Is there a secret visual language all around us? What's so special about the shape of the Great Pyramid? Why is there something so sixy about circles? How many ways can you tile the plane? Lavishly illustrated by the author, this enchanting small introduction to one of the oldest and most widely-used ancient traditions on Earth will forever change the way you look at a triangle, arch, window, fabric repeat, ceramic pattern, graphic design, painting, spiral or flower. WOODEN BOOKS are small but packed with information. "Fascinating" FINANCIAL TIMES. "Beautiful" LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS. "Rich and Artful" THE LANCET. "Genuinely mind-expanding" FORTEAN TIMES. "Excellent" NEW SCIENTIST. "Stunning" NEW YORK TIMES. Small books, big ideas.

Why is five associated with life? How come come circles are so sixy? What has eleven got to do with the mile? This little book delves into the secret qualities of quantities and is essential reading for philosophers, mathemagicians and wizards of all ages. With a detailed page-by-page examination of the numbers from 0 to 12 it also examines Gnomons, Cosmic Numbers, Magic Squares and the numerology of Games. With extensive appendices, this is a timeless gem for people of all professions and ages. WOODEN BOOKS are small but packed with information. "Fascinating" FINANCIAL TIMES. "Beautiful" LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS. "Rich and Artful" THE LANCET. "Genuinely mind-expanding" FORTEAN TIMES. "Excellent" NEW SCIENTIST. "Stunning" NEW YORK TIMES. Small books, big ideas.

The Quadrivium consists of the four Liberal Arts of Number, Geometry, Music, and Cosmology, studied from antiquity to the Renaissance as a way of glimpsing the nature of reality. They synthesize number, space, and time. Geometry is number in space, music is number in time, and the cosmos expresses number in space and time. Number, music, and geometry are metaphysical truths, good and beautiful everywhere at all times. Life across the universe investigates them. They foreshadow the physical sciences. This is the first volume to bring together the Quadrivium for many hundreds of years.