Outstanding Lateral Thinking Puzzles

Book Description

The latest in the hugely popular series of think-out-of-the box brainteasers, including Classic Lateral Thinking Challenges and Colorful Lateral Thinking Puzzles. Here's how you play the game and figure out these perplexing puzzles: take one of the scenarios, and with the help of a friend who looks at the answer, pose a series of yes and no questions until, by a process of elimination and deduction, you arrive at the solution. If you get stuck--and everyone does from time to time--there are additional clues to push you along. Keep trying and you will reach that glorious "aha!" moment when everything becomes crystal clear. In no time at all you'll have sharpened your wits...and become an accomplished lateral thinker.

Customer Reviews:

Fabulous for thinking skills.......2007-01-04

I used this book with my learning disabled students in math class. It made them use their noggins, and they were actually competitive and enjoyed it.

Outstanding Lateral Thinking Puzzles.......2005-10-18

I have been keen on lateral puzzles for more decades than I care to admit to. This is a great sample of life situations where you need to twist your thinking a bit to arrive at the solution. It's no longer all about improbable circus acts and albatross pies!

I particularly liked The Shot That Saved. Speechless left me speechless. And I wonder how often The Plant is done??

Cunning Lateral Thinking Puzzles (Puzzle)

Average customer rating:

Weird thoughts
Embark on a Lateral Adventure

Cunning Lateral Thinking Puzzles (Puzzle)
Paul Sloane , and Des MacHale
Manufacturer: Sterling
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Logic & Brain Teasers | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Puzzles | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Outstanding Lateral Thinking Puzzles
Classic Lateral Thinking Challenges
The Everything Lateral Thinking Puzzles Book: Hundreds of Puzzles to Help You Think Outside the Box (Everything: Sports and Hobbies)
The Leader's Guide to Lateral Thinking Skills: Unlocking the Creativity and Innovation in You and Your Team
Test Your Creative Thinking: Enchance Your Lateral Thinking; Learn to Think Outside the Box (Times (Kogan Page))

ASIN: 1402732759

Book Description

Paul Sloane and Des MacHale—the wily puzzle masters who have written several lateral thinking collections—are back with more tear-your-hair-out challenges. And once again, the purpose of their devious conundrums is to force solvers to think outside of the box. Instead of jumping to obvious conclusions, players have to ask lots of questions, use their imagination, piece together the subtlest clues, and come at the problem from a variety of perspectives. Here’s how to do it: one person, who knows the solution, takes questions. The answers help narrow down the possible explanations—and the more logic, creativity, and sheer determination that go into the queries, the better the chance of success!

Customer Reviews:

Weird thoughts.......2007-04-01

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

Embark on a Lateral Adventure.......2006-10-03

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!

Average customer rating:

As good as the rest

Perplexing Lateral Thinking Puzzles
Paul Sloane , and Des MacHale
Manufacturer: Sterling
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Logic & Brain Teasers | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Puzzles | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Sports | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Sports Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

General | Sports | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Outstanding Lateral Thinking Puzzles
Cunning Lateral Thinking Puzzles (Puzzle)
Classic Lateral Thinking Challenges
So You Think You're Smart: 150 Fun and Challenging Brain Teasers
Brain Busters! Mind-Stretching Puzzles in Math and Logic

ASIN: 0806997672

Amazon.com

"Jim and Joe were fighting, so their mother punished them by making them stand on the same sheet of newspaper ... in such a way that neither boy could touch the other. How?" (The answer's in the last paragraph of this review.)

Scratching your head? Lateral thinking puzzles are designed to make you do just that--and wrack your brain for the solutions to these inventive little gems. While the book can be read alone, the puzzles are best when played as a game with a group of friends: one person reads the scenario aloud, and the others try to deduce the answer by asking "yes" or "no" questions. "Is it an exceptionally large sheet of newspaper?" (no), "can the boys see each other?" (no). And while most of the puzzles are fictional, some of the most confounding stumpers are taken from real life. (Can you guess why the buttons on men's clothes are on the right but women's are on the left?)

Perplexing Lateral Thinking Puzzles, Paul Sloane's seventh book in the series, is as fresh and clever as the first, and is perfect for anyone who enjoys solving mysteries as much as they enjoy reading them.

(Did you figure out that Jim and Joe are on either side of a closed door, with the newspaper slid underneath? Then get ready to take on more than 100 other mind-melters in this entertaining volume.) --Matthew Baldwin

Book Description

Normal situations veer off into the bizarre, confounding and surreal, and it's left to you to figure it out. Welcome to the world of perplexing lateral thinking puzzles. The puzzles are great fun to solve yourself, but they also make perfect party games providing hours of debate and discussion. 96 pages, 20 b/w illus., 5 3/8 x 8 1/4.

Customer Reviews:

As good as the rest.......1997-06-15

The latest book by Sloane (as of 6/15/97), it has some great puzzles and is just as good as all of his others. But be warned--these puzzles are really addicting! Fortunately, there are many books to purchase

Average customer rating:

Great, but be prepared to put in a few hours!
fantastic way to gauge your strengths and weaknesses
Best book i'd ever read

Workout For A Balanced Brain
Ken Russell , and Philip Carter
Manufacturer: Readers Digest
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Logic & Brain Teasers | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Puzzles | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Keep Your Brain Alive: 83 Neurobic Exercises
Exercises for the Whole Brain: Neuron-Builders to Stimulate and Entertain Your Visual, Math and Executive-Planning Skills (Brain Waves Books) (Brain Waves Books) (Brain Waves Books)
Brain Builders!: A Lifelong Guide to Sharper Thinking, Better Memory, and an Age-Proof Mind
Aerobics of the Mind Cards: 100 Exercises for a Healthy Brain
Building Mental Muscle: Conditioning Exercises for the Six Intelligence Zones (Brain Waves Books)

ASIN: 0762103310
Release Date: 2001-09-27

Book Description

A fun exercise regimen for the brain's weaker hemisphere-right or left. With quick-and-easy tests readers can discern how the brain works and where it needs improvement, and then build their own personalized brain workouts using exercises and puzzles to balance their brains.

Customer Reviews:

Great, but be prepared to put in a few hours!.......2005-04-06

This book is really good. It has explanations of the brain biases (left and right) and what they mean. Then it's divided into two sections - the first is full of tests to determine if you're left or right brained. The second is to help you strengthen the weaker side of your brain.

One downside is that to work out your brain hemisphere, you have to finish all of the puzzles - and there are quite a few. If you took the maximum allocated time for each puzzle, you could be there for over 9 hours looking for patterns and the like! Once you've finally finished these tests, you may not feel like doing more of the same in the second section of the book! But then, at least it's comprehensive and thorough. I thought it was really interesting.

fantastic way to gauge your strengths and weaknesses.......2004-08-24

This book is fantastic way to gauge your mental strengths and weaknesses. The puzzles give you a very good idea of which brain hemisphere you utilize more often, then gives you puzzles designed to stimulate (and strengthen?) the hemisphere opposite the one you favor in everyday life.

Best book i'd ever read.......2003-04-07

This book made me like, think and stuff. when i red it i was like "wow, this book is awesome! i think that you should buy it because it was relaly good and very much makes you think about stuff. 5 stars out of 5!

Tricky Mindtrap Puzzles: Challenge the Way You Think & See

Average customer rating:

Loved it!
Pleasurable mental stimulation
Great bargain

Tricky Mindtrap Puzzles: Challenge the Way You Think & See
Detective Shadow
Manufacturer: Sterling
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Logic & Brain Teasers | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Children's Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Utterly Ingenious Five Minute Mysteries (Five-Minute Mysteries)
Mind Trap Game Tin
Absolutely Amazing Five Minute Mysteries
Outstanding Lateral Thinking Puzzles
Even More Five-Minute Mysteries: 40 New Cases of Murder and Mayhem for You to Solve

ASIN: 0806944889

Book Description

Along with Lateral Mindtrap Puzzles, try some that are even tougher, because you've got to rely on your powers of observation, not just your talent for detecting verbal clues. Photos show close-ups of ordinary objects, and offer a tantalizing clue in words, often a taunting rhyme or quotation. The answers appear on another page, where you see the objects the way you usually look at them. Have you ever really looked at a single red-and-white spiral on a candy cane? Could you recognize a notch on the gear of a can opener? Or, a pair of kernels of corn? Of course you've seen them all before. They're so familiar, they're almost impossible to recognize! In addition, there are lots of trick questions: Is there a Fourth of July in Canada? Yes! It's the day after July 3!

Customer Reviews:

Loved it!.......2006-11-02

It was all the book described it would be, it was fun and tricky and even my employer bought one for her son!

Pleasurable mental stimulation.......2006-04-02

There are two types of puzzles in this book. On each page there is a close up photo of a common object with a short textual clue underneath. For example, on page 37 there is a photo of two batteries and the caption is "Cell mates." Most of the time these puzzles are easy to solve, but there were some that I just could not get. One in particular was a paper towel with the caption, "Dam the flow."
The other puzzles are textual and some are tricky, but easy to solve if you are careful. For example, there is the question regarding what historical event occurred on November 31, 1793. Of course, with 30 days in November, there was no such day. My favorites were the garbled nursery rhymes. I found them easy to decipher, but I admired the cleverness that went into creating them.
This is an enjoyable collection of puzzles, they provided me with a great deal of relaxing mental stimulation, which is always a pleasure.

Great bargain.......2001-02-21

For its price I definitely recommend all the puzzle lovers out there to get it. It's got some tantalizing, original puzzles in it, like they'll show you a close-up of an object and ask you to identify it. This is much harder than you think, but very entertaining. The "nursery rhyme" puzzles are truly one of its kind. They paraphrase a nursery rhyme into a mad-scientist's language and ask you to identify the jumbled nursery rhyme. Too bad there're only four such puzzles in it... And then there's also the silly "does canada have a july 4th" type of puzzles. This brings down the score, but really this puzzle book is as original as well as fun as one could possibly hope for.

Average customer rating:

Challenging But Flawed
Don't take this book too laterally ;-)
Too vague to be useful
Good Intro to Lateral Thinking Puzzles
great for car trips and party games

Challenging Lateral Thinking Puzzles
Paul Sloane , and Des MacHale
Manufacturer: Sterling
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Logic & Brain Teasers | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Puzzles | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Outstanding Lateral Thinking Puzzles
Classic Lateral Thinking Challenges
Cunning Lateral Thinking Puzzles (Puzzle)
So You Think You're Smart: 150 Fun and Challenging Brain Teasers

ASIN: 0806986719

Book Description

Lateral thinking is the key to solving these tantalizing puzzles. Packed with hundreds of brain teasers and mathematical problems, the book will test kids' powers of logic, and patience! "The logic, reasoning, and calculating required by the problems...will delight and torment puzzle fans."--Booklist. "Ninety-one `how come' mysteries....We never get enough of these."--Games.

Customer Reviews:

Challenging But Flawed.......2007-03-19

"Challenging Lateral Thinking Puzzles" by Paul Sloane and Des MacHale is a book of puzzles that challenges readers to not take the puzzles at face value, but approach the problems from the side, coming up with a unique answer. There are four different types of puzzles: Easy, Moderate, Difficult, and Fiendish. Following the puzzles is a clue section, which mostly consists of several questions that can be answered "yes" or "no", although a few of the clues consist of a further explanation of the puzzle, with no questions. After the clue section is the answer section with a detailed explanation of each puzzle. There are also two WALLY (World Association for Laughter, Learning, and Youth) Tests. One is easy, the other is advanced. The authors put a four minute time limit on these tests, which are more like riddles than the lateral thinking puzzles. There is no clue section for the WALLY tests.

"Challenging Lateral Thinking Puzzles" is indeed a challenging book. It's best used with a group of people with people taking turns asking the questions while others guess the answers. The easy puzzles are, for the most part, very easy. Some of them, like "The Nephew" are in fact too easy, while "Your Turn to Drive" is also easy but pushes the lateral thinking concept. However, several of the puzzles are great examples of lateral thinking, namely "Father and Son" and "Another Man in an Elevator" which has a nice twist on a classical lateral thinking puzzle. The puzzle "Wondrous Walk" is very easy but made me smile. While a couple of the puzzles in the Moderate Section are pretty easy, especially "Flat Tire I" and "Flat Tire II", a couple of them are good examples of lateral thinking especially "Saturday Flights" and "The Hold-Up". Some puzzles are too hard and need more clues, especially "Death in a Car". The Difficult Section is indeed difficult, but not in a good way. One of the puzzles, "The Protagoras Paradox" has no real answer and shouldn't have been included in the book. "The Missing Furniture" puzzle is implausible and the puzzle "Found, Lost, Found" needs more information. The Fiendish Section contains some good lateral thinking puzzles such as "The Deadly Shot", "The Cellar Door" and "Flat Out". The WALLY puzzles are more riddles than puzzles and are pretty easy with answers that will make you groan.

"Challenging Lateral Puzzles" has a few things I didn't like. The puzzles do not list what pages the clues and answers are on, so there's a lot of flipping back and forth between pages. Some of the clues aren't that helpful and some, like the last clue for "The Apple Problem" and "The Amazing Fall" are badly worded and don't help solve the puzzle. And one of the answers to the clues for "Cuddly Bears" is missing which is frustrating.

"Challenging Lateral Puzzles" is a fun but flawed puzzle book.

Don't take this book too laterally ;-).......2003-06-03

I got this book, along with 3 other Sloane & MacHale lateral thinking puzzle books for Christmas one year. At first it seemed like a sorry excuse for a gift, but as I read this one first, I found that it was a challenging endeavor of the mind. Lateral thinking, it seems, is taking a situation and finding a solution that is not the most obvious, but usually the most logical. That said, this is challenging to say the least. A good book for people who enjoy mind games.

Too vague to be useful.......2002-03-12

I would say that only about 15 percent of this book has material that is really useful as lateral-thinking exercises. The rest of it is too vague to be of much use. Useful questions should be specific enough to narrow down a solution by exercising the various methods of lateral thinking. For example, you should be able to come up with a specific solution by considering ways in which your assumptions affect how you understand the question. This book has too many "why did the chicken cross the road?" questions that require you to be psychic in order to get anywhere near the solution or require you to pull some obscure fact out of the clear blue sky.

Good Intro to Lateral Thinking Puzzles.......2001-05-03

I picked up this book after completing "Archimedes Bathtub; the Art and Logic of Breakthrough Thinking" by David Perkins. The book expounded on the benefits of this genre of mind puzzle, and I wanted to check out some of them for myself. I was a bit disappointed in what I found for several reasons; the puzzles were identical to the most common puzzles I had come across (including "There's a man coming home"); many of the same puzzles can be found on any of the multiple lateral thinking websites; and finally many of them were so laden with historical knowledge that the problem was more a test of trivia knowledge than what could be considered a true lateral thinking puzzle.

That being said, the book was well put together with good hints and final answers located far enough from the answer so as to prevent haphazard skipping ahead to answers. Some of the puzzles were quite ingenious, and there were two review 'tests' which allowed you to monitor your progress. It is very clear that the author had spent some time with the puzzles, and the illustrations, while corny, did help to break up what would otherwise be a very short book. While the book was somewhat disappointing in the aforementioned areas, it did succeed in its most basic claim, and for that reason I would recommend it to anyone looking to learn a little bit more about the subject, as I imagine the book to be as good as any available (who knows, I may yet read a second).

If you are already well-versed in lateral thinking puzzles, this might not be the book for you. If you are looking to find out more about them, this is probably as good a place to start as any.

great for car trips and party games.......2000-11-21

I gave this book to my son about a year ago. It has provided hours of fun and good growth in logic. Our whole family has gotten smarter I think by doing these brain teasers.

Average customer rating:

Classic Lateral Thinking Puzzles
Edward J. Harshman , Des MacHale , and Paul Sloane
Manufacturer: Main Street
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Humor, Comics & Pop Culture | Bargain Books | Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Logic & Brain Teasers | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Puzzles | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Outstanding Lateral Thinking Puzzles
Cunning Lateral Thinking Puzzles (Puzzle)
Classic Brain Teasers
Test Your Creative Thinking: Enchance Your Lateral Thinking; Learn to Think Outside the Box (Times (Kogan Page))
So You Think You're Smart: 150 Fun and Challenging Brain Teasers

ASIN: 1402710623

Book Description

A man writes the same number, and nothing else, on 20 sheets of paper. Why? To figure this out--and hundreds of other mind-bending lateral puzzles, too--you'll have to really fire up your brain and imagination. At first, it may not seem as if there's enough information to come up with a solution. But look more closely; there's always more than meets the eye. Check your assumptions, ask good questions, retune your mind, separate the facts from the red herrings, and the answers will come.

Average customer rating:

Awesome Thinking Puzzles

Tricky Lateral Thinking Puzzles
Paul Sloane , and Des MacHale
Manufacturer: Sterling
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Logic & Brain Teasers | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Puzzles | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Outstanding Lateral Thinking Puzzles
Cunning Lateral Thinking Puzzles (Puzzle)
Classic Lateral Thinking Challenges
The Leader's Guide to Lateral Thinking Skills: Unlocking the Creativity and Innovation in You and Your Team
Utterly Ingenious Five Minute Mysteries (Five-Minute Mysteries)

ASIN: 0806912480

Book Description

"A man writes the same number, and nothing else, on 20 sheets of paper. Why?" "A man went around the world in a ship. Yet he was always in sight of land. How come?" These are examples of lateral thinking puzzles. You're given a statement about a situation that you have to use as a starting point to arrive at a particular explanation or solution. Often there can be many possible scenarios to explain the puzzle, but the challenge is that you have to find the "right" answer. Typically the puzzles contain insufficient information for you to immediately figure out the solution (clues are provided). When you get stuck, attack the problem from a new direction--think laterally! Not only are these puzzles fun, they also help to develop skills in questioning, deduction, logic, and, of course, lateral thinking. Answers: It's January and he is writing the date of the year on all the checks in his checkbook to avoid putting last year's date by mistake; He was an astronaut in a space ship. 96 pages, 25 b/w illus., 5 3/8 x 8 1/4.

Customer Reviews:

Awesome Thinking Puzzles.......2006-05-23

I'm in fifth grade, and my principle Dr. Lehner came into the classroom and shared some of the puzzles from this book. I loved them! Some of them got me really stumped. You see, I'm a person who loves a good challenge. If you're like me and you want a great book of mind benders, I'd consider this book!!

Lateral Mindtrap Puzzles: Challenge the Way You Think & See

Average customer rating:

Lateral Mindtrap Puzzles: Challenge the Way You Think & See
Detective Shadow
Manufacturer: Sterling
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Logic & Brain Teasers | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Utterly Ingenious Five Minute Mysteries (Five-Minute Mysteries)
Absolutely Amazing Five Minute Mysteries
Outstanding Lateral Thinking Puzzles
Art Fraud Detective: Spot the Difference, Solve the Crime!
So You Think You're Smart: 150 Fun and Challenging Brain Teasers

ASIN: 0806971355

Book Description

Catch crooks, expose con artists, and trap liars! Solve mysteries, explain conundrums, and match wits with evil geniuses! All it takes is paying strict attention to every word of the MindTrap story. It's harder than it looks, because most people picture the stories in their minds, and usually imagine something that isn't there, or overlook a crucial detail. But you can defy the odds. Trap the auctioneer who's trying to sell an old letter addressed to Queen Elizabeth I. How? Because you know she wasn't called "the first" until centuries later when there was a second Queen Elizabeth. Or capture the thief whose victims were dying just before they deposited their paychecks at the bank-just figure out that the killer had poisoned the glue on the bank deposit envelopes. Warning: the pictures that accompany each story may be hazardous to your puzzle-solving skills.

Average customer rating:

There's always an answer
Delightful brain challenger
Lots of oldies, but still a good collection
I just love lateral thinking
A great Challenge

Sit & Solve - Lateral Thinking Puzzles
Paul Sloane , Des MacHale , and Paul Sloane
Manufacturer: Sterling
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Logic & Brain Teasers | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Puzzles | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0806957050

Book Description

Books for the smallest room in the house...
That generate BIG sales

It's clear--people everywhere are sitting and solving! That's why more than 110,000 copies of this amazing series have nearly jumped out of stores. With their amusing shape, great content, and popular price, these compilations are a must-have on every puzzler's shelf. And the quality of the problems, games, and trickery is absolutely superb and fabulously diverse. Go for great word searches, stimulating criss-cross puzzles, brilliant brainteasers; cunning logic games, cannily challenging IQ Tests, mysterious mathamatricks, and lots more.

Customer Reviews:

There's always an answer.......2004-01-30

This is a brilliant little book that can be used for party games or just to while away the time if you enjoy puzzles. It has something for everyone and apart from the entertainment value I have also found some of the puzzles to be quite educational. What is most fascinating is that although many of the puzzles seem to be impossible to solve there is always an answer. A little gem and an ideal fun gift.

Delightful brain challenger.......2004-01-20

If you are a fan of lateral thinking puzzles, this is a wonderful book you can take anywhere to tantalize your brain.
Lots of fun to try to solve these intriguing challengers! Be a logic detective to come up with a solution. A true delight for fans of all ages who love lateral thinking puzzles!

Lots of oldies, but still a good collection.......2003-12-23

This is a collection of puzzles designed to be solved quickly using only thought. While it is true that for some it may help to construct a diagram or write options down, for most the answer is just a matter of using the right approach. Most of the puzzles are not new, I recognized over fifty percent as having appeared elsewhere. Examples of such puzzles are:

1) If you are in a boat and throw something overboard which immediately sinks, does the boat rise or fall?
2) When in the last 200 years has there been a year that reads the same upside down?
3) A woman has five children and half of them are boys. How is this possible?
4) There are several problems where matches are to be moved.
5) The problem of a three-cornered duel where the odds of each hitting their target are different and the poorest shot shoots first.
6) How to arrange five circular coins so that they all touch each other.
7) If everybody in a family always votes Republican, then how come one person did not last election?

Nevertheless, I read through it with interest, even when I was only checking my memory rather than my wits. Solutions to all puzzles are in the back and there are some real sneaky ones. It is a good book for the beginning puzzle solver, although veterans may not be impressed.

Published in the recreational mathematics e-mail newsletter, reprinted with permission.

I just love lateral thinking.......2000-06-24

One day my Language Arts teacher said that we would try something fun today. Yeah right I thought, but he read us some lateral thinking puzzles, and I just loved trying to figure them out. I bought this book and read every one, some were hard, and some I could figure out after thinking for about 5 minutes. It is a perfect thing for boredom, and is just fun and interesting. A man was born before his father, killed his mother, and married his sister, and was perfectly normal. What was going on?

A great Challenge.......2000-06-20

This book is a very big challenge. It is great for rainy days, summer, vacations, trips & etc.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books