Flatland : A Romance of Many Dimensions

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Summary: Fantasic tale of spacial dimensions.
Review: A fantastic tale that takes you to other dimensions. A novel truly ahead of its time considering the original date of publishing. Highly recommended to anyone interested in interdimensional cosmology. It really breaks it down for the average person.

Rating:
Summary: Not bad
Review: Not bad, but not good either. As short as the book was (~100 pp.) it was tedious and dull. Abbott wastes lots of time explaining the most simple ideas (e.g., the appearance of a square in 2-dimensional space (ch. 1)). Furthermore, there were several impossiblities encountered. For example, A. square is always in 3-space, but is only able to sense 2-dimensions. He therefore will never be able to "see" 3-D, even when he is "pulled out of the plane" by the sphere. I also am curious as to how he is able to understand 3-D, if he is a 2-dimensional creature. Among humans, only the most brillian can begin to understand higher dimensions, but among 2-D creatures, a lowly square can understand 3-D??

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Summary: A ripping good read for anybody
Review: I wanted to read this book because I'm a math major; I found myself loving this book because of my minor in Women's studies. E.A. Abbott was an 18th century idealist and feminist, and FLATLAND is an incredibly idea-packed, well-written little book. It takes on class conflict, women's roles and narrowminded bureaucrats with a very subtle sense of wit and satire. If you read it, pay special attention to the parts about color and women's language versus men's language. His observations are still relevant, even in the postmodern world.

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Summary: Why do I keep returning to this funny little book?
Review: Just last night I had another one of those splendid, long, engaging conversations: a good friend with brains. Rarified topics of conversation: quantum mechanics, general relativity and what happens when people challenge conventional pardigms of thought. Breaking out of the mold; thinking outside the box. Once again I had to turn to that classic parable of ideas and society, Flatland. My God, he had never heard of it! The story contains some of the most direct metphors in all of literature. Part of the genius of this book is the way its metaphors both illuminate subtle mathematical/scientific concepts and satirize society AT THE SAME TIME. We humans are pretty much defined by our Points Of View. No other book I've read (and reread) drives this home more memorably and entertainingly than Flatland.
Oh, yes. My friend intends to get his hands on a copy...pronto.

Rating:
Summary: Two very different books make an interesting combination.
Review: "Flatland" is a clever satire about the society of the previous century and much of the biting humor is still applicable in today's society. "Sphereland" is more a clever tutorial than a satire, but would be an excellent text to introduct relativity and other concepts to an older child. The position of women in society is touched on in both texts; I find the "Sphereland" attitude much more condescending and objectionable than the subtle satire of "Flatland". As the forward for each book demonstrates, Isaac Asimov does not agree with this judgement.

Rating:
Summary: A Timeless Classic
Review: Written over 100 years ago, Flatland has been one of the best books I have ever read. It is one of my top choices; I read it again and again. Abbott created a masterpiece that has stood the test of time. Imagination and basic familiarity with geometry are key here; visualisation is helpful. It's a short book, but if you finish it in an afternoon, you missed a lot. The language is a little formal (the book was written in 1884), so be prepared to read a sentence more than once. It will flow nicely after you get used to the language, and it's a wonderful read!

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Summary: It is silly.
Review: This book shows everything that is right with us it has no importance.

Rating:
Summary: A mathematical story with social themes.
Review: Edwin Abbott is masterful in his rare combination of an interesting story and deep meanings. Abbott exposes human predjudice and ingnorance with his tale of a two dimensional universe. The book confronts such social themes as sexism and class warfare in an entertaining way.

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Summary: An Eye Opening Look at our Narrow view of the world...
Review: This is an excellent novel that alerts the reader to the possibilities of the universe and forces one to open the mind. It is the story of a 2 dimensional creature who believes that his view is the world in its entirety. The creature encounters a creature that is one dimensional that refuses to believe the 2 dimensional creature even when faced with his existence and then encounters a 3 dimensional creature and is forced to question the world as he knows it. I as a reader was also forced to question the world as I know it.

Rating:
Summary: Fun fun fun
Review: One of the best geometry books I have ever read. And a good scifi book too. Before you read this book however, you must understand that the person who wrote this book was a 19th century priest. So, unfortunately there are some politically incorrect views about women in the book (alway a bit less than the men, in inteligence and the number of sides). But, keeping that in mind, this is a wonderful book that lets you think of the world we live in in a new light. Covers the concepts of dimentions beautifuly in easy to understand writing and the interactions between Mr. Square and Mr. Sphere are interesting to say the least. So, to all readers interested in seeing our world in a different perspective and contemplating the existance of other dimentions, this book is for you.