Mathematical recreations and essays. Ball, W. W. Rouse (Walter William Rouse), 1850-1925. text Mathematical recreations. London, Macmillan, 1914. eng xvi, 506 p. 20 cm. Arithmetical recreations.--Geometrical recreations.--Mechanical recreations.--Chessboard recreations.--Magic squares.--Unicursal problems.--Kirkman's school-girls problem.--Miscellaneous problems.--The mathematical tripos.--Three classical geometrical problems.--The parallel postulate.--Insolubility of the algebraic quintic.--Mersenne's numbers.--String figures.--Astrology.--Cryptographs and ciphers.--Hyper-space.--Time and its measurement.--Matter and ether theories. Advertising matter: p. 493-506. Includes bibliographical references. Geometry -- Famous problems. Cryptography. Ciphers.