I'm sure many of us here on HN were influenced by Martin Gardner's brilliant puzzles. He taught us that a mathematical challenge could be a joy rather than an assignment.

As Ronald Graham famously said: "Martin has turned thousands of children into mathematicians, and thousands of mathematicians into children."

http://nytimes.com/2009/10/20/science/20tier.html

My introduction to Martin Gardner was his book "The Annotated Alice," from which I learned about Lewis Carroll, Alice, enantiomorphs, Oxford, logic, how to read closely, and much more that I can't recall off the top of my head. He was a fascinating writer and man.

Wow. I bought that book some time ago, and it's been on my Must Find Time list for, well, some time. I completely forgot he was the editor.

Damn.

Do read it. Martin Gardner's notes are so enlightning and funny. Alas, sad news indeed.

I had a subscription to SA in high school. His column was the first thing I read in each issue. He will be missed. He can rest easy knowing his life touch many, many others.

I went and auction-bought a pile of Scientific Americans going back as far as I could, back to about 1968 or so, just to read his columns and the Amateur Scientist articles.

Free e-book from the 'gathering for gardner' here:

http://www.g4g4.com/contentsmmpp1.html

One of my favorite people and the reason I got into math in the first place. This is a bit of a shock, and one of the few "celebrity" deaths which have made me feel actual sadness. I just looked at his latest book in the basement of the Strand in Manhattan. I assumed he would live forever. He will be missed.

Man that sucks.

It was to be expected one of these days, but still to have it come true is a real pity.

Thanks for all the the insights, the brain teasers and the subtle humour.

What a loss. He made math far more approachable for me, after the conceptual corruption given to me by grade-school teachers.

How can you be sad at the end of such a brilliant and full life? I'd give anything to have a tenth of his accomplishments to my name when I die. He introduced so many people to the beauty and sheer FUN of mathematics, it's hard to estimate his overall influence on the world today.

So how can you be sad? And yet I am. Rest in peace, Martin.

Interesting, am I the only one that got into reading Gardner for his debunking pseudoscience? A half dozen comments so far and no one has even mentioned that. My introduction to him was the classic "Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science". I still have a copy of "Science: Good, Bad, and Bogus".

Actually, I suspect the opposite is more common, as it was for me -- i.e. that it was from reading Martin Gardner that I became aware of the skeptical movement.