Math Is Fun Forum

bossk171

Member

Registered: 2007-07-16

Posts: 305

Book Reviews

Everyone on at my favorite forum (this one) has some special skill that they contribute. I've thought long and hard about what mine could be, I'm not especially good at math (although I very much enjoy it), I have very little patience, and I'm not particularly level headed. But I do read a lot, and mostly math books at that. So I thought I could start reviewing the books I read, and my reviews might serve some purpose to someone.

This is a trial run. I'm starting with a classic book that (hopefully) many of you read, that way you can send all sorts of feedback my way. I'll keep posting reviews until someone asks me to stop. If there's a book you want me to review, let me know. If you feel that my writing style is no good, let me know. If you have something to add, or grammar correction, of a review of your own, please post it.

Also, a question for the mods, as time goes by and I have another review to add, should I edit this post, or post a new one?

With out further ado (I really am long winded, aren't I)....

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Flatland
By Edwin A. Abbott

Math Quality: 8/10
Readability: 9/10
Overall: Must Read!

     I know it might be a bit cliché to say it, but Flatland really is a really great book. It was written in 1884 but is still relevant in many ways. Equal parts cultural commentary and math book, Flatland is a fictional story about a square (naturally named “A. Square”) and his interactions with a sphere from “spaceland.”

     Being a flatlander, A. Square lives only on a two-dimensional plane, there is no such thing as “up” or “down.” His interactions with the sphere open his mind and the reader’s mind as well. As he starts to understand the third dimension, we may begin to understand the fourth. Dimensional analogies quickly give way to religious metaphors, but the mathematical content is contained. It is completely devoid of any formulas or equations, which makes it a pretty good gateway math book (use it to get your friends hooked on math! What could be better?)

     Being an older book, it does have some clunky qualities, and depending on your reading style, you might consider it to drag in spots, but any shortcomings it has due to age are very much balanced by the classic quality it possesses. It’s also very interesting in a historical context (consider its horrific treatment of women as a satire of Victorian age society). It's quite amazing that as a reader you eventually find yourself caring and rooting for geometric shapes, Who would have thought? Geometry lovers will smile continuously while reading this book, geometry haters might find out geometry is not actually all that bad. A powerful mixture of quaint and profound, Flatland has something to offer for all ages.

     NOTE: I’ve noticed that there’s an “Annotated Flatland” as well as an “Illustrated Flatland” I have not read either.

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There are 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary, those who don't, and those who can use induction.