The author’s purpose is to share the thrills and excitement of ingenious solutions to intriguing elementary problems that he has had the good fortune to have conceived in the pursuit of his passion over many years. His satisfaction lies in the beauty of these gems, not in the incidental fact that they happen to be his own work. A wonderful solution is a glorious thing, whoever might have thought of it, and the author has worked diligently to make easy reading of the joy and delights of his often hard-won success.
As Director, responsible for composing the problems for the New Mexico Mathematics Contest before his retirement, the author consulted the wonderful books by Professor Ross Honsberger whenever he needed an inspiration. As a result, the New Mexico Mathematics Contest rose to national prominence and the author received the “Citation for Public Service” from the American Mathematical Society in 1998. In this volume he collected his treatments of over a hundred problems from the treasure trove of Professor Honsberger.
Perhaps it is best to quote Professor Honsberger, “This is a book for everyone who delights in the richness, beauty, and excitement of the wonderful ideas that abide in the realm of elementary mathematics. I feel it is only fair to caution you that this book can lead to a deeper appreciation and love of mathematics.”