Puzzle History

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.

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.

The Story of the Earth in 25 Rocks tells the fascinating stories behind the discoveries that shook the foundations of geology. In 25 chapters, Donald R. Prothero recounts the scientific detective work that shaped our understanding of geology, from the unearthing of exemplary specimens to tectonic shifts in how we view the inner workings of our planet.

In this remarkable tour de force of investigative reporting, James Bamford exposes the inner workings of America's largest, most secretive, and arguably most intrusive intelligence agency. The NSA has long eluded public scrutiny, but The Puzzle Palace penetrates its vast network of power and unmasks the people who control it, often with shocking disregard for the law.

Newbery Medalist and New York Times bestselling author Lois Lowry transports listeners 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 life of the 2,000-year-old Windeby bog body.

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 ...

In his first book since the best-selling Fermat's Enigma, Simon Singh offers the first sweeping history of encryption, tracing its evolution and revealing the dramatic effects codes have had on wars, nations, and individual lives. From Mary, Queen of Scots, trapped by her own code, to the Navajo Code Talkers who helped the Allies win World War II, to the incredible (and incredibly simple) logistical breakthrough that made internet commerce secure, The Code Book tells the story of the most powerful intellectual weapon ever known: secrecy.

The second half of the 20th century witnessed a scientific gold rush as physicists raced to chart the inner workings of the atom. The stakes were high, the questions were big, and there were Nobel Prizes and everlasting glory to be won. Many mysteries of the atom came unraveled, but one remained intractable-what Frank Close calls the "Infinity Puzzle."

Create a professional book cover for an Amazon Digital book called ‘Coding Conundrms - The Definitive History of the Computer Puzzle’ by Jothi Low. Here is the blurb from the book to give you an idea of what it is about. Remember the satisfaction of solving your first computer puzzle? That moment when the pieces clicked together, when logic triumphed, and the screen celebrated your victory? A Journey Through Time Coding Conundrums - The Definitive History of Computer Puzzles takes you back to where it all began—those monochrome screens with simple text adventures and rudimentary logic...

In What Matters in Jane Austen?, John Mullan shows that we can best appreciate Austen's brilliance by looking at the intriguing quirks and intricacies of her fiction. Asking and answering some very specific questions about what goes on in her novels, he reveals the inner workings of their greatness. In 20 short chapters, each of which explores a question prompted by Austen’s novels, Mullan illuminates the themes that matter most in her beloved fiction.

From acclaimed legal historian, author of a biography of Louis Brandeis and Dissent and the Supreme Court a history of affirmative action from its beginning with the Civil Rights Act of 1866 to the first use of the term in 1935 with the enactment of the National Labor Relations Act (the Wagner Act) to 1961 and John F. Kennedy’s Executive Order 10925, mandating that federal contractors take "affirmative action" to ensure that there be no discrimination by "race, creed, color, or national origin" down to today’s American society.

This time Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook bring you an alphabetical miscellany, taking on some of history’s best and most bizarre moments. Charge forth against the traitors of the American Revolution, journey through Baghdad to discover the origins of the Arabian Nights and head to Sicily to witness the first face-off between Carthage and Rome.

The indisputable “queen of crosswords,” Anna Shechtman published her first New York Times puzzle at age nineteen, and later, spearheaded the The New Yorker’s popular crossword section. Working with a medium often criticized as exclusionary, elitist, and out-of-touch, Anna is one of very few women in the field of puzzle making, where she strives to make the everyday diversion more diverse.

Erno Rubik was a child when he first became obsessed with puzzles of all kinds. "Puzzles", he writes, "bring out important qualities in each of us: concentration, curiosity, a sense of play, the eagerness to discover a solution". To Rubik, puzzles aren't just games - they're creativity machines. He encourages us to embrace our inner curiosity and find the puzzles that surround us in our everyday lives. "If you are determined, you will solve them", he writes. Rubik's own puzzle, the Cube, has been solved by millions worldwide for more than 40 years....

Behavioral economist Dan Ariely revolutionized the way we think about ourselves, our minds, and our actions in his books Predictably Irrational, The Upside of Irrationality, and The Honest Truth About Dishonesty. Ariely applies this scientific analysis of the human condition in his "Ask Ariely" Q and A column in the Wall Street Journal, in which he responds to readers who write in with personal conundrums ranging from the serious to the curious.

An excellent overview of Christianity, suitable for students (and teachers!) embarking on the new GCSE and A-Level Religious Studies specifications. Written in the same clear and engaging style as the best-selling Puzzle of Ethics and Puzzle of God, this book covers key content common to all the new specifications.

This audiobook contains a broad overview of time travel in science fiction, along with a detailed examination of the philosophical implications of time travel. The emphasis of this book is now on the philosophical and on science fiction, rather than on physics, as in the author’s earlier books on the subject. In that spirit there are, for example, no tech notes filled with algebra, integrals, and differential equations, as there are in the first and second editions of Time Machines.

There is so much legend surrounding the Templars that it has become difficult to separate pure myths from history. This book will help you do just that. In 12 chapters, you will discover who these soldiers of Christ really were, why they were fighting, and how they came to be so rich and powerful. You will explore how and where they lived and their legacy. And finally, you will discover what happened after they disappeared, what their connection is to Freemasonry, and whether modern Templars walk among us. With 300 questions, this book will entertain you for hours and hours.

Did you know that the world's largest snowflake on record measured 15 inches wide and 8 inches thick? Are you curious about our world's inexplicable mysteries, fascinating history, and captivating facts? Grab this opportunity to nurture your curiosity and entertain with amazing and unbelievable but true facts!

In Cubed Rubik covers more than just his journey to inventing his eponymous cube. He makes a case for always being an amateur (which he considers himself). He discusses the inevitability of problems during any act of invention. He reveals what it was like to experience the astonishing worldwide success of an object he made purely for his own amusement. And he offers what he thinks it means to be a true creator (hint: persistence). Steeped in the wisdom and also the humility of a born inventor, Cubed offers a unique look at the imperfect science of creation.