- Excerpts from two of the nicest reviews
- Comments
- Reviews
- Reviews - by date of appearance
- News (These links are mainly stale now.)
- Listed under books received
- Nordisk Matematisk Tidskrift, vol. 46 (1998), no. 2, p. 95.
- Leonardo, vol. 31 (1998), no. 4, p. 331.
- American Scientist February 14 - March 1, 2000.
And which illustrations did the reviewers choose?
Two of the Nicest Reviews:
Loren Larson, Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at St. Olaf College,
in Minnesota,
has written a very nice telegraphic review in the April 1999 issue (volume 106, number 4) of the
American Mathematical Monthly,
a publication of the
Mathematical Association of America.
(Follow this link to the homepage
for the periodical.)
Quoting from the review,
which appears on page 381:
"A beautiful book that entices, entertains, fascinates, and instructs.
Collects, organizes, and presents 2000+ years of discovery alongside exciting
new contributions.
Complete, thorough, fun to read;
this will be a classic."
Doris Schattschneider,
a professor of mathematics at Moravian College,
in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania,
has written a very nice review that has appeared in
the March 2001 (volume 43, number 1) issue of
SIAM Review,
a publication of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
Excerpting from the review,
which appears on pages 220-223:
"One of the most popular topics in books on recreational mathematics
is dissection puzzles.
Greg Frederickson's Dissections: Plane and Fancy
is a feast of such puzzles, beautifully and wittily presented,
along with lots of interesting ancillary information.
The book can be enjoyed at many levels,
from that of the browser or beginner who will primarily be a spectator,
to that of the afficianado who wants to match wits with masters of the game."
"Although many dissections can be serendipitous,
happened upon after much trial and error,
the masters have always looked for (and found) general techniques
that could be applied to produce large classes of dissections.
These required both ingenuity and mathematical understanding
of the underpinnings.
Frederickson's aim is not merely to report on dissections,
but to illuminate the reader as to how dissections
can be found and why they work.
Indeed, he is not content with reporting a dissection unless
he can show how it could result from an application of one of
the standard techniques."
"Chapter titles are witty ("It's Hip to Be a Square," "Strips Teased"),
and several chapters continue in character, with Frederickson obviously
enjoying puns, double-entendres, or mimicking a well-known voice.
. . .
And there are many mysteries uncovered by Frederickson,
which he relates with some relish."
"The book is very nicely designed, with clear and accurate diagrams
for each dissection."
"Frederickson's delightfully rich book is long overdue
and will surely be a classic in the field."
Which figures were the reviewers' favorites for illustrating their reviews?:
- Scientific American:
- Parhexagon to a square (Fig. 9.2)
- Pentagons for 52 +122=132 (Fig. 9.17)
- Superposition for Greek Cross and square (Fig. 10.1)
- A Greek Cross to a square (Fig. 10.2)
- Dodecagon element (Fig. 10.7)
- Latin Cross element (Fig. 10.8)
- Superposition for dodecagon and Latin Cross (Fig. 10.6)
- A dodecagon to a Latin Cross (Fig. 10.9)
- Crossposition for hexagon and square (Fig. 11.3)
- A hexagon to a square (Fig. 11.2)
- A hexagram to a square (Fig. 11.13)
- Five {8/2}s to one (Fig. 17.21)
- A mitre to a purported square (Fig. 23.1)
- A mitre to a square (Fig. 23.2)
- Pour La Science:
- Variously hinged: two squares to one (Fig. 3.12)
- Cyclically hinged: one quadrilateral to another (Fig. 3.13)
- Two squares to one (Fig. 4.2)
- Macaulay's quadrilateral to quadrilateral (Fig. 11.10)
- Cyclicly hinged Macaulay's quad to quad (Fig. 11.11)
- Theobald's decagon to a square (Fig. 11.43)
- Hinged pieces for a triangle to a square (Fig. 12.1)
- A triangle to a square (Fig. 12.2)
- Overlap of a crescent and a cross (Fig. 15.4)
- Crescent to a Greek cross (Fig. 15.5)
- Overlay of a crescent and a square (Fig. 15.6)
- Crescent to a square (Fig. 15.7)
- Triangle to rectangle (Fig. 19.2)
- Hanegraaf's hinged slide (Fig. 20.8)
- A second hinged slide by Hanegraaf (Fig. 20.9)
- Hanegraaf's hinged (2 x 1 x 1)-rectangular block to a cube (Fig. 20.10)
- Two truncated octahedra to a cube (Fig. 20.13)
- Hanegraaf's truncated octahedron to a cube (Fig. 20.14)
- Hanegraaf's rhombic dodecahedron to a cube (Fig. 20.15)
- Crossposition and hinging of a Greek cross to a triangle (Solution 12.2)
- Natuur & Techniek:
- Greek crosses for 32 +42=52 (Fig. 9.24)
- La Recherche:
- A {12/2} to a hexagram (Fig. 16.11)
- Cubism For Fun:
- Seven heptagons to one (Fig. 17.30)
- Three cubes to one (Fig. 20.11)
- Mathematics Teaching:
- Eight heptagons to one (Fig. 17.31)
- Euclides:
- Hexagrams for 32 + 42 = 52 (Fig. 9.21)
- Australian Mathematics Teacher:
- Loyd's two Greek Crosses to a square (Fig. 3.3)
- Octagon to square (Fig. 13.2)
- Crux Mathematicorum with Mathematical Mayhem:
- An octagon to a square (Fig. 13.2)
- A pentagram to a pentagon (Fig. 12.24)
- Tessellations for an octagon to a square (Fig. 13.1)
- Partitioning a pentagram (Fig. 12.22)
- Crossposing pentagram and pentagon strips (Fig. 12.23)
- Puzzle Fun:
- A square to two Greek Crosses (Fig. 3.10)
- Reid's Greek Crosses for 32 + 42 = 52 (Fig. 9.24)
- Greek Crosses for 12 + 22 + 22 = 32 (Fig. 9.25)
- Mathematical Gazette:
- Lindgren's dodecagon to square (Fig. 10.5)
- CMS Notes / Notes de la SMC:
- Mahlo's superposition for two squares to one (Fig. 4.1)
- Two squares to one (Fig. 4.2)
- Hinged pieces for triangle to square (Fig. 12.1)
- Triangle to square (Fig. 12.2)
Last updated May 31, 2013.