Basic Dictionary of Puzzles and Games

Puzzles and games are found across the world and across time. They are both part of intellectual and recreational culture. From riddles and anagrams to Sudoku and complex logical deductions they constitute a veritable compendium of human ingenuity and imagination. Many classic puzzles are at the core of discoveries in logic, mathematics, and psychology. Some of the greatest creative minds of history have composed puzzles, including Lewis Carroll, Voltaire, Benjamin Franklin, and Stephen Sondheim. This dictionary is a compilation of puzzles and games, from antiquity to the present day. Each entry is explained in simple language and illustrated concretely. Interconnections among the puzzles (through cross-reference) and their implications to human history are also included in the entries. The dictionary thus covers puzzles and games in every domain of human sapience, from language and logic to visual illusions, rebuses, and mathematical conundrums. It is intended for puzzle lovers and scholars of history alike.

Marcel Danesi is Professor of Anthropology and Semiotics at the University of Toronto. He has published numerous books on puzzles and games and has written puzzles for periodicals such as "Reader's Digest," "Prevention Magazine," and "Psychology Today." He also directs a centre within the Fields Institute for Research in Mathematics where he conducted research on puzzles of all kinds. He is also editor-in-chief of "Semiotica" and of various book series.