By near-universal consensus Stephen Sondheim was the greatest musical theater composer of his
generation-celebrated among other things for the wit sophistication and intricacy of shows
from West Side Story to Sunday in the Park with George . But a less well-known avenue for his
brilliance was his lifelong fascination with designing and constructing intricate puzzles and
games from treasure hunts to crosswords to parlor and board games . Matching Minds with
Sondheim is a journey into this rich but largely unmapped aspect of the composer's creative
life illuminating how Sondheim's playful designs delivered moments of clarity and connection
for friends colleagues and anyone who's ever been captivated by his genius. This book opens
for the first time the door into what Sondheim called his "puzzler's mind " helping readers to
better understand the man his work and-if they accept the challenge-themselves. Gaming expert
Barry Joseph draws from over eighty years of Sondheim's activities including extremely rare
and never-publicly-seen puzzles and game designs scores of original interviews with the
celebrity friends who played them archival deep dives and illuminating analysis from both
puzzle designers and theater professionals from around the world. Packed with illustrations and
insights this book does more than describe Sondheim's life in puzzles: It allows readers to
match minds with the maestro by attempting to solve his puzzles and bring Sondheimian games
into their own homes.
