Mathematical Recreations and Essays

The following pages contain an account of certain mathematical recreations, problems, and speculations of past and present times. I hasten to add that the conclusions are of no practical use, and most of the results are not new. If therefore the reader proceeds further he is at least forewarned. At the same time I think I may assert that many of the diversions-particularly those in the latter half of the book-are interesting, not a few are associated with the names of distinguished mathematicians, while hitherto several of the memoirs quoted have not been easily accessible to English readers.