The night is large
collected essays, 1938-1995
by Martin Gardner · first published 1996
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The seven-decade-long sweep of Martin Gardner's career is one of the most extraordinary in the history of twentieth-century thought. A gentle muse, Gardner began publishing articles on philosophy, literature, science, and mathematics in the late 1930s, while at the University of Chicago. He has since become one of America's most prolific and accomplished writers, tackling seemingly unanswerable questions from quantum physics to the existence of God. The fourty-seven essays in The Night Is Large have been culled by Gardner from the broad scope of his career, and form the most ambitious collect
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I second this! Gardner would be something more recreational and fun than a lot else out there. The Colossal Book of Mathematics is a good way to get a lot in one place. The Night is Large is also great but less math-focused. I don't see any recommendations for Smullyan yet. The Lady or the Tiger is the classic I think, but I really loved Forever Undecided.
on “Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?” ↗…As I recall, the book I picked up had a blurb by Susan Sontag, a fairly big name in the US literary world. I have the impression that Martin Gardner included a piece on Cioran in his collection The Night Is Large, but I can't be sure. (Now I want to catch the bus to Bridge Street Books to see if they stock Cioran.)
on “Henri Bergson, Celebrity” ↗