Puzzle Collections

Hordern-Dalgety Puzzle Collection – the world’s largest collection of mechanical puzzles and an online puzzle museum.

Slocum Puzzle Collection – Jerry Slocum’s world class puzzle collection at the University of Indiana’s Lilly Library.

Rob’s Puzzle Page – an online collection of more than 4,000 mechanical puzzles and hundreds of links.

Gedultspiele’s Puzzle Gallery – an online collection of more than 2,050 mechanical puzzles, puzzle reviews, and other topics.

Puzzle Books and Magazines

Chinese Puzzles: Games for the Hands and Mind – exhibition catalog with more than 100 antique puzzles from the Yizhitang Collection.

Exploring Math Through Puzzles – Wei Zhang’s step-by-step instructions for making over 50 puzzles.

The Tangram Book – Jerry Slocum’s fascinating history of the most popular Chinese puzzle in the world.

Winning Ways – mathematical analysis of puzzles by John H. Conway, Richard K. Guy, and Elwyn R. Berlekamp.

Puzzle Projects for Woodworkers – Allan Boardman’s guide to making puzzles, including a six-piece burr.

Cubism for Fun (CFF) – excellent puzzle quarterly published in English by the Nederlandse Kubus Club.

Directory of Puzzle Collectors & Puzzle Sellers – the definitive international puzzle directory.

Puzzles in Museums

Peabody Essex Museum (Salem, Massachusetts) – a Chinese export lacquer games box with 25 ivory puzzles and an ivory puzzle ball with 15 concentric spheres. (seen on 2/F in 2006)

Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City) – an ivory carving of four boys sharing two heads (seen in Gallery 219 in 2011); a Kangxi blue and white puzzle jug made in the delft style (not on display); a pair of Kangxi hexagonal puzzle jugs (not on display); and a Kangxi peach-shaped bottom-filling wine pot (not on display).

American Museum of Natural History (New York City) – tangram, fifteen-piece tangram, nine linked rings, and a peach-shaped bottom-filling water dropper collected in China between 1901 and 1904 by anthropologist Berthold Laufer. (not on display)

Suzhou Garden Museum – a beautiful set of tangram tables with marble tops are on display at this new museum just east of the Suzhou Museum. (seen in 2011)

Shaanxi History Museum (Xi’an) – China’s most famous bottom-filling wine pot with a video explanation and an iron Yuan dynasty magic square. (seen in 2010)

British Museum (London) – a Kangxi peach-shaped bottom-filling pot; a Ming dynasty fairness cup; and a Northern Song/Jin dynasty float (or surprise) cup. (all on permanent display in Room 95)

National Museum (Copenhagen) – a large collection of China Trade puzzles and a set of fifteen-piece puzzle books and pieces in Room 263; and a Dehua fairness cup in Room 265. (seen in 2002)

Puzzle Videos and Animations

Tangram – a bit of tangram history from Beijing’s CCTV-9.

Tangram – there are many great tangram animations online, like this and this and this.

Huarong Pass Sliding Block Puzzle – a brief history of one of China’s favorite puzzles from Beijing’s CCTV-9.

Interlocking Burr Puzzle – an easy-to-follow solution of the six-piece burr puzzle set to music.

Other Puzzle Links

Martin Gardner Video – a look at Martin Gardner’s passion for puzzles, magic, math, and scientific skepticism.

mathpuzzle – Ed Pegg’s celebration of mathematical games, puzzles, and other recreations.

Nick Baxter’s Puzzle Links – links to Nick’s sliding block puzzle page, IPP puzzle design competition, and more.

Puzzle World – puzzles, designers, craftsmen, books, and online forum.

Do you know additional links to traditional Chinese puzzles?
If so, please contact us with your suggestions. Thanks!