disk.
   (She may have been well-aware of how this model works, but her prose is at best completely ambiguous.)
   ________
   p. 96: Here it is stated that it has been proved that knots cannot exist in more than 3 dimensions. Apparently the author is unfamiliar with an extensive and thriving field of higher-dimensional knots. (For example, a sphere can be knotted in 4-dimensional space.)
   ________
   There are many, many more such gaffes, but I fear I have gone on too long. I just wanted to make it crystal-clear that this book is riddled with erroneous and vacuous statements.




2. Sorry to say but this book is a dud. While the concept of presenting interesting mathematical facts is great the presentation is so brief, so wrought with errors, and so incomplete that the work is not worth perusing.
   
   Some of the "chapters" have answers at the back of the book and some do not. It appears that the author could not make up her mind wether this was to be a "math tricks" book or a "popular mathematics" presentation substantiated by theory.
   
   There are many other excellent books that are more fulfilling. Journey Through Genius comes to mind.
   
   All in all a disappointing work.



3. The widely divergent reviews reflect a lack of understanding of the purpose of this book. It is meant to touch on many mathematical ideas, not to go into depth on any one idea. My son read this at age 8, then at 10, and again at 12 - getting something more out of it every time. Many of the ideas intrigued and inspired him to seek out more information on his own, to research and understand more deeply. For that purpose, it deserves the highest rating.
   
   I did not give 5 stars because there are some instances where I did find errors, these do not detract from the purpose of the book, but they are annoying to those of us who try to delve deeper. What I consistently found myself doing is researching from the internet and other print resources. But the idea originated from the overview in the book.
   
   Many recreational mathematics books are inaccessible to beginners or math phobes. This book allows you to sample many, many ideas without feeling overwhelmed by details you may not understand. If you want details, you go explore the world opened up by the book.



4. if the discoverable arithmetic of the everyday natural world interests you, try this; and then you may want to explore her other work along this line.



5. My appreciation for Theoni Pappas is enormous as for an observer and admirer of the world around her and mathematician. These factors cannot be separated, as at first you have to do more than just look around, but you have to have a beautiful mind of a child and be an intellectualist at the same time, not just to take things for granted, but as a child be curious and ask questions and finally as an intellectualist and mathematician find answers to them.
   Yet, there is more to it. It is so, as the author popularizes mathematics. She answers the basic questions about role of mathematics in our lives. Most people associate mathematics as calculating especially money, yet in mathematics the theory models or formula are created, and it occurs that they find application in our material world sometimes even centuries afterwards. Let us look at some examples in the book "The joy of mathematics": - earthquakes and logarithms- connection lies in the method to calculate earthquakes' magnitudes by means of Richter scale, which is logarithmic, - the catenary & the parabolic curves- who takes as an obvious phenomena- the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco- it looks gorgeous, but what it looks like is connected with construction equations, which contribute to the fundamental thing, that it really is invulnerable and cannot be destroyed by the mass itself, as well as additional natural forces. Even Galileo noticed the curve to be parabola, - Thales & the Great Pyramid- Egiptians' calculations of the height of a pyramid were based on shadows and similar triangles, -the Dome of Milan -Gothic plans incorporating the application of geometry and symmetry in architecture, and lots of stuff like that. If you like to notice more around you, astound your friends, you should read such books, as there is more beauty around you than what you just see.