"Games for Your Mind explores the history and future of logic puzzles while enabling you to test your skill against a variety of puzzles yourself."--Amazon.com
Raymond Smullyan Book order







- 2020
- 2016
Literary Nonfiction. Memoir. Humor. Music. Of all of Raymond Smullyan's many books, A MIXED BAG: JOKES, PUZZLES, RIDDLES AND MEMORABILIA perhaps best captures the timeless delight of the casual conversation of this American polymath. A seamless continuum of jokes, stories, puzzles, and reflections, caught in an deliciously unpremeditated arc that nonetheless is remarkably cohesive, it is sparkling and charming proof that cheerfulness need not be incompatible with intelligence, nor pleasure with wisdom.
- 2016
This is the final book written by the late great puzzle master and logician, Dr. Raymond Smullyan. This book is a sequel to my Beginner's Guide to Mathematical Logic. The previous volume deals with elements of propositional and first-order logic, contains a bit on formal systems and recursion, and concludes with chapters on GOdel's famous incompleteness theorem, along with related results. The present volume begins with a bit more on propositional and first-order logic, followed by what I would call a "fein" chapter, which simultaneously generalizes some results from recursion theory, first-order arithmetic systems, and what I dub a "decision machine." Then come five chapters on formal systems, recursion theory and metamathematical applications in a general setting. The concluding five chapters are on the beautiful subject of combinatory logic, which is not only intriguing in its own right, but has important applications to computer science. Argonne National Laboratory is especially involved in these applications, and I am proud to say that its members have found use for some of my results in combinatory logic. This book does not cover such important subjects as set theory, model theory, proof theory, and modern developments in recursion theory, but the reader, after studying this volume, will be amply prepared for the study of these more advanced topics.
- 2015
Exploring the multifaceted life of Raymond Smullyan, the narrative weaves together his experiences as a mathematical logician, musician, magician, and author. It features anecdotes from his twenty-six books, insights on logic inspired by Gödel and Tarski, and personal stories, including a clever logic trick that won his wife's heart. Smullyan reflects on his teaching philosophy and critiques the decline of mathematical education due to textbooks. Additionally, he shares his joyful involvement with the Piano Society and fond memories of notable women in his life.
- 2015
The author presents a bombshell puzzle so startling that it seems incredible that there could be any solution at all!
- 2014
A Beginner's Guide to Mathematical Logic
- 290 pages
- 11 hours of reading
Written by a creative master of mathematical logic, this introductory text combines stories of great philosophers, quotations, and riddles with the fundamentals of mathematical logic. Author Raymond Smullyan offers clear, incremental presentations of difficult logic concepts. He highlights each subject with inventive explanations and unique problems. Smullyan's accessible narrative provides memorable examples of concepts related to proofs, propositional logic and first-order logic, incompleteness theorems, and incompleteness proofs. Additional topics include undecidability, combinatoric logic, and recursion theory. Suitable for undergraduate and graduate courses, this book will also amuse and enlighten mathematically minded readers. Dover (2014) original publication. See every Dover book in print at www.doverpublications.com
- 2014
Four Lives
- 352 pages
- 13 hours of reading
This "best of" hardcover collection of works by Raymond Smullyan features excerpts from his published writings, including logic puzzles, explorations of mathematical logic and paradoxes, retrograde analysis chess problems, jokes and anecdotes, and meditations on the philosophy of religion. Jason Rosenhouse, the editor of Four Lives , has provided an Introduction, in addition to compiling numerous tributes from former students, friends, and others saluting this celebrated professor, author, and logic scholar hailed by Martin Gardner as "the most entertaining logician and set theorist who ever lived."
- 2013
These recreational logic puzzles provide entertaining variations on Godel's incompleteness theorems, offering ingenious challenges related to infinity, truth and provability, undecidability, and other concepts. Written by a distinguished mathematician and creator of numerous popular puzzle books, this volume requires no background in formal logic
- 2011
Characters from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass populate these 88 intriguing puzzles. Mathematician Raymond Smullyan re-creates the spirit of Lewis Carroll's writings in puzzles involving word play, logic and metalogic, and philosophical paradoxes. Challenges range from easy to difficult and include solutions, plus 60 charming illustrations. "An ingenious book." — Boston Globe.
- 2011
A celebrated mathematician presents more than 200 increasingly complex problems that delve into Gödel's undecidability theorem and other examples of the deepest paradoxes of logic and set theory. Solutions.