The
Martin Gardner Home Site continues to expand in the year of the Martin Gardner Centennial 1914-2014. You can follow the Twitter account for constant updates on all things Martin Gardner. I checked up on Martin Gardner's Puzzle Books. Then I wrote the following.
I think a
number of these puzzle books are not present in my Martin Gardner collection. I
get a lot of input on MG as this is his centennial year. Of course, he is known
for his contributions to the skeptics movement as well as his expertise as a
magician and his annotated publications of classic works, but it is still his role in the area of mathematical recreations and
popularization that garners the lion's share of devotion. Though an amateur
without professional credentials or
expertise,
professional mathematicians consider him one of the most important mathematical
figures of the 20th century.
I thought about this in conjunction with just having watched a video of Sonny Rollins explaining why
jazz matters, in the wake of a New Yorker spoof of jazz published under his name without permission.
It is interesting, and important I think, that Martin Gardner has had the impact
he has, considering how many people find mathematics a dry subject. The key to this is
that he not only educated people, not only provided them with intellectual stimulation,
but he made them happy! He made me happy. The constant factor in everyone's
tributes to him is . . . joy!
When I ponder this, I am very
moved. These things matter.
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