In 1986, Parade magazine launched "Ask Marilyn," a column of questions, answers, and problem-solving logic written by Marilyn vos Savant, who is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records Hall of Fame for having the highest I.Q. in the world - 228. Letters from readers poured in, asking her questions on nearly every topic imaginable, from the philosophical to the comical. And now, six years after its inception, "Ask Marilyn" is more popular than ever, receiving thousands of letters a month.
Her answers have been debated by brilliant scholars in the halls of academia as well as by struggling math students in elementary schools, both here and abroad. Her highly controversial answer to the "Let's Make a Deal" game show probability question generated an unprecedented readership response, bringing in more than ten thousand letters, and landing her on the front page of The New York Times.
Over the years, one of "Ask Marilyn"'s most-asked questions (aside from "Why don't you run for president?") has been, "Have you published a collection of your columns?" Now, St. Martin's Press presents Ask Marilyn to longtime fans and new readers alike. From the outer reaches of the solar system to the inner workings of the human soul, to the telephone company's policy on unlisted numbers, there is no limit to what people want to know.
Among some of the questions included in this volume are: is world peace possible? Why are the best-tasting foods actually the worst for us? Is it true that there are no two snowflakes exactly alike? Will we ever find a way to neutralize nuclear waste? Do you believe that we are the masters of our own fate? Why is glass clear? Is morality universal or relative to the individual? Which is safer to play, the stock market or casinos? Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Will a computer ever be the world chess champion?
Including questions that have been the favorites of Parade readers as well as many others that appear here for the first time, Ask Marilyn contains the philosophical musings and hotly contested brain teasers that have made Marilyn vos Savant's column one of the most popular in the world.