| Flatland: A Romance in Many Dimensions Contributor(s): Abbott, Edwin A. (Author), Lightman, Alan (Introduction by) |
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ISBN: 014043531X ISBN-13: 9780140435313 Publisher: Penguin Group OUR PRICE: $11.70 Product Type: Paperback Published: June 1998 Annotation: A deft mixture of social satire and science fiction that continues to pose provocative questions about perception and reality "Imagine a vast sheet of paper on which Lines, Triangles, Squares, Pentagons, Hexagons, and other figures, instead of remaining fixed in their places, move freely about, on or in the surface, but without the power of rising above or sinking below it...and you will have a pretty correct notion of my country and countrymen". So begins Edwin Abbott's delightful fable of Flatland -- a world that quite literally lacks depth. All existence is limited to length and breadth in Flatland, its inhabitants unable even to imagine a third dimension. Abbott's amiable narrator, A Square, provides an overview of this fantastic world -- its physics and metaphysics, its history, customs, and religious beliefs. But when a strange visitor mysteriously appears and transports the incredulous Flatlander to the Land of Three Dimensions, his worldview is forever shattered. Written more than a century ago, Flatland conceals within its brilliant parody of Victorian society speculations about the universe that resonate in Einstein's theory of relativity as well as the current "string-theory" of nature. "If", as Alan Lightman writes in his Introduction, "the very dimensionality of space is open to question, then what beliefs remain sacred?" |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Fiction | Classics - Fiction | Science Fiction - Hard Science Fiction - Science | Physics - Relativity |
| Dewey: FIC |
| LCCN: 98005393 |
| Lexile Measure: 1280 |
| Series: Penguin Classics |
| Physical Information: 0.5" H x 5" W x 7.6" (0.30 lbs) 144 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: A "romance in many dimensions" that has fascinated generations of readers with its clever blend of social satire and mathematical theory A Penguin Classic A work that continues to pose provocative questions about perception and reality, Flatland is a brilliant parody of Victorian society where all existence is limited to length and breadth--its inhabitants unable even to imagine a third dimension. The amiable narrator, A Square, provides an overview of this fantastic world--its physics and metaphysics, its history, customs and religious beliefs. But when a strange visitor mysteriously appears and transports the incredulous Flatlander to the Land of Three Dimensions, his world view is forever shattered. Written more than a century ago, Flatland conceals within its brilliant parody of Victorian society speculations about the universe that resonate in Einstein's theory of relativity as well as the current "string-theory" of nature. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators. |