Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions

‘Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions’ is one of the most original pieces of fiction ever written by Edwin A. Abbott, an English theologian, clergyman, educator, and Shakespearean scholar. This is a satirical mathematical novella that also examines English society during the Victorian era.

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.

This masterpiece of science (and mathematical) fiction is a delightfully unique and highly entertaining satire that has charmed readers for more than 100 years.

Edwin Abbott Abbott (1838-1926) has been ranked as one of the leading scholars and theologians of the Victorian era. He received highest honors in mathematics, classics, and theology at St. John's College, Cambridge, and in 1862 began a brilliant career, during which he served as schoolmaster of some of England's outstanding schools. At the same time he distinguished himself as a scholar, and in 1889 he retired to his studies. Although Flatland, a literary jeu d'esprit, has given pleasure to thousands of readers over many generations, Abbott is best known for his scholarly works, especially his Shakespearian Grammar and his life of Francis Bacon, and for a number of theological discussions.