Flatland Paperback – 1 October 2006

by Edwin A. Abbott (Author), Rosemary Jann (Contributor)

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'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 succeeds in 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 the limits of our perception and knowledge.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press (1 October 2006)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 160 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0192805983
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0192805980
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 19.56 x 1.27 x 12.7 cm

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Akshay Parate
Worth a day's read
Reviewed in India on 23 October 2023
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Short crisp great

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Alfonso Ávila
Sublime
Reviewed in Mexico on 17 January 2018
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Una obra maestra de la ciencia ficción, imaginativa y fascinante. Edwin Abott, un genio. 10/10. Corto, pero resume nuestra existencia de una manera brutalmente filosófica y científica.

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Rob Mills
really fun little read
Reviewed in Canada on 16 September 2014
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A short read (~90 pages) and well worth it. I stayed up late to finish it the day I started and quite enjoyed it. I've always struggled when thinking about all those additional dimensions we learned about in math class and this frames it well. A great imaginative adventure from the perspective of a 2D square living in Flatland. Very easy to read, some pictures to boot and fun for young and old.

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Otto
Piccolo gioiello di filosofia e scienza
Reviewed in Italy on 14 September 2020
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Il libro è arrivato in ottime condizioni e l'edizione è davvero ben curata! Questo gioiellino della science-fiction è in realtà una satira, ma anche se scritto più di cento anni fa esso affronta diversi temi ancora rilevanti, quali il ruolo della donna nella società o ciò che oggi chiameremmo eugenetica. L'edizione Dover include delle illustrazioni che vengono anche citate nel testo. Consigliato!

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M. Richardson
A Mind-Bending Little Fable
Reviewed in the United States on 6 April 2010
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Flatland, the masterpiece of nineteenth century cleric and wit Edwin A. Abbott, is an initially slow-going and slightly abstract but also witty and memorable classic of speculative fiction. It can be extremely difficult to put yourself into the 2D POV introduced in this story, but it ultimately pays off when the revelation of a third geometrical dimension comes near the end. The ultimate testament to this story's power is that, while identifying with this 2D world, I was similarly amazed and astounded by this revelation, and I now look around my 3D world with new eyes. How fortunate I am to be living in a world of three dimensions, with all that implies! And through short ventures to lineland and pointland we become all the more aware of the true limitations of our understanding that is imposed on us by the nature of the universe we inhabit.

Flatland is a story literally bursting at the seams with ideas. The fascinating concepts relating to the philosophy of physics, dimensional mathematics, and epistemology would be surprise enough in such a short and imminently readable tale. But it is also famous for its clever social satire, much of which still carries over today, if not as forcefully (this was specifically poking fun at the social mores of Victorian England, after all).

Abbott does a good job of giving these creatures a life of their own, though, apart from the ideological and intellectual concerns. We learn about their history, their culture, and get a sense of what it would be like to have grown up this world.

Finally, if you are religious this book will give you an interesting new perspective on the supernatural.

What ultimately makes this succeed is that it would be so easy to make this material dry and inaccessible. But this is FUN and absolutely joyous, and is filled with a love of the curiosity and openness to life which characterize the spirit of youth. Flatland succeeds on all counts and I'd recommend unconditionally to anyone who has any sense of curiosity whatsoever or even just enjoys a good story.

I suppose I should comment on this edition of the book. It is absolutely Spartan: the story and nothing else. Like all Dover publications, the binding is good, and this is the full and original version of Flatland. So there are no extras, but it costs 2$, which is a pretty good deal for this little story.

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