James F. Fixx (1932–1984)

"Portions of this book originally appeared in Playboy magazine," according to the indicia; and I'm not sure how exactly, but it really reads that way. It must be something to do with the preoccupation with status and "success" considered as a generic quantity--oh, and the emphasis on recreation. The author touts the prestige of Mensa.

Anyway, the slender book is mostly a compilation of mental puzzles, with some digressions on the nature of intelligence. The puzzles come in a very wide variety. Some of them I found trivially easy, others demanded recourse to pencil and paper, as well as a fair amount of thinking. A considerable failing is presented by the final chapter's multiple-choice test, which is furnished only with an answer key, not with anything like justifications for the answers given as correct. In at least one case, I disagree, but author Fixx (or test designer Fogel) doesn't take any steps to persuade me.

On the whole, the volume offers an adequate diversion for the "aficionado," as Fixx labels the puzzle-solver.… (more)