You might have thought a collection of poems, music, science fiction and
cartoons would make contrived reading if they were all chosen for their
mathematical theme. You would be wrong, and you would miss out on Arthur C.
Clarke, Mark Twain, Lewis Carroll and many other excellent pieces. The
Mathematical Magpie, edited by Clifton Fadiman, is a treasure to be kept handy
for making good use of those spare ten minutes. Published by Copernicus,
£11.50/$19.95, ISBN 038794950X.
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