After years of helping to develop rockets for an aerospace company, Pat Battaglia went from rocket scientist to author of playful word games. He has since written a series of brain game books that are definitely not rocket science!
As a youngster, Battaglia began collecting word games that were particularly clever and fun to solve. His enthusiasm continued throughout his professional career. He would quiz his friends with word games and found that the fun was contagious.
In 1976 Battaglia published a book of his collected brain teasers and discovered that customers enjoyed his games. He then began devising his own brand of puzzles and launched his If You’re So Smart…newspaper column that has been in syndication for over 25 years.
His next book, So You Think You’re Smart, 150 Fun and Challenging Brain Teasers became an immediate best seller. That success led to Battaglia to write three more books:
Those four books are Battaglia’s “Smart Series”. They are different from all other puzzle books because Pat (as he prefers to be called) has put his personality (as weird as it is) into each book. Most of his word games are based on word peculiarities. His goal is to devise games that are easy for anyone to solve, yet clever enough that the answers are not quickly determined. He wants to force readers to think.
He is also a bit paranoid about people reading puzzles and immediately referring to answers. So he conceals individual answers (in bizarre ways that they can easily accessed) to make readers feel a twinge of guilt if they seek them before trying hard to solve. When visiting with people he will never give out an answer. Instead, he’ll drive them crazy with hints until they get it themselves.
Being a fun-loving guy, Pat has dreamed up some unique light-hearted features that he includes in his books to provide readers with some chuckles and laughs. He really wants everyone to have fun as well as deriving satisfaction from solving.
Costumed as Dr. Fun, a rocket scientist reminiscent of his former career, Pat has visited schools to turn kids on to words and make learning fun. He has also visited retirement communities to get residents thinking and having fun playing his brain games.
As a youngster, Battaglia began collecting word games that were particularly clever and fun to solve. His enthusiasm continued throughout his professional career. He would quiz his friends with word games and found that the fun was contagious.
In 1976 Battaglia published a book of his collected brain teasers and discovered that customers enjoyed his games. He then began devising his own brand of puzzles and launched his If You’re So Smart…newspaper column that has been in syndication for over 25 years.
His next book, So You Think You’re Smart, 150 Fun and Challenging Brain Teasers became an immediate best seller. That success led to Battaglia to write three more books:
- Are You Smart, or What? A Bizarre Book of Games and Fun for Everyone
- If You’re So Smart, Prove It! Amusing Word Games For All Ages
- Smart Is as Smart Does Brain Games to Reveal the Genius in You
Those four books are Battaglia’s “Smart Series”. They are different from all other puzzle books because Pat (as he prefers to be called) has put his personality (as weird as it is) into each book. Most of his word games are based on word peculiarities. His goal is to devise games that are easy for anyone to solve, yet clever enough that the answers are not quickly determined. He wants to force readers to think.
He is also a bit paranoid about people reading puzzles and immediately referring to answers. So he conceals individual answers (in bizarre ways that they can easily accessed) to make readers feel a twinge of guilt if they seek them before trying hard to solve. When visiting with people he will never give out an answer. Instead, he’ll drive them crazy with hints until they get it themselves.
Being a fun-loving guy, Pat has dreamed up some unique light-hearted features that he includes in his books to provide readers with some chuckles and laughs. He really wants everyone to have fun as well as deriving satisfaction from solving.
Costumed as Dr. Fun, a rocket scientist reminiscent of his former career, Pat has visited schools to turn kids on to words and make learning fun. He has also visited retirement communities to get residents thinking and having fun playing his brain games.
Pat Battaglia
Dr. Fun
Dr. Fun