On My Bookshelf

I have always been interested in Math. I was a double major in Mathematics and Music when I was first in college while working on my undergraduate degree. There is a high correlation between music and math and many musicians are/were very good at math.

When I started working in paper, I stumbled upon flexagons. I was always interested in turning a two dimension product into a three dimensional one with as few tools as possible. I became interested in origami and other folding models. As a kid, I became obsessed with learning how to make Origami Fortune Tellers (what we used to call Cootie Catchers). These led me to become interested in flexagons.

Flexagons are flat models made from pieces of paper that when folded reveal different pictures. They usually are folded onto themselves to reveal a never ending kaleidoscope of interweaving surfaces. To see how to make the most basic flexagon and to see how it works, visit this video.

This brings us to this week's book from my bookshelf: The Magic of Flexagons by David Mitchell.

This book provides 15 examples of flexagons from the most simple to extremely difficult. The beauty of the book is that the author provides you with the actual flexagons printed on cardstock for you to cut out and assemble. He provides you with detailed instructions on how to do so.  More importantly, he provides you with eleven challenges on how to play with the flexagons and gives you challenges on what specific pictures are supposed to appear. He allows you to play with the structures on your own to try and figure out how they work. If you get too frustrated and just want the answer, he provides you step-by-step details on how to solve the puzzle. For me, these are great drunk party favors and people will spend hours trying to watch you fold and re-fold the structures to make the pictures appear. Yet when they try on their own, they usually end up throwing it at you--which is one thankful reason for them to be made from paper.

This is a great book for people interested in paper constructions, puzzles and math. Highly recommended and highly entertaining.

Full Disclosure: Neither Amazon.com nor the author have provided any compensation for this review. This book was purchased online without a personal perusal before purchase.