Fascinating Folded Paper Puzzles by Scott Sherman, Yossi Elran, Ann Schwartz
Paperback / Language : English / Pages: : 314 / ISBN-10 : 1032553839 / Dimensions : 20.96 x 1.27 x 27.94 cm / published 2025
The flexagon is a folded paper strip of coloured triangles that magically changes its appearance when “flexed”. The most common form is the hexaflexagon, which takes the form of a hexagon that has 3 faces. This comprehensive book is part of AK Peters/CRC Recreational Mathematics Series and goes well beyond the hexaflexagon, showing how to make dozens of different flexagons using step-by-step illustrated directions and templates to copy and print. In addition, the book covers the internal structure of flexagons and discover a universal way to describe and predict their behaviour. Creating your own custom flexagons using special software. how flexagons are connected to group theory, computer science, and topology. Decorating them and making books, puzzles, pop-ups, mazes, and more.
You don’t need to work far into the extensive list of chapters to realise that this book is written at a level unsurpassed in the field (in case you hadn’t realised this from the almost biblical page count). I wrote a modest book on flexagons some years ago, but I never attempted to explain the theory or mathematics. Paul Jackson (also acknowledged, along with David Mitchell) wrote an excellent BOS booklet that briefly covered some of the theory, but here you have more theory than you may ever need!
Colour combinations are covered in some detail – everything is covered in detail! Shapes and combinations come thick and fast and by chapter 29, you learn about the “Hexagonal Bronze Dodecaflexagon”! The illustrations are superb throughout, with both colour photos and line-art diagrams. The size of the book allows the designers to use plenty of space in the layout, making it feel less intimidating than might otherwise be the case. It closes with an extended index, appendices and a bibliography.
You may be interested in the origami aspects of flexagons, unless I’ve missed it, there is almost nothing. However, anyone with an enquiring mind will be able to make use of the massive amounts of information presented here to inform your folding. If you are new to the area, my advice is to begin with the BOS Jackson booklet (only £2.60 from here https://tinyurl.com/BOSflexagons) as well as Mitchell’s “The Magic of Flexagons“ (https://tinyurl.com/mitchellflex) – you’ll then be in a position to decide if you want/need this book, which you can pick up for around £20.
Nick Robinson