- Paperback: 176 pages
- Publisher: Oxford University Press; 1 edition (Sep 15 2006)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0192805983
- ISBN-13: 978-0192805980
- Product Dimensions: 20.1 x 13 x 1.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 136 g
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#1,125,023 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #80 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Writing
- #82 in Books > Reference > Writing > Genre Fiction > Science Fiction & Fantasy
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Details |
Product Description
Book Description
'Upward, yet not Northward.' How would a creature limited to two dimensions be able to grasp the possibility of a third? Edwin A. Abbott's droll and delightful 'romance of many dimensions' explores this conundrum in the experiences of his protagonist, A Square, whose linear world is invaded by an emissary Sphere bringing the gospel of the third dimension on the eve of the new millennium. Part geometry lesson, part social satire, this classic work of science fiction brilliantly succeedsin enlarging all readers' imaginations beyond the limits of our 'respective dimensional prejudices'. In a world where class is determined by how many sides you possess, and women are straight lines, the prospects for enlightenment are boundless, and Abbott's hypotheses about a fourth and higher dimensions seem startlingly relevant today. This new edition of Flatland illuminates the social and intellectual context that produced the work as well as the timeless questions that it raises about thelimits of our perception and knowledge.
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Amazon.com:
4.5 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews)
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Have always loved this book..., Jan 30 2008
By Krazy4Katz - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This has always been a favorite of mine, so I wanted to christen my kindle with it. I imagine most people who will buy it for the kindle have probably already read it. If you like a mixture of Gulliver's Travels, Geometry and social commentary, it is worth the small amount of money. Of course you can get it for free since it was written in the late 1800's, but the Gutenberg version doesn't have good diagrams - they are all ASCII. I couldn't find diagrams in the versions available on AMAZON except the Oxford World's Classics edition, so that is the one I recommend. The diagrams are important for the geometry aspect and are excellent in this version.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
FLATLAND by Edwin A. Abbott, Jun 1 2011
By thepaxdomini "The Book Review" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions (Paperback)
Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions is an 1884 novella written and illustrated by Edwin A. Abbott. Here, a square that lives in a two-dimensional world relates his experiences there along with his travels in one- and three-dimensional worlds.The social classes of the country of Flatland are described in such a way as to lampoon the Victorian social hierarchy. Every inhabitant of Flatland is devoted to climbing the social ladder; order is prized more than liberty; women belong to a lower class of their own. Abbott here is not particularly subtle in his criticisms, and one must imagine that the narrow thinkers that accused Abbott of misogyny really must not have been paying very close attention (these are the nineteenth-century analogs of people who think Stephen Colbert is really a conservative).
This dated aspect of the tale may not have particular relevance for a modern audience, but Flatland still has plenty of value. Abbott's one- and two-dimensional worlds are impressively imaginative and quite well thought-out. Flatland is immersive, and along the way, Abbott manages to work in a number of profound thoughts on existence.
Flatland's lasting legacy is its discussion of dimensions. Just as Abbott takes the reader through the two-dimensional square's travails in comprehending a third dimension, so the reader is challenged to imagine a fourth. And Abbott does an excellent job of this, whether one considers this fourth dimension as time (as per general relativity) or an extra aspect of space (this is quite a bit harder to imagine). It also works if you consider the tale an allegory for God and the spiritual realm (Abbott was a rather prodigious theologian), which is not by any means a stretch given the "preaching" done in the story. In any case, it's marvelously thought-provoking.
On the whole, Flatland is a well-imagined, well-reasoned, stimulating work.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent read - excellent edition, Jan 5 2012
By P. F. Brown - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions (Paperback)
As for the book itself, I defer to more erudite and compelling reviews.I wish mainly to comment on this particular edition.
I originally ordered another edition Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions that was total rubbish - see my review. The naive and simple line-drawings of the author are inseparable from the text and character of the book, which this edition reproduce faithfully.
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