Jerry Slocum (born July 5, 1931) is an American historian, collector and author specializing on the field of mechanical puzzles. He worked as an engineer at Hughes Aircraft prior to retiring and dedicating his life to puzzles. His personal puzzle collection, numbering over 40,000 mechanical puzzles and 4,500 books, is believed to be the world's largest. In 2006, the Association of Game & Puzzle Collectors awarded Slocum with the Sam Loyd Award. In 2006, Slocum donated over 30,000 puzzles to the Lilly Library at Indiana University: marking the first time a major collection of puzzles was made available in an academic setting. Slocum's first book, Puzzles Old and New, published in 1986, was the first comprehensive book to include all types of mechanical puzzles with hundreds of color illustrations of antique puzzles. In the introduction Martin Gardner predicted that the book would "remain a classic for decades." Slocum has appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Martha Stewart Living, and eight other nationwide TV shows.

Slocum Puzzle Foundation

In 1993, Slocum founded the Slocum Puzzle Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public on puzzles through puzzle collecting, exhibitions, publications, and communications.

International Puzzle Party

Slocum also founded the International Puzzle Party in 1978. The first eight International Puzzle Parties (an event dedicated to discussing, showing, and trading mechanical puzzles) were held in Slocum's Beverly Hills living room and evolved into an annual by-invitation-only event rotating between North America, Europe, and Asia.

Works

Slocum has authored or co-authored more than a dozen books on the topic of puzzles.

Sources