Puzzle History

A blend of Jared Diamond’s Guns, Germs, and Steel and Simon Winchester’s Pacific, a thrilling intellectual detective story that looks deep into the past to uncover who first settled the islands of the remote Pacific, where they came from, how they got there, and how we know. For more than a...

The explosive Robert Langdon thriller from Dan Brown, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Da Vinci Code, The Lost Symbol, Inferno, and The Secret of Secrets. An ancient secret brotherhood. A devastating new weapon of destruction. An unthinkable target. When world-renowned Harvard...

From the Great Pyramid to the Tunguska Explosion, from Atlantis to Area 51—100 enigmas that still defy explanation. What did the builders of Stonehenge know that we've forgotten? Why were the Nazca Lines drawn on a scale only visible from the sky? How did ancient civilizations cut, transport, and place stones so massive and precise that modern engineers struggle to replicate the feat? The Little Black Book of Ancient Mysteries is a guided tour through 100 of history's most enduring puzzles—monuments whose construction defies conventional explanation, manuscripts no one can read, ...

“Watson, there is not a moment to lose. If you care to join the chase, pack your bag at once!” Likewise, enthusiasts of the greatest detective will not want to miss this opportunity to join Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson in a whirlwind of exciting new adventures… A daring thief penetrates the defenses of the Tower of London in search of a secret treasure. A profligate young actor is accused of murdering his exemplary sibling. From the safe of a prominent London banker, a priceless heirloom is stolen. Upon a high cliff, a ghostly assassin commits an impossible murder. A kingpin of ...

The New York Times bestselling author of The Year of Living Biblically goes on a rollicking journey to understand the enduring power of puzzles: why we love them, what they do to our brains, and how they can improve our world. What makes puzzles—jigsaws, mazes, riddles, sudokus—so satisfying?...

History hides its most dangerous secrets in Bloomsville… When a Revolutionary War painting vanishes, a chilling legend resurfaces, and an explosive newspaper investigation threatens to expose the town’s deepest scandals, amateur sleuth Grace Thompson and her friends find themselves in the center of Bloomsville’s biggest mysteries yet. This exclusive box set includes three full-length cozy mysteries filled with small-town charm, clever twists, spirited sleuths, and the cutest four-legged detectives around. Join Grace, Chloe, Tom, Oscar, Matilda, and Benji as they uncover buried truths...

Prepare to Have Your Mind Blown: The Ultimate Collection of 750 Fascinating Facts for Curious Minds. Did you know wombats poop in cubes? That the Moon smells like gunpowder? That ancient Romans used urine as mouthwash? Or about the green children who mysteriously appeared in 13th-century England? Most fact books are disappointing — written for toddlers or just dry lists without context. You read a fact and forget it. Fascinating Facts About Everything is different. It is a deep-dive into the weirdest, wildest true stories from the universe.

Who wore the first pants? Who painted the first masterpiece? Who first rode the horse? Who invented soap? This madcap adventure across ancient history uses everything from modern genetics to archaeology to uncover the geniuses behind these and other world-changing innovations. Who invented the...

A surprising, charming, and ever-fascinating history of the seemingly simple game that has had a profound effect on societies the world over. Why has one game, alone among the thousands of games invented and played throughout human history, not only survived but thrived within every culture it...

A rich, multifaceted history of affirmative action from the Civil Rights Act of 1866 through today’s tumultuous times From acclaimed legal historian, author of a biography of Louis Brandeis (“Remarkable” —Anthony Lewis, The New York Review of Books, “Definitive”—Jeffrey Rosen...

Featuring a wealth of sample puzzles ranging from simple to extremely challenging, this lively and engaging book brings together many of the most ingenious puzzles ever devised, including the "Hardest Logic Puzzle Ever", metapuzzles, paradoxes, and the logic puzzles in detective stories. 

One Aztec Secret. One Rogue Programmer. One Chance to Save the World. Cryptographer Nicholas Foxe is looking forward to a quiet getaway with his new wife, Nina, in the red rock canyons of Sedona. Still adjusting to married life and the pressure of academic deadlines, Nick welcomes a break—but unease sets in when a mysterious note warns them not to trust anyone. When a fellow guest at their resort vanishes and whispers of a Y2K catastrophe begin to surface, Nick and Nina are pulled into a global conspiracy tied to a forgotten Aztec code. As the clock ticks toward midnight on December 31, ...

The explosive Robert Langdon thriller from Dan Brown, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Da Vinci Code, The Lost Symbol, Inferno, and The Secret of Secrets. An ancient secret brotherhood. A devastating new weapon of destruction. An unthinkable target. When world-renowned Harvard...

How well do you really know America’s Team? From legendary Super Bowl moments to forgotten heroes, heartbreaking losses to unforgettable victories, the Dallas Cowboys are more than a football team—they’re a tradition, a legacy, and a passion passed down through generations. Ultimate Dallas Cowboys Trivia Challenge puts your fandom to the test with hundreds of carefully crafted questions designed to challenge, entertain, and surprise even the most devoted Cowboys supporters. This book goes far beyond basic trivia. It dives deep into the history, culture, and moments that define the ...

An entertaining and eye-opening look at the history of the crossword, who constructs them, and why crosswords matter as both a reflection of and influence on our culture From Wordle to Spelling Bee, we live in a time of word game mania. Crosswords in particular gained renewed popularity during...

Combining the soul-baring confessional of Brain on Fire and the addictive storytelling of The Queen’s Gambit, a renowned puzzle creator’s compulsively readable memoir and history of the crossword puzzle as an unexpected site of women’s work and feminist protest. The indisputable “queen...

Learn about African American Inventors & Scientists who shaped the world like Benjamin Banneker, Elijah McCoy, Madam C.J. Walker and many more. Readers ages 8-11 can find short, easy-to-read biographies with illustrations. A timeline of events and a glossary to help deepen a child's vocabulary and comprehension are included in the back of the book. NOTE: This ebook is the companion guide to the African American Inventors and Scientists Activity Book. Links to download FREE printable puzzles are included inside.

Newbery Medalist and New York Times bestselling author Lois Lowry transports readers to an Iron Age world through the suspenseful dual narrative of a boy and girl both battling to survive. In an utterly one-of-a-kind blend of fiction and history, a master storyteller explores the mystery and...

“A Da Vinci Code–style thriller for teens? Yes please.”—TeenVogue.com Two weeks. That’s how long it took for Avery West’s ordinary life to change forever. In two weeks, she discovered she was heiress to a powerful secret society known as the Circle, learned her mother was taken...

What does it take to radically alter the course of someone’s life? In the case of Emad Almasry, an archeologist with the Egyptian Ministry for Antiquities, it took a clay jar. Its discovery, under Egypt’s oldest mosque, set in motion a series of events that threatened the very existence of Egypt’s Coptic community. Emad very quickly learns that the only way he could keep the hammer blow from falling was to dig deep into the origins of Islam. Will he be able to force the past to yield its secrets? Would he have the courage to follow the evidence wherever it leads? What happens when ...