Martin Gardner

Martin Gardner (born October 21, 1914) is an American recreational mathematician and author of the long-running but now discontinued 'Mathematical Games' column in Scientific American.

Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Martin Gardner more or less singlehandedly sustained and nurtured interest in recreational mathematics for most of the 20th century. He is also interested in magic and the skeptical movement associated with James Randi. He lives in Norman, Oklahoma.

Occasional conferences of people sharing his interests, known as the Gatherings for Gardner, are held in his honour. The first was held in 1993.

In his column, he introduced many subjects to a wider audience, including:-

Flexagons
John Conway's Game of Life
Polyominoes
The Soma cube
The board game "Nash", also called "Hex" and sometimes called "John", independently created by Piet Hein and John Forbes Nash
Tangrams
Penrose tiling
cryptoanalysis/trapdoor ciphers
many others... please add them here...

He is the author of more than 65 books.

There is an asteroid named in honor of Martin Gardner (2587) Gardner.

Table of contents

1 Selected works

1.1 Books
1.2 Collections of columns from Scientific American magazine

2 See also
3 External links

Selected works

Books

Mathematical Games
The Colossal Book of Mathematics: Classic Puzzles, Paradoxes, and Problems (2001; W.W. Norton & Company; ISBN 0393020231)
The Ambidextrous Universe: Mirror Asymmetry and Time-Reversed Worlds
The Annotated Alice

Collections of columns from Scientific American magazine

Mathematical Puzzles and Diversions (1959; Pelican, UK ISBN 0140207139)
More Mathematical Puzzles and Diversions (1961; Pelican, UK ISBN 0140207481)
Further Mathematical Diversions (1969; Pelican, UK ISBN 014021996X)
Mathematical Carnival (1975; Pelican, UK ISBN 0140220410)
Mathematical Circus (1979; Pelican, UK ISBN 014022355X)
Penrose Tiles to Trapdoor Ciphers (1989; W. H. Freeman & Co.)
The Last Recreations around 1996??
many others... please add them here...