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The Jerry Slocum Collection of mechanical puzzles embodies a lifetime pursuit of the intriguing and the perplexing. The result is the largest assemblage of its kind in the world, with over 30,000 puzzles and 4,000 puzzle related books. Unlike word or jigsaw puzzles, mechanical puzzles are hand-held objects that must be manipulated to achieve a specific goal. Popular examples include the Rubik's cube and tangrams. The puzzles in the collection represent centuries of mathematical, social, and recreational history from across five continents.
About 400 puzzles from the larger collection are on display at the Lilly Library in the Slocum Puzzle Room.
Jerry Slocum Mechanical Puzzle Collection
Search or browse descriptions and photographs of 30,000+ puzzles
Jerry Slocum papers
Description of the papers of Jerry Slocum and the Slocum Puzzle Foundation, including testimony from the Rubik's Cube patent infringement suit.
We have millions of resources. Many are not yet digitized.
If you are having trouble finding what you are looking for, contact us.
Need Help?Helpful finding aids like our manuscripts index, card catalog, and special card files are not online. We can help you navigate these resources.
Learn more about finding aids that are not online
We can make PDFs, digital images, and other reproductions of Lilly Library materials to meet your needs. Fees help us pay for this service.
Learn more ordering PDFs and digital images
If you plan to use Lilly Library materials in a book, article, or other publication, we ask that you fill out our Permission to Publish form. We do not own reproduction rights to most of the material in the collection, so you may also need to secure permission from copyright holders.
Learn more asking for permission to publish
