Call me Ishmael … no, that doesn’t sound right. You can’t start anything good with a line like that. Hmmm … Call me Idan.

Fans of Brian Young know of his occasional “limited edition” puzzles, which he has released in small numbers since practically the start if his business.

We are returning to the French Alps to brush up on some basic arithmetic this week, where our host Doug “Doog” Menzies has written a puzzling equation to ponder.

In 1894 Charles Fey introduced the world’s first slot machine, the “Liberty Bell”.

From the distant depths of the world beyond, something glimmers.

Simplicity of design and elegance in motion can make for historically great inventions or products throughout history. The same can be said for puzzles.

In 1866 (so the story goes) nations around the globe begin sighting a mysterious sea monster.

What has 114 individual parts, weighs almost 1.5 kg, pays homage to a petting zoo, the circus, an Angel, Harry Potter, and has been confused with a berry?

Watching a coast as it slips by the ship is like thinking about an enigma. There it is before you, smiling, frowning, inviting, grand, mean, insipid, or savage, and always mute with an air of whispering, "Come and find out". ― Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;

Louis Sullivan was the pioneering American architect of the Chicago “Prairie School” style which embraced his famous tenet “form follows function”.

What’s heavy and made of brass, has six pieces that fit together, looks the same as four other things and is totally different?

Whenever I am visiting a destination where there is a lighthouse, I find a way to fit that into the journey and see it with my own eyes. So here we are again taking a little tour, or detour, to another.

It’s been a minute since we visited our old friend the locksmith so it’s high time we hail him again. Masquerading by day as Kent’s own master locksmith (when he isn’t a master carpenter), this English entrepreneur has the key to your every locked away desire.

From the mischievous minds at play in the Two Brass Monkeys workshop in merry old England comes their most raucous achievement yet, a set of twelve hexagonal burrs stick puzzles that are sure to make you blush.

Just when I was beginning to get melancholy for having to say goodbye to Wonderland and head back through the looking glass to reality, aliens have landed to distract me. A giant silver monolith has appeared out of nowhere and may hold the secrets of the Universe, if only we are clever enough to decode them.

Things are afoot here at Boxes and Booze, and there’s no time to loaf(er) around. Fresh off the heels of the brass beer stein from Rocky Chiarro comes the next step in this series, surely a shoe-in for a favorite.

“Beer, if drunk in moderation, softens the temper, cheers the spirit and promotes health.” – Thomas Jefferson

“The higher a monkey climbs, the more you see of his behind.” – General Joseph Stilwell

Here’s a beautiful little object which falls into the category of “perfect boxes and booze” puzzle, since the puzzle itself reflects the theme of the blog.

The Lotus flower is an important symbol for many Eastern cultures and religions, representing the concepts of purity, enlightenment, regeneration and rebirth.

“Ignorance is like a delicate fruit; touch it, and the bloom is gone.” – Oscar Wilde

The burr, for the uninitiated, is an ancient mechanical puzzle likely dating back centuries. There is correlation with the classic six piece interlocked burr, a fusion of six sticks with internal notches that fit together in a specific way, and Chinese joinery techniques from the fourth century B.C.E.

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Rainer Popp’s fabulous T9 puzzle lock, regarded by many as one of his very best.

Over the years Shane has created a number of devious and mysterious wooden puzzles, and more recently, a series of puzzle locks. He loves to restore old and vintage locks, and knows the fascinating history of his craft. It’s no wonder he comes up with such intriguing and clever mechanisms.

The HoKey CoKey Lock was an exchange gift from Steve Nicholls at this year’s IPP. He famously made everyone who received a copy do the actual dance with him first. It was quite a sight.

Rocco Chiarro, best known as “Rocky”, is well known for his home made puzzles of solid brass which he hand mills in his Colorado workshop. His cleverly named interlocking puzzles, take apart bolts, and key puzzles each provide a new and unique challenge.

Rainer Popp is a German craftsman who has turned his passion for restoring and collecting vintage antique locks into his own brand of modern day puzzle locks. Because of his skill and creativity, many believe that he is the greatest puzzle lock maker living today.

Inspiration can strike at any moment, and in the most unusual ways, if you let it. The international man of mystery and metal mayhem, the diabolical Dutch designer of devious delights, yes the one and only Wil Strijbos, knows how to let life inspire him.