The Great Book of Riddles

This family-sized compendium presents 250 of the greatest riddles and puzzles of all time.

There are classical logic puzzles, lateral thinking puzzles, “who am I?” riddles, mathematical brain teasers, word ladders, ditloids, and a large selection of illustrated pen and paper, coins, cups, and toothpicks puzzles (please view the preview of this book for a full listing).

This is the first time a collection of such breadth has been compiled and formatted especially for e-reader devices. The puzzles have been carefully organized into 25 chapters, and each question is hyperlinked to its solution, to provide utmost ease of navigation. Alongside the world’s most famous riddles, are some lesser known gems, and some brand new puzzles, in print here for the first time.

Our aim was to create a definitive compendium of riddles and puzzles to bring enjoyment to people of all ages. We hope you will enjoy unraveling them as much as we enjoyed creating and editing them. Here are a handful of sample riddles:

Outside the Box Riddles:
You need to divide a round birthday cake into eight pieces, so each of your guests will have something to eat. How can you do this by making only three straight cuts with a knife, and without moving any of the pieces?

The king’s two bodyguards developed an ingenious method for assuring the king’s safety. With the king standing between them, they would face in opposite directions; one looking to the west and the other to the east, but at the same time, and without the use of any reflective surfaces, they would both be able to observe the king clearly. How was this possible?


Pure Logic Riddles:
There are two glasses. One contains water, and the other contains an equal quantity of wine. A teaspoon of water is removed and mixed into the glass of wine. A teaspoon of the wine-water mixture is then removed and mixed into the glass of water. Which of the mixtures is now purer?

The sorcerer’s tower was enchanted in such a way that it was able to build itself. Bricks, slates, tiles, and panes of glass, all flew to it of their own accord and danced into position. The tower doubled in size every day until after 100 days it reached a height that provided fine views over the entire realm. How many days did the tower take to reach half its full height?


Lateral Thinking Puzzles:
Five men are going to church. It starts to rain, and four of the men begin to run. When they arrive at the church, the four men who ran are soaking wet, whereas the fifth man, who didn’t run, is completely dry. How is this possible?


Think Twice Riddles:
If you are running a race, and you overtake the person in second place, what place do you move into?


Word Riddles:
SOS is read the same forwards, backwards, and even upside-down. What four-letter word also shares these properties?


Number Puzzlers:
How many letters are there in the answer to this question?

You have an opportunity to buy a hen. In fact, you have been offered a choice between two quite remarkable animals. One of the hens produces six dozen dozen eggs per month, and the other produces a half dozen dozen.
Admittedly, both seem impressive. Does it matter which hen you choose?

Traditional Poetic Riddles:
Five creatures cross a field of snow;
But leave a single track behind
Whose loops and bows are soon, I know,
Unravelled by the mind.


Coins, Cups, and Toothpicks Illustrated Riddles:
A coin is dropped into an empty bottle and a cork is then inserted in the neck of the bottle. How is it possible to remove the coin without taking out the cork, or breaking the bottle?


At Elsinore Books we pride ourselves on creating beautiful e-books, and devote great attention to formatting, and ease of navigation. This book contains a cleanly styled contents page that permits easy movement between puzzles. You can return at any time to the contents page by clicking on the name of each chapter.