ABSTRACT
Persi Diaconis thinks the good-natured “warning” noted above should appear on many of Martin Gardner’s books. A distinguished Stanford mathematician, magician, and long-time friend of Martin Gardner, Persi has written several technical treatises on the mathematics of card shuffling, among his many other accomplishments. He has tremendous admiration for Martin Gardner: “Martin elevates magic in our eyes and in the public’s eyes. He’s such a visible center that people from all over the world have written to him. He picks the best ideas and amplifies them.”
