KIRKUS REVIEW
British math instructor Gardner and designer Van der Meer (Your Amazing Senses, 1987) give us a magnificently produced volume--more like a game book than an instructional manual--that might amuse even the most die-hard math-hater. A pop-up pyramid pays tribute to the ancient Egyptians' application of mathematics to such staggering engineering accomplishments as the perfectly square Great Pyramid of Khufu. ""Mechanics"" with pull tabs illustrate mathematical processes as simple as subtraction and as complex as calculus. The glossary (a separate, pocket-size volume inserted into a well on the last page) defines terms from ""acute angle"" to ""Y axis"" in refreshingly clear language. One section on handling data even shows readers how to compare apples and oranges. The tired phrase ""fun for the whole family"" is truly apropos here: Kids will love the ingenious three-dimensional objects that slip out of various enclosures and dangle from strings; grownups may find that they finally understand the principles of trigonometry--or at least that puzzling them out is a lot more fun with visual aids.