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7/3
July 1975 - Saturday 12
Orangemen's Day - 193rd day - 172 days to come

Rcd. [received] a letter from James Koplow abt. [about] ORGANIZED CRIME.

Call from Martin Gardner. He rcd. 4 games from Alex Randolph: HEPTA, PEGGINO, BANDA, and CORONA. (on 5/8 he also said he'd send ISHI and DOMEMO - and he didn't mention BANDA, which Martin already gave me has already given me.)
He asked me if I knew anything about THE GAMES PRESERVE. Told him that Robert Abbott had heard of its existence, but as far as I knew hadn't found out about it any further info. Martin saw an article in THE VILLAGE VOICE about Bernie DeKoven who runs
{THE GAMES PRESERVE RD No.1, Box 361 Fleetwood, PA 19533. Also mentioned in the article were "Steward Brand's New Games Foundation" - in San Francisco; "Play Space, Unlimited" - in England.
Part of what Martin read to me reminded me of WORLD GAME - Buckminster Fuller's. When I mentioned this he told me that he had rcd. a world map projected on an "Icosahedron" from Fullen that sells for $1.25. It is shipped flat and then assembled with flaps and slots, also a cardboard base. The "globe" is about 10" across.
Martin thought it might be a good idea to use an Incosahedron for a game and I said it could be played with pegs in holes. I'll have to think of a GAME using this, and possibly some of the other platonic solids.
He asked if I had heard from Kenneth Heuler. Told him what has happened. He said that he has had the same problem. Publishers hate to relinquish a property and keep stalling. He just resolved a problem with Simon & Schuster over his NUMEROLOGY OF DOCTOR MATRIX, THE. They had about 100 copies left and were selling about 2 a year. They wouldn't release the book until all were sold. He said he'd buy them, and they said then they'd consider whether to reprint. Finally he got a commitment to return rights to him and he bought them for $300. But Scribner's wants to put it out.
I asked him about the game ZIG ZAG mentioned in his book SIXTH BOOK OF MATHEMATICAL DIVERSIONS FROM SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN. He looked in his file and found TURNABOUT and THE GREAT DOWNHILL SKI GAME and others he didn't mention, but not ZIG & ZAG. He remembered giving the game to his nephew but probably has notes on it elsewhere. He said he'd mail it when he finds it, but I said we'd be getting together soon (he said before that he might come here). He said that he'd call me after looking at Alex's games. I said that if he wanted any translations not to hesitate to ask me.
I told him that I had found rules for DEL REC CHESS and since he only uses the checkerboard on the other side, I asked if I could trade that board for a spare checkerboard I have. Sure.
(cont. on 7/3)

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