Marcel Danesi

A walk through history's most mind-boggling puzzles Ever since the Sphinx asked his legendary riddle of Oedipus, riddles, conundrums, and puzzles of all sizes have kept humankind perplexed and amused. The Liar Paradox and the Towers of Hanoi takes die-hard puzzle mavens on a tour of the world's most enduringly intriguing braintwisters, from Kingsberg's Bridges and the Hanoi Towers to Fibonacci's Rabbits, the Four Color Problem, and the Magic Square....

Extreme Brain Workout is a series of puzzles designed to engage the core parts of your brain that are responsible for verbal ability, logical thinking and even your IQ. Each group of puzzles progresses from simple to complex so that they are accessible and challenging for everyone, from the very beginner to the dedicated puzzle master. With each set of puzzles you'll also find information about the specific part of your brain being worked out so that...

The Curious History of the Riddle investigates the fascinating origin and history of the riddle, from the very first riddle (the Riddle of the Sphinx) to the twenty-first century, with riddles found in pop culture, including movies, books, and video games. Riddles are ageless, timeless, and so common that we hardly ever reflect upon what they are and how they originated. Riddles come in all languages and from all eras of human history, making them...

"Build your confidence in communicating through mastery of Italian grammar. Effective communication in another language comes from practice, practice, practice. And this comprehensive guide and workbook covers all of the aspects of Italian grammar that you need to master, followed by numerous exercises that allow you to put your language skills into use. Focused on the practical aspects of Italian as it's really spoken, each chapter of Practice Makes...

This is the first book to examine murder through the written word-not only the writings of the killers themselves, but also the story of murder as told in literary fiction and the crime dramas that are now a staple of film and television. The authors-a criminologist specializing in cold cases, written evidence, and forensic science, and an anthropologist who has dealt with the signs and ciphers of organized crime and street gangs in his previous work-are...