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The puzzler : one man's quest to solve the most baffling puzzles ever, from crosswords to jigsaws to the meaning of life  Cover Image Large Print Book Large Print Book

The puzzler : one man's quest to solve the most baffling puzzles ever, from crosswords to jigsaws to the meaning of life / A.J. Jacobs with puzzles by Greg Pliska.

Summary:
"Even though I've never attempted the New York Times crossword puzzle or solved the Rubik's Cube, I couldn't put down The Puzzler."--Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project and Better Than Before. What makes puzzles--jigsaws, mazes, riddles, sudokus--so satisfying? Be it the formation of new cerebral pathways, their close link to insight and humor, or their community-building properties, they're among the fundamental elements that make us human. Convinced that puzzles have made him a better person, A.J. Jacobs--four-time New York Times bestselling author, master of immersion journalism, and nightly crossworder--set out to determine their myriad benefits. And maybe, in the process, solve the puzzle of our very existence. Well, almost. In The Puzzler, Jacobs meets the most zealous devotees, enters (sometimes with his family in tow) any puzzle competition that will have him, unpacks the history of the most popular puzzles, and aims to solve the most impossible head-scratchers, from a mutant Rubik's Cube, to the hardest corn maze in America, to the most sadistic jigsaw. Chock-full of unforgettable adventures and original examples from around the world--including new work by Greg Pliska, one of America's top puzzle-makers, and a hidden, super-challenging but solvable puzzle that will earn the first reader to crack it a $10,000 prize*--The Puzzler will open readers' eyes to the power of flexible thinking and concentration. Whether you're puzzle obsessed or puzzle hesitant, you'll walk away with real problem-solving strategies and pathways toward becoming a better thinker and decision maker--for these are certainly puzzling times"-- Provided by publisher.

Record details

  • ISBN: 9798885783231
  • Physical Description: 599 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm.
  • Edition: Large print edition.
  • Publisher: Waterville, ME : Thorndike Press, a part of Gale, a Cengage Company, 2022.

Content descriptions

Formatted Contents Note:
Introduction -- Crosswords -- The puzzles of puzzles -- The Rubik's cube -- Anagrams -- Rebuses -- Jigsaws -- Mazes -- Math and logic puzzles -- Ciphers and secret codes -- Visual puzzles -- Sudoku and KenKen -- Chess puzzles (Chess problems) -- Riddles -- Japanese puzzle boxes -- Controversial puzzles -- Cryptics -- Scavenger hunts and puzzle hunts -- Infinite puzzles -- The Puzzler contest -- An original Puzzler Hunt by Greg Plasik -- Solutions.
Subject: Puzzles.
Cognition.
Thought and thinking.

Available copies

  • 2 of 2 copies available at SPARK Libraries.

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 2 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Albright Memorial Library LARGE TYPE 793.73 JACOBS (Text) 50686016276086 Adult Nonfiction Available -
Green Free Library (Wellsboro) LP 793.73 JAC (Text) 91083257 GFWM Main Room Available -

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1001 . ‡aJacobs, A. J., ‡d1968- ‡eauthor.
24514. ‡aThe puzzler : ‡bone man's quest to solve the most baffling puzzles ever, from crosswords to jigsaws to the meaning of life / ‡cA.J. Jacobs with puzzles by Greg Pliska.
250 . ‡aLarge print edition.
264 1. ‡aWaterville, ME : ‡bThorndike Press, a part of Gale, a Cengage Company, ‡c2022.
300 . ‡a599 pages : ‡billustrations ; ‡c23 cm.
336 . ‡atext ‡btxt ‡2rdacontent
337 . ‡aunmediated ‡bn ‡2rdamedia
338 . ‡avolume ‡bnc ‡2rdacarrier
4900 . ‡aThorndike Press large print nonfiction
520 . ‡a"Even though I've never attempted the New York Times crossword puzzle or solved the Rubik's Cube, I couldn't put down The Puzzler."--Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project and Better Than Before. What makes puzzles--jigsaws, mazes, riddles, sudokus--so satisfying? Be it the formation of new cerebral pathways, their close link to insight and humor, or their community-building properties, they're among the fundamental elements that make us human. Convinced that puzzles have made him a better person, A.J. Jacobs--four-time New York Times bestselling author, master of immersion journalism, and nightly crossworder--set out to determine their myriad benefits. And maybe, in the process, solve the puzzle of our very existence. Well, almost. In The Puzzler, Jacobs meets the most zealous devotees, enters (sometimes with his family in tow) any puzzle competition that will have him, unpacks the history of the most popular puzzles, and aims to solve the most impossible head-scratchers, from a mutant Rubik's Cube, to the hardest corn maze in America, to the most sadistic jigsaw. Chock-full of unforgettable adventures and original examples from around the world--including new work by Greg Pliska, one of America's top puzzle-makers, and a hidden, super-challenging but solvable puzzle that will earn the first reader to crack it a $10,000 prize*--The Puzzler will open readers' eyes to the power of flexible thinking and concentration. Whether you're puzzle obsessed or puzzle hesitant, you'll walk away with real problem-solving strategies and pathways toward becoming a better thinker and decision maker--for these are certainly puzzling times"-- ‡cProvided by publisher.
5050 . ‡aIntroduction -- Crosswords -- The puzzles of puzzles -- The Rubik's cube -- Anagrams -- Rebuses -- Jigsaws -- Mazes -- Math and logic puzzles -- Ciphers and secret codes -- Visual puzzles -- Sudoku and KenKen -- Chess puzzles (Chess problems) -- Riddles -- Japanese puzzle boxes -- Controversial puzzles -- Cryptics -- Scavenger hunts and puzzle hunts -- Infinite puzzles -- The Puzzler contest -- An original Puzzler Hunt by Greg Plasik -- Solutions.
650 0. ‡aPuzzles.
650 0. ‡aCognition.
650 0. ‡aThought and thinking.
901 . ‡a11927143 ‡bAUTOGEN ‡c11927143 ‡tbiblio ‡sSystem Local

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