The introduction accurately describes this book as a “mathematical miscellany,” with an emphasis on “miscellaneous.” It is aimed primarily at general readers, but also has things that will interest mathematicians. It is a continuation of Stewart’s previous miscellany, Professor Stewart’s Cabinet of Mathematical Curiosities.
The content is primarily brain-teasers with some mathematical angle (full solutions are included), but also has a lot of fun math facts and curiosities, along with some (possibly apocryphal) stories about mathematicians, some jokes, a little bit of physics (angular momentum is a recurring theme), and some real mathematics. This is not a book for scholars: there are no references and no index, and no attempt to trace the history of the items. There are a number of references to online sites (especially Wikipedia) for further reading.
i believe none of the items here is original, although some of the treatments may be. Most items will be familiar to mathematicians, especially those who pay any attention to recreational math. Some items that I thought were especially interesting: a good explanation (with photos) of how cats always land on their feet; the three-jugs problem (interesting because it gives a systematic solution using trilinear coordinates); and a good explanation of the scientific basis and mathematical modeling of global warming.
Allen Stenger is a math hobbyist and retired software developer. He is webmaster and newsletter editor for the MAA Southwestern Section and is an editor of the Missouri Journal of Mathematical Sciences. His mathematical interests are number theory and classical analysis. He volunteers in his spare time at MathNerds.com, a math help site that fosters inquiry learning.