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In this, one among quite a number of good puzzle books on the market, the focus has been on presenting puzzles in the form of short stories or anecdotes, speckled with some occasional humor and irony. This to avoid dry presentations of the basic facts of a puzzle, which might be considered dull by some people, although preferred by many others. Here you have an example of a puzzle: The Roxy TheaterIt was 10 pm in the midwestern town of Dry Gulch, and the last show at the Roxy theater had just ended with all moviegoers gone home. “Hey Molly, how many people attended the last movie ’Dead Man’s Canyon,’ starring John Waylon and Mary Pineworthy,” shouted the theater manager Barney Mudd through the door of the ticket office. “No idea, Barney. I just sell tickets around here,” replied mop-haired Molly as she wiggled her plump body out of the armchair, getting ready to go home. “The boss is on the phone and wants to know, Molly,” insisted Barney Mudd. “So you’d better figure it out quick, chop-chop.” “Look Barney, I sold ticket to adults for $3.60 and for $1.50 to kids tonight. The take was $540 and there weren’t many kids. You go figure it out, Barney,” said Molly as she locked the door and left for home. Barney Mudd remained standing at the Roxy theater’s entrance with a bewildered expression on his face, watching Molly waddle home. Then he rushed off to call his son Leonhard, who was good at math. Can you help Barney Mudd and Leonhard work out how many adults and children attended the movie show that evening so he can tell his boss and go home to his wife Mildred?Intriguing Puzzles Book 1 consists of seven puzzles, hints and solutions chapters, respectively, along with an appendix containing general and specific mathematical information that will be useful in solving the puzzles. There are about 110 pages, depending on the format. The price is USD 6.99. |