Book Description
To The Inhabitants of Space in General And H. C.INParticularThisWorkis Dedicated By a Humble Native of FlatlandIntheHopethatEvenashewas InitiatedintotheMysteriesOfThreeDimensionsHavingbeenpreviously conversantWithOnlyTwoSotheCitizensof thatCelestialRegion ... Read more

Amazon.com
Unless you're a mathematician, the chances of you reading any novels about geometry are probably slender. But if you read only two in your life, these are the ones. Taken together, they form a couple of accessible and charming explanations of geometry and physics for the curious non-mathematician. Flatland, which is also available under separate cover, was published in 1880 and imagines a two-dimensional world inhabited by sentient geometric shapes who think their planar world is all there is. But one Flatlander, a Square, discovers the existence of a third dimension and the limits of his world's assumptions about reality and comes to understand the confusing problem of higher dimensions. The book is also quite a funny satire on society and class distinctions of Victorian England.The further mathematical fantasy, Sphereland, published 60 years later, revisits the world of Flatland in time to explore the mind-bending theories created by Albert Einstein, whose work so completely altered the scientific understanding of space, time, and matter. Among Einstein's many challenges to common sense were the ideas of curved space, an expanding universe and the fact that light does not travel in a straight line. Without use of the mathematical formulae that bar most non-scientists from an understanding of Einstein's theories, Sphereland gives lay readers ways to start comprehending these confusing but fundamental questions of our reality.Product Description
I call our world Flatland- not because we call it so- but to make its nature clearer to you my happy readers- who are privileged to live in Space.\' (Excerpt from Section 1)Download Description
Flatland is about a two-dimensional world in which geometric shpates are the main charaters.The Square is the narrator of the book and he tells of his world and his fantastic contact with the three dimensional world.Mildly amusing and though provoking, a wonderful read for everyone! This book is easy to read in true text, not scanned images that can sometimes be difficult to decipher.This eBook has bookmarks at chapter headings and is printable. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (150)

Have always loved this book...
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.

Flatland visited
Flatland: A Romance Of Many DimensionsThis is not the version I bougt, because that one was nott in the list. This is the same title and author and about the same price, so it is about the same book. It's an entertaining story about analogies between two and three dimensions mainly, to come to an idea to percieve four and more dimensions, although for me some ideas were new, I can't say that I can imagine 4 spacial dimensins now, a two dimensional square with four one dimensional line borders leeds via a three dimensional cube with six two dimensional square sides to a fourth dimensional "supercube", with eight cubes as borders and twelve cornerpoints, how I must imagine that is not clear. But the ideas and the story are original considering the time in which the book was written.

Free SF Reader
Flat is an exercise in science fiction geometry, if you like.It shows a denizen of a 2 dimensional world seeing what it would be like to exist in higher dimensions.An interesting mathematical and philosophical exercise.Some will definitely find this very odd, and rather quirky.If you don't know what a dimension means in this sense, give it a miss.

Wonderful experience
Smooth transaction, careful and fast shipping, very nice product, couldn't ask for a more wonderful buying experience. Thank you very much! A+++

A Valuable Idea for Science and Math Teachers
Abbott, the author, has the reader imagine three-dimensional structures from a distant horizontal perspective. The third dimension becomes unimportant, and can be dispensed with completely. Taking this further, we are left with a "society" of circles, triangles, and other 2-D geometric figures, all living in Flatland.

As a science and math teacher, I found this book an inspiration for thought-provoking questions, such as: How would you describe the sphere to someone living in Lineland or Flatland? How, for that matter, would you communicate the very concept of thickness to someone living in Flatland? Or volume?

Visualize a sphere crossing Flatland. It starts as a point, then a circle of expanding diameter, then a circle of decreasing diameter, then a point, and then finally nothing. Other 3-D figures can be visualized in comparable manner. The possibilities are endless!
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Customer Reviews (2)

not illustrated
Why anyone would publish an unillustrated version of this marvelous book is beyond my understanding. Do not take my granting of a whole star as any sort of endorsement; one star is the lowest rating available.

"To the Secrets of Four, Five, or Even Six Dimensions"
This is a book, indeed a fable, that was exquisitely designed to expand the mind. By showing how incomprehensible a three-dimensional world would be to two-dimensional entities, Abbott opens the door, and the mind, to speculation on higher dimensions. That is why the principles of this story are summarized in virtually every text dealing with the 4th dimension.

I believe Abbott framed this tale primarily to serve as a philosophical and mathematical justification of spiritual and "heavenly" subjects. After all, if a Sphere seemed a supernatural entity in Flatland, would not a 4th Dimensional entity seem so to us? I suspect that Mr. Abbott was also a Freemason, since the "regular progression of science from a point to a line, from a line to a superficies, from a superficies to a solid" is the way Freemasonry explains the process by which the Deity brings the four levels of existance into being. Actually, this is a neo-platonic teaching device that can be traced through the literature of the Renaissance, via medieval Spain, to Alexandria....

An examination of Theosophical Society literature from this period will also show a fascination with the 4th dimension as an explanation for spirit phenomena. Personally, I believe that this train of thought is still a quite valid analogy.

I found this book a joy to read, but then, I was trained in classical Euclidian geometry and formal proofs as a boy. I understand that such training is quite extinct in most modern public schools....
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Book Description
An attempt to illustrate some of the differences between Elizabethan and modern English.

THIS TITLE IS CITED AND RECOMMENDED BY:Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A unique and well informed study
The great beauty of Abbott's study is that it is pre-eminently readable. Still, there's no pleasing some people. One reviewer has criticised Abbott's book as 'unreadable.' Perhaps it is, if you can't be bothered to stretch your mind to embrace the quite difference nuances of Shakespearian English - as against our own.But - wasn't that the purpose of the book, anyway?

Whoever you are - if you like Shakespeare, your appreciation of his work - plays and poems alike, will be enhanced by digesting the lessons and examples cited in Abbott's book, which has served us valuably since its first appearence - in 1869. It is, admittedly, a painstaking work. As such, it contains an abundance of detail which may - on first sight, seem rather overwhelming. But after all, would any reader be happy to find that the author has reneged on his duties? With Shakespeare, much often hinges on the nuance of simple particles. Abbott has carefully collated material exemplifying Shakespeare's use of grammatical particles and their place in sentence construction - spanning adverbs, adjectives, articles, conjunctions, prepositions, pronouns, relative pronouns, verbs, inflections, tenses, ellipses, prefixes, contractions, word lengthenings etc. - with supplementary observations about prosody, pronunciation thrown in for good measure.

If certain grammatical useages have left you wondering about the nuance of a particular line or passage in Shakespeare's work, Abbot's study will surely help. Quite obviously, idioms no longer in current use are likely to be among the first we wish to check out. However, more importantly, in a sense, this book will yield unexpected discoveries when it comes to the understandable but regrettable error, of reading a contemporary nuance into terms or idioms which had an entirely different meaning in Shakespeare's age. In short, as against idioms which are unfamiliar and therefore elicit conscious doubt, some of the trickier parts of Shakespeare are to be found in sentences which seem to resemble modern English - but carry another meaning. The fact that Abbott had to devote seven or eight pages to explaining the multivalent potentiality of a simple term like -'but,' is instructive viz. -

"And, but she spoke it dying,
I would not believe her lips.'Cymb. v. 5. 41

- meaning "unless she spoke it dying. . ."

"Have you no countermand for Claudio yet
But he must die tomorrow? " M for M. iv. 2. 95

- meaning 'to prevent that he must die' (or prevent his death).

" It cannot be but I am pigeon-livered"
Hamlet, ii. 2. 605

i.e. " It cannot be that I am otherwise than a coward."

" Her head's declined and death will seize her, but
Your comfort makes her rescue." A. & C. iii, 11, 48

- i.e. "only your your comfort. . . . "


Or consider this use of the relative pronoun:

"I hate the murderer, love him murdered. "
- Rich. 11. v. 5. 40

-which seems to mean "I love the fact that he is
murdered, " when it actually means "I loved him that was
murdered. "

Again, without a primer such as Abbott's, we are unlikely to negotiate our way through the semantic minefield represented by the varied nuances of 'thou, thee and thine' etc. We might suppose that they all signify a straightforward equivalent for 'you' and 'yours' etc. in modern English - but, a repeated use of 'thou' is sometimes pejorative, especially when addressed to strangers, something we would not suspect, unless alerted to this convention. Even more complex, perhaps, is the alternate use of 'thou' and 'you' - in compound sentences. This was not - as we might be tempted to think, a shift between 'formal' and casual forms of address. The 'you' was also formal. In this respect, the subtle nuances of Elizabethan English resemble Japanese, insofar as the stress upon - or relative neglect of - an honorific, can convey approval or contempt, without having to say too much in the process. This is the other side to Shakespearian English, which is not always expressed in 'crisp' epithets of the 'much-ado-about-nothing' or 'all's-well-that-ends well' type. These subtle inflexions are an essential aspect of Shakespeare's English and despite its relatively dated origins, Abbott's study remains one of the best places to look for a guide to the grammar of Shakespearian English.

A difficult approach to a difficult topic
This book was written by a schoolteacher as a proposed textbook for schoolboys -- in 1870 (at least, the third edition).I will not dispute Mr. Abbott's knowledge of Shakespeare; it is obviously extensive.But the history of the English language is far better understood now than it was in his time, and -- to put it lightly -- this book is long overdue for an extensive overhaul.
Basically, the English language had just emerged, a century before Shakespeare, from its greatest change since the Norman conquest in 1066.By Shakespeare's time it was still in flux, undergoing wild and unpredictable changes, and there were precious few rules governing grammar.Mr. Abbott attempts to impose an 1870's English teacher's concept of structure on a chaotic and glorious phase of the English language, with a predictable result:For every grammatical rule he invokes, he then cites the numerous "irregularities" that break it.The followup is inevitable: he scrambles, proposing numerous rules in an attempt to govern those irregularities, until the proposed structure becomes so unwieldy as to be almost unusable.
In addition, the structure of the book is nearly unreadable, being structured more like a reference work (e.g., a dictionary) than even the workable lesson book for which purpose it was written.
Finally, Mr. Abbott seems oblivious to the fact that what Shakespeare wrote was theatrical English, which, while related to English as it was spoken by Elizabethans as an everyday language, can NOT be taken as a consistent example of the same.Instead, he seems to relate every passage and phrase Shakespeare ever wrote to some grammatical rule, which is implied to be everyday usage.
This is not to say that it has no value.As a reference work, I found the parts near the back of the book to be more useful:it includes studies of transpositions, prefixes and suffixes, contractions, variable syllables, and accent that can be helpful to the study of Elizabethan English.Still, I would recommend checking anything learned from this book against a more contemporary authority, such as Dennis Freeborn or David Crystal.
On the whole, I'd call it a useful but cumbersome reference work, containing some very erudite scholarship, but crippled by its unreadability.

The classic on its subject
This book should be in print, ready for keen students of Shakespeare to buy. I have a reprint by Dover, which I bought in 1967 and have intensively used; it is still in very good edition, after all those years, and was very cheap when I bought it. An enterprising publisher should do something similar at *this* time! Although Abbott wrote the book well over a century ago, it has not actually dated, but remains the one Shakespeare Grammar used by virtually all scholars and editors for guidance on the subject, and to refer other readers to. The language used by Abbott is not too technical to make his work accessible to university students, as well, though unfortunately these days few people study any kind of grammar. The book does NOT, as one might hope, offer interpretations of all the passages in Shakespeare which are notably difficult because of their grammar/syntax. It DOES, however, very well explain which grammatical features of Elizabethan English differ from our own; why those differences matter; and why we are sure to understand Shakespeare far better if we are aware of them. The material is very well arranged, in clearly identifiable paragraphs. Anyone who bothers to read the book right through will certainly come to understand Shakespeare much better as a result, though most readers will use this guide for reference only, and still benefit. There is also a good and useful section on prosody at the end of the book. Very much worth buying if you can get it, in whatever decent shape; and should be an essential part of any library containing books on Shakespeare. There is, in fact, no competitor or alternative. - Joost Daalder, Professor of English, Flinders University (South Australia) ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document, covering the life and work of Edwin A. Abbott, is an entry from Contemporary Authors, a reference volume published by Thompson Gale. The length of the entry is 1873 words. The page length listed above is based on a typical 300-word page. Although the exact content of each entry from this volume can vary, typical entries include the following information:

• Place and date of birth and death (if deceased)
• Family members
• Education
• Professional associations and honors
• Employment
• Writings, including books and periodicals
• A description of the author's work
• References to further readings about the author

Book Description
There being no sun nor other heavenly bodies, it is impossible for us to determine the North in the usual way; but we have a method of our own. By a Law of Nature with us, there is a constant attraction to the South; and, although in temperate climates this is very slight -- so that even a Woman in reasonable health can journey several furlongs northward without much difficulty.Download Description
There being no sun nor other heavenly bodies, it is impossible for us to determine the North in the usual way; but we have a method of our own. By a Law of Nature with us, there is a constant attraction to the South; and, although in temperate climates this is very slight -- so that even a Woman in reasonable health can journey several furlongs northward without much difficulty. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Delightful Fun!
Flatland is an account of the adventures of A Square in Lineland and Spaceland. In it Abbott tries to popularize the notion of multidimensional geometry but the book is also a clever satire on the social, moral, and religious values of the period. A romping good read!
... Read more

Amazon.com
The product of an agreeably dotty cleric named Edwin Abbott Abbott and first published in 1884, Flatland distills all that the Victorian era knew of higher mathematics--and then some--into a witty, complex novel of ideas.

Ian Stewart, the author of the equally witty sequel, Flatterland--which adds to Abbott's store of science the key discoveries made since--does a superb job of explaining the original book's enigmas, allusions, ironies, implausibilities, and what Douglas Hofstadter would call "metamagical themas." Among other things, Stewart comments on Abbott's comments on such things as the nature/nurture controversy, the fourth dimension and beyond, the role of multidimensional spaces in economic systems, infinite series and perfect squares, celestial mechanics, and other matters close to the hearts of cosmologists and science buffs alike.

Stewart's notes make an entertaining and learned addition to an already classic bit of writing--one that has never been out of print since its first publication. For both devoted Abbott fans and newcomers to his work, this is the edition to have. --Gregory McNameeBook Description
The first-ever annotated edition of the beloved classic, beautifully illustrated and brilliantly brought to life for a new generation of readers.

Flatland is a unique, delightful satire that has charmed readers for over a century. Published in 1884 by the English clergyman and head-master Edwin A. Abbott, it is the fanciful tale of A. Square, a two-dimensional being who is whisked away by a mysterious visitor to The Land of Three Dimensions, an experience that forever alters his worldview. By contemplating the notion of dimensions beyond their own, Abbott's Victorian readers were exposed to the then-radical idea of a fourth dimension-preparing them for Einstein's spectacular theories of relativity.

Like the book itself, Ian Stewart's commentary takes readers on a strange and wonderful journey. With clarity and wit, Stewart illuminates Abbott's numerous Victorian references, weaves in little-known biographical information about Abbott and his intellectual circle-elucidating Abbott's remarkable connections to H. G. Wells and the mathematician George Boole-and traces the scientific evolution of geometric forms and dimensions. In addition, Stewart provides an extensive bibliography of Abbott's work and that of Charles Howard Hinton, whose wild but ingenious speculations about the fourth dimension undoubtedly inspired Abbott's fable. Touching on such diverse topics as ancient Babylon, Karl Marx, the Indian Mutiny of 1857, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, the Gregorian calendar, Mount Everest, and phrenology, Stewart makes fascinating connections between Flatland and Edwin A. Abbott's life and times. The result is a classic to rival Abbott's own, and a book that will inspire and delight curious readers for generations to come. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Mathematics fun
A wonderful little fantasy tale that explains mathematical concepts of dimensions from the point of view of a 2-dimensional world. It is a fun way to introduce others (notably children) to the wonder of mathematics and the joy of discovery.

Combines math with magic and fun!
With the Alice in Wonderland books, the late 1800s seem to have been the time for really creative mathemetical writing.

Although not as frequently read, Flatland, the Edwin Abbott Abbott story of a little square coming to understanding that higher dimensions do indeed exist outside his world is a delightful read.For those seeking to understand what life is like in other dimensions, Flatland is very comprehensible with clear writing and simple, easy to understand illustrations that help drive home Abbott's points.

Originally written with many sly references to the then existing state of British culture, Abbott's invitation to try and understand higher dimensions was also an invitation to society of his time to try to re think its views on a myriad of issues...including its openness to women in education.

In this way, Abbott converted viewing higher dimensions into both a mathematical and social challenge...points Stewart was sensitive to in his annotations and his own homage, Flatterland.

Although other editions of this work exist, the annotated Flatland is the one to buy both because of its faithful reproduction of the original and its thought provoking and helpful footnotes that give the work broader meaning.

The Taliban treat women better than this man
If you want to make a young budding girl scientist feel really bad about herself and teach her not to trust men who teach math, this is the perfect book. This author describes women as one-dimensional. The Taliban treated women horrendously but they didn't kick them out of the human race. Flatland basically kicks women out of the human race. This is NOT GIRL FRIENDLY. If you give this to a girl who likes math, there's a good chance she could decide she hates math after reading this.

A true classic!
Written over a hundred years ago, this book by Edwin A. Abbott is still by far the best introduction to the mathematics of many dimensions. This does not mean that it is a college-text-type of math books that contain complicated derivations and proofs. It is a novel. Ian Stewart's commentary makes it even easier to understand. Even the appendix written by Stewart is a valuable read which gives a brief intro to 4-dimensional mathematics.

A book for all philosophy fans
I understand this book was written by a mathematician and possesses a juvenalian look at Victorian satire- but this book is so much more!!It is philosophy embedded in delicious metaphor and social commentary threaded in the tapestry of extended metaphor.And who said math was boring?This book is a must for every intellectual!! ... Read more

Book Description
Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions written in and published in 1884 by novelist Edwin A. Abbott and continues to be a popular work read today by students of computer science amd mathematics. This book features ideas which were considered revolutionary in its original form including the concept of other dimensions, and also holds a historical importance due to its satircal viewpoint of the social hierarchy of the Victorian society. This edition of Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions is presented here in the form of a paperback book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Poor quality book.


I bought the book "Flatland" on October 23rd 2007. It was published by Filiquarian Publishing, LLC.
I had had another version of the book, published by a different house, but had lost it. The ISBN number of the Filiquarian edition is 9781599869285.

I am very annoyed at this book, and it is little short of junk. The publisher admits that it is "Publishing this edition due to its public domain". What a strange thing to say! But now that I have paid for it and read it, I find it to be of a very inferior nature. There are scores of clearly wrong words and spelling errors, and the text is not right justified. It seems to have been typed by one or more poor typists, and there was never any proofreading or spellchecking done. The structure of the paragraphs is often wrong, so that things you may think are part of one conversation are actually someone else's, and belong in a new paragraph.

The original and all other versions had diagrams, which were referred to by the narrator of the book to explain the mathematics of Flatland and to show the various shapes of the population. This edition has no diagrams.It beats me why this book was published, except to rush something into print - no matter how poor and sloppy - just to make money off Edwin Abbott's talent.

Peter Vaughan ... Read more

Product Description
This Elibron Classics book is a facsimile reprint of a 1897 edition by Seeley and Co., Limited, London. ... Read more

Product Description
I call our world Flatland- not because we call it so- but to make its nature clearer to you my happy readers- who are privileged to live in Space.\' (Excerpt from Section 1) ... Read more