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The Magical Maze : Seeing the World Through Mathematical Eyes
A brilliant exploration of the beauty and power of mathematics Ian Stewart has carved out of a niche for himself as by far the leading populariser of maths in this country in a series of successful books. The Magical Maze is structured on the image of a maze representing the network of connected mathematical ideas that have proved sopowerful and effective in the understanding the natural world. Expanding from Stewart's 1997 Royal Institution Christmas lecture, it covers topics such as numbers, probablity, game theory, patterns and oscillators, as well as knots, computability, chaos and other topics chosen to communicate the intellectual excitement and beauty of mathematics as a subject.
284 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1997
32 people are currently reading
414 people want to read
About the author
Ian Stewart
270 books758 followersIan Nicholas Stewart is an Emeritus Professor and Digital Media Fellow in the Mathematics Department at Warwick University, with special responsibility for public awareness of mathematics and science. He is best known for his popular science writing on mathematical themes.
--from the author's website
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See other authors with similar names.
--from the author's website
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See other authors with similar names.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
January 20, 2011
A series of very good essays, aimed at bringing math alive to a general audience, originally given as public lectures in an annual series that is 168 years old, starting with Michael Faraday. By Ian Stewart, one of the best popular math writers of our day. What I especially like is this comment on the nature of mathematics in the introduction:
What is a businessman? Someone who does business? Yes, but not just that. A businessman is someone who sees an opportunity for doing business where the rest of us see nothing: while we're complaining that there's no restaurant in the area, he's organising a telephone pizza delivery service. A mathematician is someone who sees opportunities for doing mathematics that the rest of us miss.
What is a businessman? Someone who does business? Yes, but not just that. A businessman is someone who sees an opportunity for doing business where the rest of us see nothing: while we're complaining that there's no restaurant in the area, he's organising a telephone pizza delivery service. A mathematician is someone who sees opportunities for doing mathematics that the rest of us miss.
December 18, 2025
The first few chapters were exactly as promised: there were fun puzzles, logical games and a good explanation on how they all relate to some mathematical concept.
Chapters 4 and 5 were difficult to read. The logical puzzles seemed to disappear into the background as Stewart went on and on about the slime molds with its biological and chemical context. I didn't sign up for that.
The last chapters were again more mathematical, and I regained some joy finishing the book.
Overall it's definitely not a bad book, but there were too many flaws to give it 4 stars:
- There were quite some typos in the Dutch translation I read.
- I had already gotten tired of the whole labyrinth metaphor at page 2. I don't care about elaborate descriptions of a fictional labyrinth, taking up several pages and being written as if it were a novel.
- Stewart adds pointers to the back of the book where he gives extra information or references, but he doesn't bother to number these pointers. Perhaps to really live the labyrinth experience?
- According to the back cover, this book is meant for "anyone of age 12 or older", and even though Stewarts puzzles and explanations usually kept it very accessible, there were times when I simply couldn't understand what he was trying to say. I very much enjoyed a fictional dialogue between Theseus and the Minotaurus on solving mazes, but at the end the difficulty rises through the roof, and I felt completely lost. In chapter 6 there is a whole part on trains I skimmed through because it was impossible to understand. Here and there, some additional figures would've been appreciated.
Chapters 4 and 5 were difficult to read. The logical puzzles seemed to disappear into the background as Stewart went on and on about the slime molds with its biological and chemical context. I didn't sign up for that.
The last chapters were again more mathematical, and I regained some joy finishing the book.
Overall it's definitely not a bad book, but there were too many flaws to give it 4 stars:
- There were quite some typos in the Dutch translation I read.
- I had already gotten tired of the whole labyrinth metaphor at page 2. I don't care about elaborate descriptions of a fictional labyrinth, taking up several pages and being written as if it were a novel.
- Stewart adds pointers to the back of the book where he gives extra information or references, but he doesn't bother to number these pointers. Perhaps to really live the labyrinth experience?
- According to the back cover, this book is meant for "anyone of age 12 or older", and even though Stewarts puzzles and explanations usually kept it very accessible, there were times when I simply couldn't understand what he was trying to say. I very much enjoyed a fictional dialogue between Theseus and the Minotaurus on solving mazes, but at the end the difficulty rises through the roof, and I felt completely lost. In chapter 6 there is a whole part on trains I skimmed through because it was impossible to understand. Here and there, some additional figures would've been appreciated.
February 12, 2022
Fractales, pautas espirales en girasoles, verduras bonsai, burbujas y la forma óptima de atar los cordones...puede existir algo más maravilloso que las matemáticas? ❤️
March 1, 2021
"A wild dream, a fantasy. The magical maze is not like the Minotaur's labyrinth. It cannot be explored in an afternoon, a month, or a millennium. Some parts are for ever inaccessible. But even those parts that ARE accessible are already of infinite extent..."
Ian Stewart's journey through the mathematical is incredibly well written and engaging. Even if you're not interested in maths, there's plenty here to give you new insights into things that you've probably always wondered, "how does this work?"
There is plenty of history to get stuck into too, and lots of real world examples; how do pacemakers work? Or how do we send compressed image, audio or video data? How can probability be like water? How are tiling designs made?
My favourite is probably the example of Christiaan Huygens, the man who invented the pendulum clock. In 1665, ill and confined to his room, he stared at two of his clocks sharing a shelf. They were ticking in synchrony! The implications this would have for the world concerning coupled oscillators were astonishing.
If you have an interest in puzzles, maths, general knowledge or are just plain curious, then this is a book for you!
Rav.
Ian Stewart's journey through the mathematical is incredibly well written and engaging. Even if you're not interested in maths, there's plenty here to give you new insights into things that you've probably always wondered, "how does this work?"
There is plenty of history to get stuck into too, and lots of real world examples; how do pacemakers work? Or how do we send compressed image, audio or video data? How can probability be like water? How are tiling designs made?
My favourite is probably the example of Christiaan Huygens, the man who invented the pendulum clock. In 1665, ill and confined to his room, he stared at two of his clocks sharing a shelf. They were ticking in synchrony! The implications this would have for the world concerning coupled oscillators were astonishing.
If you have an interest in puzzles, maths, general knowledge or are just plain curious, then this is a book for you!
Rav.
March 8, 2019
I learnt a lot from him. There are problems I knew but others not, similarly I enjoyed much. I'm interested on read more of his works. I wanted to buy " letter to a young mathematician" but I found this and I hope I can find it.
I'm looking for more books about mathematics and science. I hope to give more of them.
I wish they could bring here at Mexico in English, but well not matter to me, at least, I read Spanish and English. :)
I'm looking for more books about mathematics and science. I hope to give more of them.
I wish they could bring here at Mexico in English, but well not matter to me, at least, I read Spanish and English. :)
Read
November 15, 2025(retrospective review c.2011) Found in a very interesting batch of pop science and other 'boys' books at a car boot sale in Suffolk, summer 2011
Stewart tries very hard to de-mystify some simple and some quite complex maths using the 'Maze' metaphor and looking for understandable applications in nature and human endeavour. Its mostly successful, a fun and informative journey ... but it [probably] won't leave a lasting imprint on my patchy maths knowledge and skills!
Stewart tries very hard to de-mystify some simple and some quite complex maths using the 'Maze' metaphor and looking for understandable applications in nature and human endeavour. Its mostly successful, a fun and informative journey ... but it [probably] won't leave a lasting imprint on my patchy maths knowledge and skills!
January 15, 2019
I enjoy reading about math though I don't always understand what I am reading. My favorite parts of the book were the parts about Fibonacci numbers, the length of shoe lacing, fractals. I wish I could write better book reviews. I do know one thing I want to know more about math.
April 16, 2022
Seeing the world through mathematical eyes ผลงาน Ian Stewart ไม่ต้องมีพื้นฐานคณิตศาสตร์ก็อ่านอย่างสนุกสนานได้ครับ มันตอบสนองหัวใจอยากรู้ และความสงสัยที่ช่วยให้มองเห็นสิ่งรอบตัวด้วยความสัมพันธ์ที่น่ามหัศจรรย์
October 16, 2019
A great way to find the true fascination that maths should hold for all of us.
January 30, 2020
Cuando se trata de aprender matemáticas, a Ian Stewart debes leer, en éste libro da una serie de datos interesantes y patrones matemáticos generados en el supuesto caos de nuestra existencia.
February 26, 2022
Interesante, breve en todos los temas.
October 12, 2023
As always Ian Stewart did not disappoint. Firing up the imagination, revealing possibilities for the applied mathematics
October 19, 2023
Este es un libro algo más denso de lo que me gustaría, pero si te van las mates y tienes una buena base, lo disfrutarás
December 30, 2023
Passage 6 and 7 massive leaps in complexity.
A few typos.
A few typos.
May 20, 2025
a delightful book, a little dated but a good exploration of mathematical concepts in a unique style
September 2, 2025
Muy buen libro! Lo he disfrutado mucho.
December 5, 2023
Resulta interesante la metáfora que utiliza el autor para presentar los contenidos y cómo introduce cara región del laberinto para relacionarlo con la temática de interés en el capítulo. Esto es lo que más me gustó porque me deja una idea interesante para considerar actividades de gamificación en los procesos de enseñanza y aprendizaje en esta disciplina.
Por otra parte, a través de ocho entradas el autor trata temas diversos como sucesiones, probabilidad, simetrías, lógica y fractales, entre otros. No todos resultan completamente nuevos pues algunos problemas se puede decir que son clásicos como el de Monty Hall (naturalmente dependerá de la cercanía del lector con la Matemática).
Por otra parte, a través de ocho entradas el autor trata temas diversos como sucesiones, probabilidad, simetrías, lógica y fractales, entre otros. No todos resultan completamente nuevos pues algunos problemas se puede decir que son clásicos como el de Monty Hall (naturalmente dependerá de la cercanía del lector con la Matemática).
July 11, 2012
This book was written in 1997 and I downloaded a free copy onto my Kindle although it is no longer available on Amazon for some reason. The book uses the metaphor of a maze to explore how our world is related to mathematics. It is not a text book on pure mathematics but an easy read on applied mathematics - how our world follows mathematical rules. It does explain the beauty of mathematics and is very easy to understand. The aim of this book is clear.
Ian leads the reader through a number of problems that make you think. Ian does show the beauty of mathematics in everyday life but he does go into extreme detail and history. Ian does not give any conscise answers and fills his book with tons of background from mathematicians who are long gone and dead. Ian is an expert in his field and can get his message across but it is a long journey.
93% of this Kindle eBook is the content of his work but the last 7% is references he has referred to earlier. The average reader will not need to know his sources so that they can check them, you can take them in good faith. I feel that this book has not covered an awful lot of ground but the small ground it has covered has been drilled to death. The reading pleasure I got from this book was poor as the number of mathematical issues covered was small. I did not like the employment of the maze metaphor as the detailed description of hedges, walls etc had little to do with mathematics and just padded the book out wasting the readers time.
I really enjoy applied mathematics but this book was a disappointment. It was not a good daily read and although Ian maybe a good teacher of mathematics, he is not a good author. I did not like the way this book was written. I did not like it's structure, the way Ian waffled on about mathematicians who were dead and gone. I really hated his stupid idea of a maze that the reader had to travel through. It was not an entertaining read and therefore failed as a book.
Ian leads the reader through a number of problems that make you think. Ian does show the beauty of mathematics in everyday life but he does go into extreme detail and history. Ian does not give any conscise answers and fills his book with tons of background from mathematicians who are long gone and dead. Ian is an expert in his field and can get his message across but it is a long journey.
93% of this Kindle eBook is the content of his work but the last 7% is references he has referred to earlier. The average reader will not need to know his sources so that they can check them, you can take them in good faith. I feel that this book has not covered an awful lot of ground but the small ground it has covered has been drilled to death. The reading pleasure I got from this book was poor as the number of mathematical issues covered was small. I did not like the employment of the maze metaphor as the detailed description of hedges, walls etc had little to do with mathematics and just padded the book out wasting the readers time.
I really enjoy applied mathematics but this book was a disappointment. It was not a good daily read and although Ian maybe a good teacher of mathematics, he is not a good author. I did not like the way this book was written. I did not like it's structure, the way Ian waffled on about mathematicians who were dead and gone. I really hated his stupid idea of a maze that the reader had to travel through. It was not an entertaining read and therefore failed as a book.
February 8, 2010
An interesting overview of several topics in Mathematics. Much I have read about elsewhere (Fibonacci series, for example) but the sections on Fractals and on the Turning model railroad were fascinating, even if I had a hard time conceptualizing them. An interactive digital edition of the text would likely be perfect for communicating these subjects to the audience.
My only criticism of the subject material is where the author condemns the "Market Economy" because it cannot possibly have enough timely and accurate information to make the most efficient decisions. Is there even a single government economy that can do any better? I highly doubt it. Regardless, he should leave controversial economic matters to experts in that field.
One other complaint is that the method of "pointers" to items in the appendix (without any reference numbers) made it difficult to match the note I was trying to find. I would encourage returning to the usual footnote conventions in the next edition of the book.
My only criticism of the subject material is where the author condemns the "Market Economy" because it cannot possibly have enough timely and accurate information to make the most efficient decisions. Is there even a single government economy that can do any better? I highly doubt it. Regardless, he should leave controversial economic matters to experts in that field.
One other complaint is that the method of "pointers" to items in the appendix (without any reference numbers) made it difficult to match the note I was trying to find. I would encourage returning to the usual footnote conventions in the next edition of the book.
January 12, 2012
I read this in between other things, in a Kindle edition that came free from Amazon.
This is something unusual: a book about mathematics which is aimed at a general audience but doesn't restrict itself to trivia. So it's a satisfying read for somebody like me, a non-mathematician who nevertheless has had more than a basic exposure to the subject and who continues to take an interest in it at more than a superficial level. That's a gap that there's all too little on the shelves to fill. Though there are few heavy formulae here, Professor Stewart probes more deeply into his material than most.
It follows that those without a mathematical background looking for an overview might find it heavy going. Not that I'd want to put anybody off who wants to make the effort – it's well worth while.
This is something unusual: a book about mathematics which is aimed at a general audience but doesn't restrict itself to trivia. So it's a satisfying read for somebody like me, a non-mathematician who nevertheless has had more than a basic exposure to the subject and who continues to take an interest in it at more than a superficial level. That's a gap that there's all too little on the shelves to fill. Though there are few heavy formulae here, Professor Stewart probes more deeply into his material than most.
It follows that those without a mathematical background looking for an overview might find it heavy going. Not that I'd want to put anybody off who wants to make the effort – it's well worth while.
August 27, 2016
What a fantastic book. The idea of materializing Mathematics into a maze was amazingly done. The author made the reader to seek the ignored beauty of Mathematics and its silent role in the Nature. The more I read similar books the more I find myself ignorant to the true meaning of Mathematics. I could imagine myself obtaining a degree in Mathematics one day ... I would really like to re-enter the maze and get stuck for more time in its junctions, especially in the one discussing Turing Machines. One of the most fascinating topics discussed in this book was the fractals. It was the first time for me to know about Sierpinski Gasket and would like to investigate more about it.
Recommended to anyone seeking to grasp the secrets of the world s/he's living in. At least a glimpse to those secrets ...
Recommended to anyone seeking to grasp the secrets of the world s/he's living in. At least a glimpse to those secrets ...
July 15, 2012
So I had high hopes for this book.
I'd read "does God pay dice" and "from here to infinity" in the past and enjoyed the way Ian Steward presented mathematics as something accessible.
The first half of the book lived up to expectations. I did find the constant reference to the maze a little tedious(but it's the title of the book so can hardly grip to much.) Unfortunately by the time we got to Turing machines I was a little over the book and had started to read the far more enjoyable "how long is a piece of string"
It's a shame much of the book was fascinating. Fibonacci's numbers, calendars and their quirks was all explained naturally in the "just in time" model I wish we could use in schools.
So while the book was good I was let down.
I'd read "does God pay dice" and "from here to infinity" in the past and enjoyed the way Ian Steward presented mathematics as something accessible.
The first half of the book lived up to expectations. I did find the constant reference to the maze a little tedious(but it's the title of the book so can hardly grip to much.) Unfortunately by the time we got to Turing machines I was a little over the book and had started to read the far more enjoyable "how long is a piece of string"
It's a shame much of the book was fascinating. Fibonacci's numbers, calendars and their quirks was all explained naturally in the "just in time" model I wish we could use in schools.
So while the book was good I was let down.
May 25, 2012
This book is quite interesting, it covers a lot of subjects. I find his way of writing a bit annoying though. Stewart does a great job at introducing the problems, but his explanation doesn't seem all to clear and easy enough to follow for non-mathematicians. It could just be the Dutch translation that I've read, but I would not recommend this book to people who don't know a little math already.
Nothing special really, just another "make math popular book".
Nothing special really, just another "make math popular book".
December 13, 2011
There are some interesting nuggets on mathematics in this book but it's not as easy as it's made out to be in the blurb. This is more for people who are already interested in maths and want to find out more how it relates to the world. If you enjoy maths, this is a good book. If not then I don't think this book will change anything for you.
December 13, 2011
The Magical Maze is an excellent book covering many areas of mathematics, including some less obvious like the symmetry of slime molds. It uses the metaphor of a maze to tell a story, with an Entrance instead of an introduction, Passages instead of chapters, and instead of an afterword there is an Exit. It is very well-written and I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in math.
January 29, 2015
I picked this book up again after losing my way with it some time ago. I was reading a physical fiction book which was a Christmas present and wanted something electronic for those moments when you need it. I'm glad I persevered; there were very good sections on the Monty Hall problem and on chaos theory. A bit more of your actual maths in this one than in some of the other books I've read.
March 11, 2015
Mathematics is so widely thought to be a boring, tedious, dry, and useless activity. Building computers out of train sets? Solving optimization problems with soap bubbles and slime molds? Very much in the style of the late Martin Gardner, this book shows us the fascinating and exciting face of mathematics.
March 6, 2016
A collection of essays on different aspects of Math. Ranges from geometry, sets, logic, and chaos theory. It's all very low level stuff, but sometimes the descriptions are not a fluid as they have been. An interesting book nontheless and worth the high price of Free, but I'm not sure if I would pay for it!
July 31, 2012
Interesting topics, subpar writing. Brings up some good non-math points about the need to make knowledge accessible and to expose yourself to varied influences. Will read more stuff by this author as long as the focus remains on math concepts.
September 19, 2012
Pensé que iba a ser más de divulgación, pero en realidad es un libro sobre matemáticas. No es que sean complicadas, pero tampoco son fáciles, y no es para leerlo en cualquier momento. Hay que ponerse. No obstante, es recomendable
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews