The Pyrgic puzzler: Classic conundrums

The Pyrgic Puzzler is guaranteed to test the powers of logic and ingenuity of even the most avid Times crossword follower; and the eccentric appeal of the characters who populate these mind-bending problems — the mad scientist, Cryogenes T. Rosencrumpett, Professor Didipottamus or the astronomer, Seymour Stars — will capture the imagination and affection of all who read them.

For the youngster bored with dry school-room mathematics or anyone who wants to stretch their mind in the most enjoyable way, this is the ideal book. As Iris Murdoch writes in the foreword to the book: “In these mental acrobatics, old and young compete on equal terms … in fact, one can soon drift away into this lucidly imagined world.”

Combine the eccentricity of a Lewis Carroll with the genius of an Einstein and you have a book which will entertain, delight and frustrate.

Christopher Maslanka, a physicist and concert pianist, lives in Oxford.