This masterpiece of science (and mathematical) fiction is a delightfully unique and highly entertaining satire that has charmed readers for more than 100 years. The work of English clergyman, educator and Shakespearean scholar Edwin A. Abbott (1838-1926), it describes the journeys of A. Square, a mathematician and resident of the two-dimensional Flatland, where women-thin, straight lines-are the lowliest of shapes, and where men may have any number of sides, depending on their social status.
Through strange occurrences that bring him into contact with a host of geometric forms, Square has adventures in Spaceland (three dimensions), Lineland (one dimension) and Pointland (no dimensions) and ultimately entertains thoughts of visiting a land of four dimensions--a revolutionary idea for which he is returned to his two-dimensional world. Charmingly illustrated by the author, Flatland is not only fascinating reading, it is still a first-rate fictional introduction to the concept of the multiple dimensions of space. "Instructive, entertaining, and stimulating to the imagination." -- "Mathematics Teacher."

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. Part geometry lesson, part social satire, this classic work of science fiction brilliantly succeeds in enlarging all readers' imaginations beyond the limits of their "respective dimensional prejudices."
This new edition begins with an introduction by Rosemary Jann that illuminates the social and intellectual context that produced the work and explains its relationship to the theological issues central to Abbott's career. It also provides the most extensive discussion to date of the class and gender issues raised by the text and of the debates over the limits of scientific and mathematical knowledge in which it participated.
Flatlands unique combination of astute social, philosophical, and mathematical observations with wit and humor can be read at many different levels, and will prove especially enjoyable to readers of Victorian literature and philosophy.
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Edwin A. Abbott (1838 1926) was a British headmaster and theological scholar best known as the author of Flatland, an 1884 novella which was influential in the development of science fiction. Originally published in 1913, this book forms section 1 of a 5 volume work by Abbott on the four canonical gospels and the relationship between them. Taken together, the five volumes constitute part 10 of the Diatessarica, a series dealing with the gospels and their interpretation. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in biblical criticism and theology."

Edwin A. Abbott (1838 1926) was a British headmaster and theological scholar best known as the author of Flatland, an 1884 novella which was influential in the development of science fiction. Originally published in 1914, this book forms section 2 of a 5 volume work by Abbott on the four canonical gospels and the relationship between them. Taken together, the five volumes constitute part 10 of the Diatessarica, a series dealing with the gospels and their interpretation. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in biblical criticism and theology."

Edwin A. Abbott (1838 1926) was a British headmaster and theological scholar best known as the author of Flatland, an 1884 novella which was influential in the development of science fiction. Originally published in 1915, this book forms section 3 of a 5 volume work by Abbott on the four canonical gospels and the relationship between them. Taken together, the five volumes constitute part 10 of the Diatessarica, a series dealing with the gospels and their interpretation. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in biblical criticism and theology."

Edwin A. Abbott (1838 1926) was a British headmaster and theological scholar best known as the author of Flatland, an 1884 novella which was influential in the development of science fiction. Originally published in 1916, this book forms section 4 of a 5 volume work by Abbott on the four canonical gospels and the relationship between them. Taken together, the five volumes constitute part 10 of the Diatessarica, a series dealing with the gospels and their interpretation. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in biblical criticism and theology."

Edwin A. Abbott (1838 1926) was a British headmaster and theological scholar best known as the author of Flatland, an 1884 novella which was influential in the development of science fiction. Originally published in 1917, this book forms the final section of a 5 volume work by Abbott on the four canonical gospels and the relationship between them. Taken together, the five volumes constitute part 10 of the Diatessarica, a series dealing with the gospels and their interpretation. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in biblical criticism and theology."

Originally published in 1912, this book provides an extensive review of Gospel theology and Christology through the lens of the pseudepigraphical Psalms or Odes of Solomon. Abbott compares the language of the Gospels and other early Christian writings with the Psalms, and provides a translation of them, with alternative readings, at the back of the book. This richly detailed book will be of value to anyone with an interest in Christian readings of Jewish writings.

Originally published in 1910, this book contains an exhaustive study of the use of the phrase 'Son of Man' in the Old and New Testaments. Abbott illustrates how Christian writers used the mystical trope present in many books of Jewish prophecy to convey their belief in Christ as an eschatological figure foretold by Scripture. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in Christology and the use of this enigmatic title in Jewish and Christian theology.

Edwin A. Abbott (1838 1926) was a schoolmaster and theologian well known as the author of the religious and mathematical allegory Flatland (1884). This book was originally published in 1913, forming the first part of two volumes on the historical significance of various elements of the Bible. The elements analysed within the books are diverse, ranging from differences of phraseology between the Gospels to the significance of ritual. The key aim is to contextualise these elements as a means of gaining a greater understanding of the meaning behind the Scriptures. Both books will be of value to anyone with an interest in biblical exegesis and the history of theology.

Edwin A. Abbott (1838-1926) was a schoolmaster and theologian well known as the author of the religious and mathematical allegory Flatland (1884). This book was originally published in 1913, forming the second part of two volumes on the historical significance of various elements of the Bible. The elements analysed within the books are diverse, ranging from differences of phraseology between the Gospels to the significance of ritual. The key aim is to contextualise these elements as a means of gaining a greater understanding of the meaning behind the Scriptures. Both books will be of value to anyone with an interest in Biblical exegesis and the history of theology.

With wry humor and penetrating satire, "Flatland" takes us on a mind-expanding journey into a different world to give us a new vision of our own. A. Square, the slightly befuddled narrator, is born into a place limited to two dimensions--irrevocably flat--and peopled by a hierarchy of geometrical forms. In a Gulliver-like tour of his bizarre homeland, A. Square spins a fascinating tale of domestic drama and political turmoil, from sex among consenting triangles to the intentional subjugation of Flatland's females. He tells of visits to Lineland, the world of one dimension, and Pointland, the world of no dimension. But when A. Square dares to speak openly of a third, or even a fourth, dimension, his tragic fate climaxes a brilliant parody of Victorian society. An underground favorite since its publication in England in1884, "Flatland" is as prophetic a science fiction classic as the works of H. G. Wells, introducing aspects of relativity and hyperspace years before Einstein's famous theories. And it does so with wonderful, enduring enchantment.
With an Introduction by Valerie Smith and a New Afterword by John Allen Paulos

Flatland, Edwin Abbott Abbott s story of a two-dimensional universe, as told by one of its inhabitants who is introduced to the mysteries of three-dimensional space, has enjoyed an enduring popularity from the time of its publication in 1884. This fully annotated edition enables the modern-day reader to understand and appreciate the many dimensions of this classic satire. Mathematical notes and illustrations enhance the usefulness of Flatland as an elementary introduction to higher-dimensional geometry. Historical notes show connections to late-Victorian England and to classical Greece. Citations from Abbott s other writings as well as the works of Plato and Aristotle serve to interpret the text. Commentary on language and literary style includes numerous definitions of obscure words. An appendix gives a comprehensive account of the life and work of Flatland s remarkable author."

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, 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