Recreational Mathematics

The collection includes five books by the remarkable popularizer of science Yakov Isidorovich Perelman (1882–1942) — "Engaging Arithmetic," "Engaging Algebra," "Engaging Geometry," "Engaging Mathematics," and "Living Mathematics." These works introduce readers to the world of scientific knowledge, help foster a taste for studying exact sciences, and spark interest in independent creative activities. 472 illustrations in these books were created (in close collaboration with Perelman himself) by Yuri (Georgy) Dmitrievich Skaldin (1891–1951), the chief artist of the Leningrad publishing house "Vremya," who was the younger brother of the writer Alexei Dmitrievich Skaldin and excelled at illustrating the most complex scientific phenomena and experiments.
Yakov Isidorovich Perelman (1882–1942) was neither a physicist, nor a mathematician, nor an astronomer — he graduated from the Forestry Institute in St. Petersburg (now SPbGLTU). He was neither a writer nor a teacher — but he corresponded with major scientists and writers around the world, worked on compiling new textbooks and problem sets in mathematics and physics, delivered over two thousand popular lectures, wrote about a hundred popular science books, and countless magazine articles. He did not make any scientific discoveries or inventions — but he participated in the development of the project for the first Soviet anti-hail rocket, initiated the introduction of daylight saving time in our country, was one of the founders of the genre of popular science literature, and the author of the term "science fiction." He held no academic degrees or titles — but grateful readers invariably addressed him in their letters as "Dear Professor!" This was because in his writings, Yakov Isidorovich conveyed complex scientific issues in his own unique style, with striking clarity and visibility; even in the driest and most boring topics, he could uncover bright, fascinating features, making them extremely understandable even to unprepared readers. It is not surprising that the books of the "People's Professor of the Soviet Union" have undergone dozens of reprints, been translated into many languages, from English to Hindi, and their total circulation has reached tens of millions of copies. This current collection includes five of Perelman's books — "Engaging Arithmetic," "Engaging Algebra," "Engaging Geometry," "Engaging Mathematics," and "Living Mathematics." These works introduce readers to the world of scientific knowledge, help foster a taste for studying exact sciences, and spark interest in independent creative activities. In editing, we only replaced some outdated figures, made individual additions and notes, but preserved the spirit of the time when these articles were created — when the airplane was more often called an aeroplane, Albert Einstein was a modest employee at the Patent Office, and the English writer H.G. Wells delighted readers with his new works. Fortunately, the scientific content of Yakov Isidorovich's articles is selected in such a way that it can never become outdated.