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More copies of this ISBNThis title in other editionseBook editionsLewis Carroll in Numberland: His Fantastical Mathematical Logical Lifeby Robin Wilson
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:A penetrating work that explores the amazing imagination and mathematical genius of the man who wrote Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Just when we thought we knew everything about Lewis Carroll, here comes a highly original biography that will appeal to Alice fans everywhere. Fascinated by the inner life of Charles Lutwidge Dodson, Robin Wilson, a Carroll scholar and a noted mathematics professor, has produced this revelatory book — filled with more than one hundred striking and often playful illustrations — that examines the many inspirations and sources for Carroll's fantastical writings, mathematical and otherwise. As Wilson demonstrates, Carroll — who published serious, if occasionally eccentric, works in the fields of geometry, logic, and algebra — made significant contributions to subjects as varied as voting patterns and the design of tennis tournaments, in the process creating imaginative recreational puzzles based on mathematical ideas. In the tradition of Sylvia Nasar's A Beautiful Mind and Andrew Hodges's Alan Turing, this is an engaging look at the incredible genius of one of mathematics' and literature's most enigmatic minds. 100 illustrations. Review:"British mathematician Wilson (Four Colors Suffice) paints a charming picture of Charles Dodgson, aka Lewis Carroll, in this slender biography. Skipping over the most chronicled aspects of Dodgson's life with only a sharp side note deriding rumors of his pedophilia as 'bad history and bad psychology,' Wilson focuses on Dodgson's mathematical and educational accomplishments: pamphlets and books on Euclid, an efficient way of calculating determinants, astute analysis of election methods, and systems of mnemonics and ciphers. Wilson also includes puzzles (some with unsatisfying solutions); a number of Dodgson's photographs, for which Wilson labels him 'one of the most important photographers of the nineteenth century'; and humorous and satirical letters suggesting political postulates such as, 'Let it be granted, that a speaker may digress from any one point to any other point.' Though Dodgson was apparently not always a brilliant teacher or writer in his field, Wilson chooses some of his best work for the examples, and any fan of Victorian mind-benders or mid-level mathematics will enjoy the Dodo's witty and eager explanations of logical puzzles and games. 100 illus." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.) Review:"Readers will find rare magic...in Carroll's conversion of Dodgson's professional analysis of terrestrial rotation into a whimsical Wonderland exchange between Alice and the Duchess on the nature of time. A biography as full of twists as the capering of the Jabberwocky!" Booklist Synopsis:'\'A fine mathematical biography.\"John Allen Paulos, New York Times Book Review\n ' Synopsis:Just when we thought we knew everything aboutLewis Carroll, here comes a highly originalbiography that will appeal to Alice fanseverywhere. Fascinated by the inner life ofCharles Lutwidge Dodson, Robin Wilson, a Carroll scholar and a noted mathematics professor, hasproduced this revelatory book-filled with morethan one hundred striking and often playfulillustrations-that examines the manyinspirations and sources for Carroll'sfantastical writings, mathematical andotherwise. As Wilson demonstrates, Carroll-whopublished serious, if occasionally eccentric, works in the fields of geometry, logic, andalgebra-made significant contributions tosubjects as varied as voting patterns and thedesign of tennis tournaments, in the processcreating imaginative recreational puzzles basedon mathematical ideas. In the tradition ofSylvia Nasar's A Beautiful Mind andAndrew Hodges's Alan Turing, this isan engaging look at the incredible genius of one of mathematics' and literature's most enigmatic minds. About the AuthorRobin Wilson is the author of Four Colors Suffice and other books, the head of the Pure Mathematics Department at the Open University, and a Fellow of Keble College, Oxford University. He lives in London. What Our Readers Are SayingBe the first to add a comment for a chance to win!Product Details
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