Stretch Your Brain With a Visual Puzzle

By Brian Clegg

A while ago, I wrote a book called Conundrum which takes the reader through a host of puzzles and ciphers. Now and again I like to add a bonus puzzle – the latest is now available.

The premise is that a spy has put the books shown here in a prominent position to send a hidden message to a confederate.

To the person in the know, what you can see in the image tells when a meeting will take place. But when is it?

Unlike a conventional cipher, the requirement here is not just to work out the relationship between one set of characters and another – you need to find the message in the first place.

This kind of puzzle is an aid to creative thinking – you need to look for ways that the book spines can convey information and decide how to extract the required information from surroundings that are simply there to distract. 

The message is concealed in a systematic way – it is not random.

As a small incentive, I will send a signed copy of my brand new book Game Theory to one of the correct entrants who send in a solution by 10 April. 

You can see the image bigger by clicking on it – if you’d like to enter your solution, go to the bonus puzzle page on the Conundrum website.

Now Appearing is the blog of science writer Brian Clegg (www.brianclegg.net), author of Inflight Science, Before the Big Bang and The God Effect.