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Undiluted Hocus-Pocus: The Autobiography of Martin Gardner
Martin Gardner wrote the Mathematical Games column for "Scientific American" for twenty-five years and published more than seventy books on topics as diverse as magic, religion, and "Alice in Wonderland." Gardner's illuminating autobiography is a candid self-portrait by the man evolutionary theorist Stephen Jay Gould called our "single brightest beacon" for the defense of
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Hardcover
,
288 pages
Published
September 29th 2013
by Princeton University Press
(first published January 1st 2013)
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Community Reviews
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I know of Gardner from CSICOP and the Skeptical Inquirer. I was pleased to learn in this book of his involvement with the likes of James Randi, Isaac Asimov, John Conway, and even Salvador Dalí. I'd hoped there would be more in this book about debunking and "hocus-pocus" but alas, it's a fairly typical memoir. Gardner talks about growing up religious, writing, creating math puzzles, and there's at least one chapter about his skeptical work. He talks at length about being inspired by Frank Baum a
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I think Gardner echoed my thoughts in the first sentence of his last chapter when he called this a "disheveled memoir". (I almost used his Chapter 11 summation of "slovenly autobiography," but things got a tad better in the second half.) I feel that Gardner can write eloquently and cohesively and brilliantly about just about anything, except himself.
I had certain expectations about what I thought Martin Gardner's life and background must have been from reading his Scientific American "Mathematic ...more
I had certain expectations about what I thought Martin Gardner's life and background must have been from reading his Scientific American "Mathematic ...more
I was delighted to see Martin Gardner’s autobiography, as he was a great science writer. I loved his mathematical columns (mostly encountered through collections like Mathematical Puzzles and Diversions) and his annotated versions of books by Lewis Carroll – and he wrote well on the matter of pseudoscience.
I ought to say straight away that the book was a bit of a disappointment. In part this is simply because Gardner had a very ordinary sort of life. I don’t say that disparagingly – it’s just li ...more
I ought to say straight away that the book was a bit of a disappointment. In part this is simply because Gardner had a very ordinary sort of life. I don’t say that disparagingly – it’s just li ...more
Martin Gardner's collection of essays
The Night is Large
is on my bookshelf next to Frederick Crews's
Follies of the Wise
– a natural pairing of skeptics whose debunking is full of delight. I also have the "definitive edition" of Gardner's
Annotated Alice
. I've never read any of these books cover to cover but I pick them up from time to time and genuinely enjoy their contents.
Undiluted Hocus-Pocus is short enough to read in an afternoon, and it made this Sunday in San Francisco fly. Midway throu ...more
Undiluted Hocus-Pocus is short enough to read in an afternoon, and it made this Sunday in San Francisco fly. Midway throu ...more
I knew Gardner from his puzzles and recreational maths. I knew he was a magician, too. Enough to be willing to read his autobiography because he seems to me an astonishing person.
I became amused to learn he hadn't any degree in mathematics because he had an extensive knowledge in this branch. In fact, there is very few maths in this book, you ought to find another biography to learn about Gardner's mathematics. Here you'll read about philosophy, religion, pseudoscience, poetry, magic, the fantas ...more
I became amused to learn he hadn't any degree in mathematics because he had an extensive knowledge in this branch. In fact, there is very few maths in this book, you ought to find another biography to learn about Gardner's mathematics. Here you'll read about philosophy, religion, pseudoscience, poetry, magic, the fantas ...more
A fun read about the man who encouraged more budding mathematicians than anyone else through his Mathematical Games column at Scientific American. It was especially interesting to read of the early experiences that made him the person he was: his growing up in Tulsa, which is about 50 miles from where I grew up, and about his student days at the University of Chicago, where one of my daughters attended. The quality of the writing wasn't quite what I hoped for. I suspect that the volume, which h
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This is not the man I imagined when reading all those Mathematical Games columns, nor the one who became my one of my favorite skeptics when I first read
Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science
...he's quite human. I always marveled at how he could call pseudoscience (and the cranks pushing it) for what it was without libelous criticism. He set that tact aside in his last book and it was refreshing. I also always marveled at his research connections...debunking required access to rare resources
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Autobiographical ramblings rather than a real autobiography and certainly not memoirs. Lots of interesting stuff on pseudoscience debunking, magic, and massive name dropping as you might expect from someone who knew nearly everyone in Amer science. But badly in need of an editor to cut out repetition, tighten the structure, enhance narrative flow, and try to elicit more analysis which should have been forthcoming from someone with such wide knowledge who wrote so brilliantly for so many decades.
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I guess I ought to read a biography rather than an autobiography if I want to learn a little more about Gardner's mathematics (or just get some of his puzzle collections). However, his descriptions of growing up in Oklahoma were interesting, as were his stories of attending the University of Chicago and serving in the navy. I should have suspected he'd known Ron Graham and Persi Diaconis (fellow mathemagicians), but never knew he had an Erdos number of 2! Otherwise, the book was the typical refl
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There is no doubt in my mind that Martin Gardner is one of the best and one of the most important writers of nonfiction in the 20th (and early 21st) century. His writings about science, pseudoscience, mathematics, magic, and so many other topics inspired several generations of people, and did so because he knew how to write a good story even about material that would be dry in other people's hands.
So I was excited to hear that he had an autobiography coming out posthumously. And it was interest ...more
So I was excited to hear that he had an autobiography coming out posthumously. And it was interest ...more
I have to admit I was a bit disappointed by this one. I've been an admirer of Gardner's for many years, but I'm sorry to say he wasn't the best choice of biographer for himself. The first half of the book, in particular, feels more like an inventory of the people he's met (which is interesting, but a bit tedious in presentation) than anything really insightful about his character or life. Still, the second half it much better, though it jumps quickly over many great gaps of time.
This does not pretend to be great literature; and it is not as well written as many of his other books. What this is is a delightful reminiscence of a long and exciting life. This is what you might expect to hear in the library after dinner over cigars and port. It is a very intertaining read and I am ver glad that we have it now that he is gone.
Martin Gardner is one of my favorite authors, so when I heard that his autobiography had been recently been published, posthumously, I was interested. For a Gardner fan it is a delight; his plain-spoken mid-West style is well in evidence. Gardner was indefatigably curious, and this book gives some idea of the life he lived while pursuing so many ideas. Gardner met and befriended some of the great intellects of his time; the book is sometimes a bit tedious in its name-dropping, while giving evide
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I loved this book due to the fact I have always been a huge fan of Mr Gardner's work. A fascinating that lead a fascinating life.The belief part was interesting. It was a short book which was a problem. Some things could have been discussed deeper.
Martin Gardner, AB’36
Author
From our pages (Nov–Dec/13): "Polymath—emphasis on the poly and the math—Martin Gardner, who died in 2010, recounts his rich and varied life in this conversational memoir. From his Oklahoma childhood to a UChicago education to his naval service to stints as a reporter, editor, and short story writer, Gardner shares intimate anecdotes and sharp opinions. Scientific American’s Mathematical Games columnist for 25 years, Gardner published more than 70 books on topics such ...more
Author
From our pages (Nov–Dec/13): "Polymath—emphasis on the poly and the math—Martin Gardner, who died in 2010, recounts his rich and varied life in this conversational memoir. From his Oklahoma childhood to a UChicago education to his naval service to stints as a reporter, editor, and short story writer, Gardner shares intimate anecdotes and sharp opinions. Scientific American’s Mathematical Games columnist for 25 years, Gardner published more than 70 books on topics such ...more
Doesn't feel well-edited because there are some repetitive parts. Feels in many ways like a series of disconnected essays on different parts of his life.
Lots of name-dropping of people he met and worked with and papers and books he's written. Also talks about how he got started writing his Scientific American column and some of the different things he explored there. There's a good bit about the people he knew through magic, also.
Not consistently deep as far as what information he tells about wh ...more
Lots of name-dropping of people he met and worked with and papers and books he's written. Also talks about how he got started writing his Scientific American column and some of the different things he explored there. There's a good bit about the people he knew through magic, also.
Not consistently deep as far as what information he tells about wh ...more
Funny, touching, charming. Only wish it were longer. Even in his mid-nineties, he was thoughtful of other people, referring to one idiot he encountered in his WWII navy career only as X in case the man or his family are still around. A fitting cap to a career of writing engaging books.
This one is hard to review. On one hand, the author has reached a level of age and eccentricity that the book is really and truly odd. He zooms in on the most random of anecdote that leaves the reader wondering if there was an editor involved at all. On the other hand, I have such an intensely personal connection to Gardner than I couldn't help but love the book and all of the juicy details. If you love him, its a definite must-resd. If not, this might leave you puzzled.
If you like Martin Gardner, good book to read. If you have never read him, read The Flight of Peter Fromm or one of his other great books. This is the reminiscents of a 90 year old man who had an amazing life. Not a great book, but lots of good stories.
A rambling but entertaining account of selected themes and episodes in the life of a great, recently deceased popular science and mathematics writer.
There are too many "I once met this interesting person, and you can read about her in my other book ..." and "I had a friend in college, now he has a job" anecdotes. The last few chapters, in which MG tells us about his own philosophies and how he arrived at them, are golden.
A rollicking romp through a beautiful mind. Highly recommended for science and math buffs. A must-read for Science Fiction fans. Gardner wrote the Annotated Alice - need I say more?
Only for diehard Martin Gardner fans, but very entertaining if you are one.
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Martin Gardner was an American mathematics and science writer specializing in recreational mathematics, but with interests encompassing micromagic, stage magic, literature (especially the writings of Lewis Carroll), philosophy, scientific skepticism, and religion. He wrote the
Mathematical Games
column in Scientific American from 1956 to 1981, and published over 70 books.
More about Martin Gardner...
