Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions - Softcover

Abbott, Edwin A.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1420954229 ISBN 13: 9781420954227

Publisher: Digireads.com Publishing, 2017

Synopsis

First published in 1884, "Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions” is English schoolmaster Edwin Abbott’s classic work of science fiction. With the use of a geometric theme, Abbott weaves the fascinating tale of “A Square”, an inhabitant of “Flatland”, a two-dimensional world where women are portrayed as simple line-segments and men are represented as polygons whose social status is determined by the number and regularity of their sides. Through this device Abbott satirizes the seemingly arbitrary hierarchy of the Victorian era. In addition to a brilliant work of satire “Flatland” is a thought-provoking examination of the bounds of physical space. On the eve of the third millennium “A Square” dreams of a one-dimensional world, “Lineland”, that is inhabited by “lustrous points”. Subsequently he is visited by “A Sphere”, an inhabitant of a three-dimensional world called “Spaceland”, which he fails to comprehend until he sees it for himself. Having his mind opened to the existence of other dimensions “A Square” posits the theoretical possibility of the existence of four, five, and six dimensional worlds, an idea which gets him thrown out of “Spaceland” in disgrace. One of the most original pieces of literature ever written, “Flatland” is a witty and satirical adventure that explores the very nature of physical reality itself. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.

About this title

Review:

Flatland is one of the very few novels about math and philosophy that can appeal to almost any layperson. Published in 1880, this short fantasy takes us to a completely flat world of two physical dimensions where all the inhabitants are geometric shapes, and who think the planar world of length and width that they know is all there is. But one inhabitant discovers the existence of a third physical dimension, enabling him to finally grasp the concept of a fourth dimension. Watching our Flatland narrator, we begin to get an idea of the limitations of our own assumptions about reality, and we start to learn how to think about the confusing problem of higher dimensions. The book is also quite a funny satire on society and class distinctions of Victorian England.

From the Back Cover:

Flatland (1884) is an influential mathematical fantasy that simultaneously provides an introduction to non-Euclidean geometry and a satire on the Victorian class structure, issues of science and faith, and the role of women. A classic of early science fiction, the novel takes place in a world of two dimensions where all the characters are geometric shapes. The narrator, A Square, is a naïve, respectable citizen who is faced with proof of the existence of three dimensions when he is visited by a sphere and is forced to see the limitations of his world.

The introduction to this Broadview Edition provides context for the book’s references to Victorian culture and religion, mathematical history, and the history of philosophy. The appendices contain contemporary reviews; extracts from the work of fellow mathematical fantasy writer/mathematician Charles Hinton; Hermann von Helmboltz’s “The Axioms of Geometry” (1870); and autobiographical passages from Abbott’s The Kernel and the Husk (1886).

About this edition

• Publisher: Digireads.com Publishing
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1420954229
• ISBN 13: 9781420954227
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 88