Undiluted Hocus-Pocus: The Autobiography of Martin Gardner
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.16 (947 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0691169691 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 288 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2015-12-01 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Martin Gardner wrote the Mathematical Games column for Scientific American for twenty-five years and published more than seventy books on topics as diverse as magic, religion, and Alice in Wonderland. Gardner's illuminating autobiography is a candid self-portrait by the man evolutionary theorist Stephen Jay Gould called our "single brightest beacon" for the defense of rationality and good science against mysticism and anti-intellectualism.Gardner takes readers from his childhood in Oklahoma to his varied and wide-ranging professional pursuits. He shares colorful anecdotes about the many fascinating people he met and mentored, and voices strong opinions on the subjects that matter to him most, from his love of mathematics to his uncompromising stance against pseudoscience. For Ga
Daniel Atlan said Great book. I have been a Gardner since1967. This is the perfect book to get to know Martin Gardner.. Somewhat disorganized bits and pieces about a fascinating guy Lawrence S. Lerner I've been a Gardner fan since reading his Fads And Fallacies more than 50 years ago. This book seems to be a garnering of bits and pieces he left lying around when he died at a ripe old age, laden with honor. They were assembled by his friends (especially, I think, Persi Diaconis) as a final tribute. The resulting book contains a hodgepodge of information - not always in logical order - that is interesting to anyone . "Extremely disappointing" according to Bob Orr. I found this book extremely disappointing. I have been a fan of Gardiner since I first started reading Mathematical Games in the Scientific American about forty years ago. I have read and own most of the books he wrote, and I found each and every one of them fascinating and amusing. The present book looks as if it has been assembled posthumously from various fragments. It is repetitive and rambling. The final chapter
Gardner's passion for writing and his warmth and humour shine forth on every page of this book, making it a memoir of a great human being."--David Singmaster, Nature"The style is that of a memoir, conversationally phrased, and not afraid to be sidetracked occasionally by an amusing aside. This is a book no one who ever heard his name would want to miss."--Cut the Knot Insights blog"I only wish his autobiography was twice as long, for I never tire of reading him and feeling enriched. Details of his life and
Martin Gardner (1914-2010) was an acclaimed popular mathematics and science writer. His numerous books include The Annotated Alice, When You Were a Tadpole and I Was a Fish, and Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science.