My point is that this book contributed more to my understanding of logic and wordplay than several semesters of college philosophy classes. If you've read this far then I am probably preaching to the choir but 'Alice in Wonderland' can hardly be classified as a childrens' book, dispite Disney's attempts to do so. The concepts Lewis Carroll and Martin Gardner bring to this tale cover such areas as set theory, meta-language, Aristotelian logic, topography, game theory, several pre-Socratic logic paradoxes, and even quantum physics. Yet John Tenniel's original illustrations remain as an welcome tether to the original publication.
Gardner does a wonderful job of bringing all the various aspects of these two stories together as he illuminates layer upon layer of meaning that might not be evident to an American audience or, for that matter, a 21st century one. My favorite gems are the French and German translations of The Jabberwocky.
This book ranks in my top five favorite books of all time.
This birket whilms the gullibrin with frumiousness and bloy.
Martin Gardner never ceases to astound me, even when he takes the passenger seat next to that speed demon of literature, Lewis Carroll.
Gardner's notes are perfect. They cause wonder, joy, satisfaction, curiousity. They cause all the things that Gardner always causes, and he never overtakes Carroll. He lets Carroll be Carroll. (This edition is also beautifully bound.)
curiouser and curiouser...