{"product_id":"the-language-lovers-puzzle-book-a-world-tour-of-languages-and-alphabets-in-100-amazing-puzzles-9781615198047","title":"The Language Lover's Puzzle Book: A World Tour of Languages and Alphabets in 100 Amazing Puzzles","description":"Whether you're a crossword solver, cryptogram fan, Scrabble addict, or Sudoku savant, \u003cem\u003eThe Language Lover's Puzzle Book\u003c\/em\u003e is guaranteed to tease your brain and twist your tongue. Puzzle master Alex Bellos begins in Japan, where we can observe some curious counting: \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eboru niko\u003c\/em\u003e = two balls\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003etsuna nihon\u003c\/em\u003e = two ropes\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003euma nito\u003c\/em\u003e = two horses\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003ekami nimai\u003c\/em\u003e = two sheets of paper\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eashi gohon\u003c\/em\u003e = five legs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eringo goko\u003c\/em\u003e = five apples\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003esara gomai\u003c\/em\u003e = five plates\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003ekaba goto\u003c\/em\u003e = five hippos\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Now, how do the Japanese say \"nine cucumbers\"?*\u003cbr\u003e a) \u003cem\u003ekyuri kyuhon\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e b) \u003cem\u003ekyuri kyuko\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e c) \u003cem\u003ekyuri kyuhiki\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e d) \u003cem\u003ekyuri kyuto\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Bellos finds the intrigue--and the human element--in a dizzying array of ancient, modern, and even invented tongues, from hieroglyphs to Blissymbolics, Danish to Dothraki. Filled with unusual alphabets, fascinating characters, and intriguing local customs for time-telling, naming children, and more, this is a bravura book of brainteasers and \u003cem\u003ebeyond\u003c\/em\u003e--it's a globe-trotting, time-traveling celebration of language.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e *The word endings depend on shape: Flat things end in -mai and spherical things end in -ko. Cucumbers are long things (like ropes and legs), so they end in -hon. The answer is (a)!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBellos, Alex:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cb\u003eAlex Bellos \u003c\/b\u003eholds a degree in mathematics and philosophy from Oxford University. His bestselling books, \u003ci\u003eHere's Looking at Euclid \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e The Grapes of Math, \u003c\/i\u003e have been translated into more than 20 languages and were both shortlisted for the Royal Society Science Book prize. His puzzle books include \u003ci\u003eCan You Solve My Problems?, Puzzle Ninja, Perilous Problems for Puzzle Lovers\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Language Lover's Puzzle Book. \u003c\/i\u003eHe is also the coauthor of the mathematical coloring books\u003ci\u003e Patterns of the Universe \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e Visions of the Universe\u003c\/i\u003e. He has launched an elliptical pool table, LOOP. He writes a puzzle blog for \u003ci\u003eThe Guardian, \u003c\/i\u003e and he won the Association of British Science Writers award for best science blog in 2016. He lives in London.","brand":"Experiment","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50605547225362,"sku":"9781615198047","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_6029a649-1930-4a2c-a88f-2e07dd63fd3b.jpg?v=1732278859","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-language-lovers-puzzle-book-a-world-tour-of-languages-and-alphabets-in-100-amazing-puzzles-9781615198047","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}