As such a lifelong fan of Alice In Wonderland I cannot allow to pass unmentioned the news that Martin Gardner has died. It's possible that you have never heard of Martin Gardner and his vast contribution to Alice In Wonderland but to me he is the third most important figure in the history of the book- after Lewis Carroll and John Tenniel. He produced the remarkably detailed Annotated Alice. It's a tour de force examination, filled with in-depth analyses of the humour, the history and the background to both Alice books with notes that range from simple commentary to lengthy psychological essays. Anyone who has never read it should do so. It sheds light on many hidden corners of the books and of Lewis Carroll's life and is probably the single most important edition of the book for the collector to own.

Of course there was far more to Martin Gardner than a commentary on a single children's book. He was a journalist and a mathematician and produced an array of popular science books and mathematics texts all of which are filled with his characteristic style and humour. He was one of the greatest popularisers of all things scientific and mathematical and had the rare ability to turn dry and arcane subjects into something wondrous and magical. It's no wonder that he was such a lover of Carroll who had a similar turn of mind.

I have several of his books of mathematical puzzles ,many of which were culled from his popular Scientific American column, and they are all splendid.


I was surprised, though perhaps I shouldn't have been, to discover that he was 95 years old.


RIP Martin Gardner.

I am sad to learn of this. I read his column in Scientific American and own and have read a few of his books, including The Annotated Alice in Wonderland.

Also among his accomplishments was the encouragement of other fascinating authors. His seven-page book review in the February 1979 "Mathematical Games" column was the signpost that led me to Douglas Hofstadter's Godel, Escher, Bach, an eye-opening tour de force in its own right.

When he died he was 95 years old. He was recognized and admired in his own time. Not a bad epitaph, all things considered.

Yes, we have several of his books, and Shu, particularly, has enjoyed his mathematical puzzles. He had written more than 70 books.

http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=2348

Just came across this on language log. I've seen a shorter version before but this one from Martin Gardner is spectacular.

Interesting, Bob. I hadn't heard of the "use-mention distinction" before.

I'm more familiar with the term "word-as-word" but the terminology is clear enough either way.