Buy new:
$5.99
FREE delivery Tuesday, May 14 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon.com
Sold by: Amazon.com
$5.99
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Tuesday, May 14 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery Friday, May 10. Order within 20 hrs 42 mins
In Stock
$$5.99 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$5.99
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$1.99
Item in good condition. Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc... Item in good condition. Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc... See less
$3.98 delivery May 16 - 17. Details
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$5.99 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$5.99
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Ships from and sold by glenthebookseller.
Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Martin Gardner
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Mental Magic: Surefire Tricks to Amaze Your Friends (Dover Kids Activity Books) Paperback – January 14, 2010

by Martin Gardner (Author), Jeff Sinclair (Illustrator)
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 104 ratings
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$5.99","priceAmount":5.99,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"5","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"99","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"Dqf2o4ILl4jRJj4ymURuGtxmsQfycfHjJDLlaBiwer%2FQnFobpBz%2FyBL%2BtlU2sNyhr9KWD%2B4RKt7Ane1qK0KZ%2FB%2FOQhM2DayNPJ7XdXiYcyqLSpiY7KPlRMDrdT6OHauT45ypYy8kuYQ%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$1.99","priceAmount":1.99,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"1","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"99","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"Dqf2o4ILl4jRJj4ymURuGtxmsQfycfHj2obV%2BrZFkgQQRD1Z9YV8ELZRnDPed6afSzRXUW8Gz5boOFuqrcnuxsz5ZvxOcLGYrSHiOCnkF3cDMO2ZSLvbQc5f0Vs4tktdJRb%2FrCjJStqlOH8dCAsXWjPFOtZwtsOdPbI9EnDOjg1KHPgm4giCrtuIKZi7A%2Fhf","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

A barber in Chicago says he'd rather cut the hair of ten red-headed men than the hair of one brown-haired man. Can you guess why?
Ask Professor Picanumba, a master of riddles who carries dozens of surefire tricks up his sleeve. He'll show you how to astonish your friends and family by predicting the answers to 88 word and number challenges. These tricks require only simple props — a deck of cards or a couple of pairs of dice, a calculator, and a pencil and paper. With or without an audience, these foolproof feats of mental magic offer hours of amusement. Solutions appear at the end, with 64 illustrations in between.
Author Martin Gardner has written more than 70 books on subjects from science and math to poetry and religion. Well known for the mathematical games that appeared in Scientific American for decades and for his "Trick of the Month" column in Physics Teacher magazine, Gardner has had a lifelong passion for magic tricks and puzzles.
Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Reading age
    8 - 11 years
  2. Part of series
    Dover Children's Activity Books
  3. Print length
    96 pages
  4. Language
    English
  5. Grade level
    3 - 5
  6. Dimensions
    5.44 x 0.2 x 8.5 inches
  7. Publisher
    Dover Publications
  8. Publication date
    January 14, 2010
  9. ISBN-10
    048647495X
  10. ISBN-13
    978-0486474953
  11. See all details
Next page
New in teachers' picks. More children's books by grade. New in teachers' picks. More children's books by grade.

Frequently bought together

Mental Magic: Surefire Tricks to Amaze Your Friends (Dover Kids Activity Books)
$5.99
Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
My Best Mathematical and Logic Puzzles (Dover Recreational Math) (Dover Puzzle Books: Math Puzzles)
$5.95
Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
Martin Gardner's Science Magic: Tricks and Puzzles (Dover Magic Books)
$4.49
Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
Choose items to buy together.

From the brand

Previous page
  2. Dover Publications logo

    Our Children's Brain Teasers & Puzzles books are perfect for entertaining and engaging kids. Discover our wide range of puzzle books, including word searches, sudoku, mazes, crosswords, spot-the-differences, and more!

  3. A First Sudoku Book (Dover Kids Activity Books)
    Great Big Book of Puzzle Fun (Dover Kids Activity Books)
    Creative Brain Games Extreme Sudoku (Dover Puzzle Books: Math Puzzles)
    Puzzle Box, Volume 3 (Dover Brain Games)

    Games & Puzzles

    Visit the Store

  4. Ancient Treasure Mazes (Dover Kids Activity Books)
    Dazzling Mazes: 50 Inventive Puzzles with Solutions (Dover Puzzle Games)
    Creative Brain Games Mind-Bending Mazes (Dover Puzzle Books)
    3-D Mazes--Maze Mania (Dover Kids Activity Books)

    Mazes

    Visit the Store

  5. Spot the Differences: Search & Find Fun (Dover Kids Activity Books)
    The Saturday Evening Post MORE Spot the Differences Picture Puzzles (Dover Kids Activity Books)
    Magical Unicorn Spot the Differences (Dover Kids Activity Books: Fantasy)
    Spot the Differences Picture Puzzles for Kids Book 1 (Dover Kids Activity Books)

    Spot the Differences

    Visit the Store

  6. Crossword Puzzles (Dover Kids Activity Books)
    Famous Cities Search-a-Word Puzzles (Dover Kids Activity Books)
    All About the Presidents Search-a-Word Puzzles (Dover Kids Activity Books)
    Crazy Crosswords Activity Book (Dover Kids Activity Books)

    Word Searches

    Visit the Store

Next page

From the Publisher

Mental Magic: Surefire Tricks to Amaze Your Friends
Mental Magic: Surefire Tricks to Amaze Your Friends
Mental Magic example page
Martin Gardner image

Author Martin Gardner has written more than 70 books on subjects from science and math to poetry and religion. Well known for the mathematical games that appeared in Scientific American for decades and for his "Trick of the Month" column in Physics Teacher magazine, Gardner has had a lifelong passion for magic tricks and puzzles.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Martin Gardner was a renowned author who published over 70 books on subjects from science and math to poetry and religion. He also had a lifelong passion for magic tricks and puzzles. Well known for his mathematical games column in Scientific American and his "Trick of the Month" in Physics Teacher magazine, Gardner attracted a loyal following with his intelligence, wit, and imagination.

Martin Gardner: A Remembrance
The worldwide mathematical community was saddened by the death of Martin Gardner on May 22, 2010. Martin was 95 years old when he died, and had written 70 or 80 books during his long lifetime as an author. Martin's first Dover books were published in 1956 and 1957: Mathematics, Magic and Mystery, one of the first popular books on the intellectual excitement of mathematics to reach a wide audience, and Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science, certainly one of the first popular books to cast a devastatingly skeptical eye on the claims of pseudoscience and the many guises in which the modern world has given rise to it. Both of these pioneering books are still in print with Dover today along with more than a dozen other titles of Martin's books. They run the gamut from his elementary Codes, Ciphers and Secret Writing, which has been enjoyed by generations of younger readers since the 1980s, to the more demanding The New Ambidextrous Universe: Symmetry and Asymmetry from Mirror Reflections to Superstrings, which Dover published in its final revised form in 2005.

To those of us who have been associated with Dover for a long time, however, Martin was more than an author, albeit a remarkably popular and successful one. As a member of the small group of long-time advisors and consultants, which included NYU's Morris Kline in mathematics, Harvard's I. Bernard Cohen in the history of science, and MIT's J. P. Den Hartog in engineering, Martin's advice and editorial suggestions in the formative 1950s helped to define the Dover publishing program and give it the point of view which — despite many changes, new directions, and the consequences of evolution — continues to be operative today.

In the Author's Own Words:
"Politicians, real-estate agents, used-car salesmen, and advertising copy-writers are expected to stretch facts in self-serving directions, but scientists who falsify their results are regarded by their peers as committing an inexcusable crime. Yet the sad fact is that the history of science swarms with cases of outright fakery and instances of scientists who unconsciously distorted their work by seeing it through lenses of passionately held beliefs."

"A surprising proportion of mathematicians are accomplished musicians. Is it because music and mathematics share patterns that are beautiful?" — Martin Gardner

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dover Publications (January 14, 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 96 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 048647495X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0486474953
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 8 - 11 years
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 3 - 5
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.67 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.44 x 0.2 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 104 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Martin Gardner

Martin Gardner

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

For 25 of his 95 years, Martin Gardner wrote 'Mathematical Games and Recreations', a monthly column for Scientific American magazine. These columns have inspired hundreds of thousands of readers to delve more deeply into the large world of mathematics. He has also made significant contributions to magic, philosophy, debunking pseudoscience, and children's literature. He has produced more than 60 books, including many best sellers, most of which are still in print. His Annotated Alice has sold more than a million copies. He continues to write a regular column for the Skeptical Inquirer magazine.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
104 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

DBW
5.0 out of 5 stars My nephew never ceases to be amazed by the tricks in this book
Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2018
Verified Purchase
My nephew never ceases to be amazed by the tricks in this book, and thinks this is a really great book.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Clayton Timmer
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun!
Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2016
Verified Purchase
Having fun with this book and my little math guy. Anyone under 10 probably needs s parent to help them with the tricks but every child is different!
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Djawari Awi
3.0 out of 5 stars An Good Book For Math Magic Lover !
Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2000
I recommend this book for math magic lover. All the math tricks have pre-determined outcomes that either absolutely certain or have a high probability of being correct. Because the tricks has pre-determined outcomes, we will not be able to do the trick twice to the same audience.
8 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars A Fun Book
Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2001
Verified Purchase
A fun book for young Magicians, also has some ideas that can be food for thought for older Magicians to develop and put into their shows. A great value considering the high price of a lot of Magic books these days. --L Betz
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Chris Harper
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2018
Verified Purchase
Martin Gardner is an excellent writer on magic.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Silly4Lilly
5.0 out of 5 stars Great for 3rd graders
Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2018
Verified Purchase
Great for 3rd graders
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Masson Dim
2.0 out of 5 stars Not adapted for kindle
Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2013
Verified Purchase
The tricks are surely good, but all the set ups are at the begining and all the answers at the end. The back and forth is terrible on the kindle.
6 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Laurie Steinke
4.0 out of 5 stars It is OK
Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2014
Not exactly what I was looking for, but I can use bits and pieces of it in my classroom. I probably would buy it again.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
Abhishek Sarkar
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful❤
Reviewed in India on October 16, 2020
Verified Purchase
I am very much fortunate that I get the opportunity to read this beautiful book.
Report
mylmo
5.0 out of 5 stars pour magicien bilingue
Reviewed in France on October 19, 2018
Verified Purchase
petit cadaeu pour magicien amateur, a beaucoup plu, le texte est tout en anglais, je recommande cet article
Report
Shreya katti
5.0 out of 5 stars Brain booster
Reviewed in India on February 10, 2018
Verified Purchase
Loved it... Curiosity makes u keep reading.... It keeps kids engaged on vacation time. Worth to buy.
Report
GOLLA GANGANNA
3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad
Reviewed in India on October 7, 2015
Verified Purchase
Not bad
Report
partha sarkar
4.0 out of 5 stars Challenging
Reviewed in India on August 6, 2018
Verified Purchase
Useful and educative
Report