Cracking the Cube: Going Slow to Go Fast and Other Unexpected Turns in the World of Competitive Rubik's Cube Solving

It is mostly about the history of the championships and his friends that compete. Good tips also

This book is not exactly what I am expecting, but it very well written

I enjoyed this book like a child enjoys a candy. In this book, Ian not only shares with his readers his pursuit of a dreamed achievement, but he also encourages anyone with enough passion to follow his path beyond the limit of speedsolving the Rubik's cube under the 20 seconds. In his way down this limit, Ian deploys a very professional journalist work meeting, introducing and documenting all the main characters involved in the world of speedcubing. Like a Marlow searching his Kurtz, Ian travels all the connections down to Ernő Rubik himself, for a brief and exciting meeting. But the professor gives Ian more questions than answers...A book for all us who stares at the cube, its challenging simplicity, its mysterious beauty.

For anyone interested in the Cube’s history and learn about people wanting to go faster & faster. And how the Speedster’s World Tournaments got started and evolved; not to mention the author, and how he got involved.

In this very entertaining book, journalist Ian Scheffler recounts his quest to achieve the nearly impossible – solving the Rubik’s Cube in under 20 seconds. Along the way he seeks advice from numerous unusual but brilliant people from all around the world, from teenaged speedcubing prodigies to brilliant graduate students and grizzled veterans who have been solving the cube since the 80s. The most fascinating person he encounters is the elusive inventor of the cube, Ernő Rubik himself. Whether you are a cubing addict, or someone who has never solved the cube, this is a fascinating and enjoyable read.

For a mature adult into cubes, this may be great, but for my teenage son?? Just in case someone checks the lowest reviews for this book, I wanted to make it known that there is all manner of cursing in this book. I was so super excited to give this to our son for Christmas, but, thankfully, I flipped through it first and managed to see more language than I care to encourage for my son. What a disappointment. An English major and major writer for multiple well-renowned sources should be able to come up with a more appropriate vocabulary, one would think. I mean, are that many adults really into Rubik's cubes??

I bought this wanting and expecting a guide to solving the cube. This book is NOT that! It's a history of the cube along with the story of one man's quest to get better at solving it. The book is a fast read, and the story is well told... it's a lot better than I thought it would be, but it's not the book I was expecting. "How I Got Better at Solving the Cube" would have been a better title.

This is a great book about a guy's cubing adventures. It is not a "How to solve the cube" instruction manual.

Compre el cubo y pense en comprar un manual de como resolverlo para mis hijos. Este libro describe la historia de un competidor y todo lo que paso para ser uno de los mejores.

Great read if you're into cubes. It's not how to solve the cube, it's about the history and the comeback of the Rubiks cube and the journey of the author to reach certain times. I really enjoyed this book.

If you are interested in the Rubik's Cube even in the slightest way, or would like to surprise someone who is interested, this book is the perfect product for you! Not only it covers the major aspects of 'speedcubing', it also tells you an amazing journey by an amazing person. Ian took the time to gather all the important details, and - just like in cubing - he mastered his work to perfection in his first book. His character descriptions and story-telling abilities make sure that I will reread this masterpiece many many more times. :)

Ho regalato questo libro a mio marito, speedcuber. Ne è stato felicissimo!!! Il fatto che sia in inglese non è affatto un limite, perché nel mondo degli speedcuber sono talmente tanti i termini in inglese che la lettura risulta comunque molto semplice.

Perhaps the only book of its kind, Cracking the Cube offers an up close and personal look at the development of the Rubik's Cube as a hugely competitive worldwide sporting phenomenon. The book is well researched and features several interviews with the men and women from all over the world who helped bring cubing to where it is today. This includes people like Jessica Fridrich, Minh Thai (the first world champion) and even Professor Rubik himself. A must read for every cuber.