A Tangled Tale

Lewis Carroll, better known for guiding Alice through wonderland, invites readers into a different kind of rabbit hole: one made of arithmetic, algebra, and geometry. A Tangled Tale presents ten brief stories Carroll christened "Knots," each concealing mathematical puzzles within layers of whimsical narrative. Two knights climbing a mountain debate their pace and arrival time; Balbus and various landladies populate these charming scenarios. The medicine, as Carroll himself admitted, is dexterously concealed in the jam. Originally published serially in The Monthly Packet magazine, these Knots provoked reader participation, with Carroll publishing incorrect solutions and their authors' names. The book reveals Carroll's dual mind: the playful nonsense writer of Alice and the rigorous mathematician who taught at Oxford. For readers seeking Carroll's characteristic wit without the fame of his masterworks, these Knots offer a delightful alternative: clever puzzles wrapped in the same imaginative charm that made Alice legendary.