This is the volume that has seen the fewest changes in the new edition, if we ignore
typographical corrections and minor improvements of wording. Most of them take the form of additional
references to the vast amount of work that has been done in our subject since the previous
edition appeared.
Some more substantial corrections and additions have been made to the discussion of
Rubik's Cube in Chapter 24, based on the ideas of several authors. We have also added a
small section to that chapter to report on Marc Paulhus's solution to the question raised by
one of us many years ago: "Can a game of Strip-Jack-Naked continue for ever?
The Game of Life still has many adherents more than 30 years after its invention, and some
of their discoveries and comments have been incorporated in Chapter 25.
We thank everyone who has written to us with suggestions for improving the book, even
when we have not taken their advice. We also thank everyone at A K Peters who has worked
on the book, in particular Jon Peters, who has fixed some of the illustrations. Additional
thanks go to A and K themselves for having undertaken its republication without knowing
what they were in for!