Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions - Softcover

9780451529763: Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions
View all copies of this ISBN edition:
 
 

Flatland, a place of two dimensions peopled by a hierarchy of geometrical forms, is the home of narrator A. Square, who takes a tour of his bizarre homeland. This tour provides a hilarious satire on Victorian society with questions about the nature of the universe.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of 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 title" may belong to another edition of this title.

  • PublisherSignet Classics
  • Publication date2005
  • ISBN 10 0451529766
  • ISBN 13 9780451529763
  • BindingPaperback
  • Number of pages160
  • Rating

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9780486272634: Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions (Dover Thrift Editions: Classic Novels)

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  ISBN 13:  9780486272634
Publisher: Dover Publications, 1992
Softcover

  • 9781420954227: Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions

    Digire..., 2017
    Softcover

  • 9781640320826: Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions

    Chump ..., 1884
    Hardcover

  • 9781670174390: Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions

    Indepe..., 2019
    Softcover

  • 9781640320833: Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions

    Chump ..., 1884
    Softcover

Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace

Stock Image

Abbott, Edwin A.
Published by Signet Classics (2005)
ISBN 10: 0451529766 ISBN 13: 9780451529763
New Softcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
BennettBooksLtd
(LOS ANGELES, CA, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: New. New. In shrink wrap. Looks like an interesting title! 0.18. Seller Inventory # Q-0451529766

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 93.96
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 4.13
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds