The BSB (that's the big Sudoku book, for those not up on the local slang) is now available! It's both a math book and a puzzle book. As math book it contains a survey of some of the mathematical aspects of Sudoku puzzles. For those familiar with the BMHB, the present book is considerably less technical. A few sections are tough going, but most of it should be accessible even on a casual reading. Indeed, one of the points of the book is to use Sudoku puzzles to introduce ideas from higher mathematics.
As a puzzle book it contains close to ninety original puzzles for your solving pleasure. Many of them are variations on traditional Sudoku puzzles. These were contributed by my coauthor Laura Taalman, who is also the coauthor of three books of original Sudoku-like puzzles (available here, here, and here.)
I downloaded the e-version to my Kindle last night, and I was pleasantly surprised that it looked as good as it did. The book contains many color diagrams which get lost on my little black and white Kindle, but presumably that wouldn't be a problem on the newer e-readers. But I still think the print version would look best of all. The print version is also most useful if you want to solve the puzzles for yourself.
Clearly, then, the solution is to download the e-version, so that you can start reading immediately, and then buy two copies of the print version. That way, you can keep one of the print versions pristine, while you work out the puzzles in the other one. It's the perfect solution!
Whatever you do, I hope you read and enjoy the book.
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What a coincidence. Just last night -- well, really, early this morning -- I couldn't get back to sleep and was doing some Easy-level sudoku puzzles to wear myself into a stupor and I thought, "Somebody must have written something about designing these puzzles. It's certainly not a random arrangement of numbers." Guess I'll have to take a look at your book. Congrats.
Sold! The only disadvantage is that it's too late for Xmas now, but that's all good - it will give me something to look forward to once the silly season is over. :)
Congratulations, looks interesting. I used to do sudoku, until I discovered other Japanese logic puzzles which I find much more fun â nurikabe, heyawake, yajilin, gokigen naname, and many others. How about books on them too? (Or is the math the same?)
At the start of the sudoku craze, I was working in a university maths department. By the end of the week, they'd derived a general solution, programmed it, made a pretty user interface for solving the puzzles, with hints and rollbacks. And then we went back to doing the word puzzles at lunchtime.
Mathematicians, gotta love them. â¥
Jason, this looks like a great book. From a quick look at it, I think you are a great writer (the new Martin Gardner?)! Congratulations.