Well it’s old news by now, but the passing of Martin Gardner is a sad loss to the world of magic.

It is interesting that a few, who were avid readers of his Scientific American column, were not aware of his contributions to the world of magic.

He was best known for his work on ‘recreational mathematics’ and I  feel his books on skepticism are still as fresh today as when they were written. Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science was published in 1957 – a year before I was born!

As The Economist noted “WHERE literacy meets numeracy, enthusiasm meets scepticism and philosophy meets fun, there you find Martin Gardner” and this is a just reflection of his life’s work.

It may surprise some of you to know that Martin had no formal training in mathematics beyond that which he would have undertaken in high school…. goes to show you what passion can achieve when it has been given the space to do so.

So, here’s to a passionate man who contributed so much …

Martin Gardner Oct 21st 1914 – May 22nd 2010