By near-uni­ver­sal con­sen­sus, Stephen Sond­heim was the great­est musi­cal the­ater com­pos­er of his gen­er­a­tion — cel­e­brat­ed for the wit, sophis­ti­ca­tion, and intri­ca­cy of shows from West Side Sto­ry to Sun­day in the Park with George. Less known is his life­long fas­ci­na­tion with design­ing puz­zles and games: from trea­sure hunts and cross­words to par­lor and board games. Match­ing Minds with Sond­heim explores this play­ful, large­ly unmapped dimen­sion of his genius. It reveals how Sondheim’s inven­tive designs cre­at­ed moments of joy and con­nec­tion for friends and col­lab­o­ra­tors — and invites read­ers to expe­ri­ence the same. Author Bar­ry Joseph, a gam­ing expert and the­ater maven, draws from over eighty years of Sondheim’s puz­zling pur­suits. This includes extreme­ly rare and nev­er-before-seen games, orig­i­nal inter­views with his col­leagues and friends, deep dives into archives, and insights from lead­ing puz­zle design­ers and the­ater pros. More than a biog­ra­phy, Match­ing Minds invites read­ers to engage with Sondheim’s ​“puzzler’s mind” — to solve the puz­zles he craft­ed and bring his unique games into their own lives.