Synopses & Reviews
First there was Edwin A. Abbott's remarkable
Flatland, published in 1884, and one of the all-time classics of popular mathematics. Now, from mathematician and accomplished science writer Ian Stewart, comes a dazzling, modern sequel.
Flatterland: Like Flatland, Only More So provides an engaging, completely accessible guide to some of the trickiest concepts in contemporary mathematics. Through larger-than-life characters and an inspired story line, Flatterland explores our present understanding of the shape and origins of the universe, the nature of space, time, and matter, as well as modern geometries and their applications.
The journey begins when our heroine, Victoria Line, comes upon her great-great-grandfather A. Square's diary, hidden in the attic. The writings help her to contact the Space Hopper, who tempts her away from her home and family in Flatland and becomes her guide and mentor through ten dimensions.
Informed by Stewart's ingenious stream of wordplay and crackling dialogue, Flatterland is the story of Vikki's fantastic voyage through the Mathiverse. From the Charming Construction Entity to Moobius, the one-sided cow, from the Hawk King to the Space Girls, her encounters grow ever stranger. She watches two Parallel Lions meet and sees the Doughmouse change a doughnut into a teapot without breaking any mathematical rules. She experiences the universe expanding from the outside and survives a harrowing trip through a black hole. Finally, armed with a clearer vision of the world beyond, Vikki makes her way home to two-dimensional Flatland -- and starts to spread the word.
In the tradition of Alice In Wonderland and The Phantom Tollbooth, this magnificent investigation into the nature of reality is destined to become a modern classic.
Review
"It was dark in the pantry. I'd padded down the stairs to have a bowl of cereal before bed, navigating through the room by the dim glow of the kitchen clock. I'd found a bowl and a spoon, and had set the cereal box on the counter. I never made it to the fridge.
"I can see right through your pants!" the voice boomed.
It came as though from everywhere at once from the very air itself. The spoon clattered to the floor. I looked down at my pants. They were fastened. It was dark. Seconds passed. There seemed nothing to say.
"Do you know who I am?" the voice boomed...." Gavin McNett, Salon.com (read the entire Salon review)
Synopsis
In 1884, Edwin A. Abbott published a brilliant novel about mathematics and philosophy that charmed and fascinated all of England. As both a witty satire of Victorian society and a means by which to explore the fourth dimension, Flatland remains a tour de force. Now, British mathematician and accomplished science writer Ian Stewart has written a fascinating, modern sequel to Abbott's book. Through larger-than-life characters and an inspired story line, Flatterland explores our present understanding of the shape and origins of the universe, the nature of space, time, and matter, as well as modern geometries and their applications. The journey begins when our heroine, Victoria Line, comes upon her great-great-grandfather A. Square's diary, hidden in the attic. The writings help her to contact the Space Hopper, who becomes her guide and mentor through eleven dimensions. Along the way, we meet Schrödinger's Cat, The Charming Construction Entity, The Mandelblot (who lives in Fractalia), and Moobius the one-sided cow. In the tradition of Alice in Wonder-land and The Phantom Toll Booth, this magnificent investigation into the nature of reality is destined to become a modern classic.
Synopsis
The brilliant "sequel" to one of the all-time classics of popular mathematics
About the Author
IAN STEWART is Professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick, where he is Director of the Mathematics Awareness Center. He has published over 60 books, including Does God Play Dice?, Nature's Numbers, Figments of Reality, and most recently, The Science of Discworld (with Terry Pratchett and Jack Cohen). Stewart was awarded the Royal Society's Michael Faraday Medal for furthering the public understanding of science and he delivered the prestigious Royal Institution Christmas Lectures in 1997. He also writes science fiction and contributes to a wide range of newspapers and magazines in the UK, Europe, and the United States.