Martin Gardner’s books (together with hundreds of others) adorned my father’s bookshelves when I was growing up. Filled with mathematical puzzles, many were accessible to me as a child. His clear, simple writing focused on the joy of untangling mysterious knots (sometimes literally). The New York Times profiles Mr. Gardner on the occasion of his 95th birthday, on the eve of the publication of his 70th(!) book.

He is the world’s best-known recreational mathematician, and has probably introduced more people to the joys of math than anyone in history.