A Romance of Many Dimensions (Dover Thrift Editions)

Two problems with the book:

1) You need to have a big interest in mathematics and geometry. The concepts and ideas described require you to have a preconcieved interest in both subjects (and be knowledgeable in both).
2) The language tries to be very "classy" and it doesn't help a book that is not easy in its content.

OK read.

Such a simply delightful discourse on on two-dimensional beings/theory. A fine introduction for thinking about the modern theories involving n-dimensions. A must read for every collage math or physics major.

This is not properly formatted for Kindle. It would have been easy to do a better job. This is just a raw text upload with no functioning TOC or proper formatting. The ASCII "illustrations" don't work.

This is an excelent primer on line, plane and spactial geomerty. no math just the ideas put in a way that anyone can understand. If you read it as fantasy to small children they will grasp the concepts and it will give them a great leg up in there later life. P.S. It is also a great story

P. P. S. I know the spelling sucks ;)

I had been intending to read this book for years, ever since I first heard about it. Something about the concept really appealed to me. The idea of a story that takes place (mostly) within a 2D world was something that I just couldn't envision. Of course, I had a few incorrect assumptions about what was going to happen within the relatively small confines of this experimental piece.

To make things short, I was quite disappointed in this tale. There were definitely some imaginative pieces going on, and once Abbot moved away from explaining how Flatland works and got into the story proper, things did get a bit more interesting, but all in all, this is really a rather lame attempt at describing something that is rather difficult to describe.

There is, however, a wonderful satire piece at the heart of this tale, one that shows how easy it is to close oneself off from thinking outside of the confines of one's own world, even when in the midst of expanding the world for the person who is trying to expand yours.

All in all, this is a very imaginative piece that shows a lot of promise, but probably doesn't deserve quite the respect it has gotten over the years.

Too much time spent on explanation and not enough on character and story development. The author obviously thinks readers are too dumb to understand the concepts. Maybe so, but if that's the case, why bother writing the book in the first place. Also, yet another attempt at early 20th century caste guilt dredging. Getting a little care worn at this point.

Every young math student should read this book. And every budding philosopher. It speaks to life as few others, perhaps Animal Farm. A must read again if it has been a while. It is a short but worthwhile read. It can be read aloud easily.

This entertaining little tome provides an excellent foundation for understanding dimensions. It could be of great use to math and physics instructors in getting this concept across to students. For the one Flatlander who experienced Spaceland, it demonstrated the consequences of non-conformity. Perhaps, this was a statement about the nineteenth-century society in which the author lived. Are there any Spacelanders who have experienced the 4th dimension? Do they wish to come forward?

I downloaded one version of Flatland for the Kindle which said it was illustrated, but all I saw where each illustration was supposed to be was what looked like placeholders. This version is beautifully formatted, with illustrations and table of contents. More than worth the $0.99.

A good book, and a testament to the job of the researcher to attempt to explain their findings when there is no precedent for them. The book seems simplistic, but covers quite a wide breadth of topics, ranging from caste structures, to family values, to the historical clash between ecclesiastical orders and the pursuit for higher knowledge. My only criticism is that the book is a bit shorter than I'd like.

the product came in dependable the store prime fashion and was pleasing ,to read. the story the writer takes you through helps you understand his intent. over all it is a very good book, anybody intrested in math, science, or fantasy should read this bood

I had a very hard time with the old fashioned style of language in this book. The first two thirds of the book were very hard to get through. It was hard to understand, as well as boring. It took the first two thirds to set up the background of the story. Once I made it to where the story actually started, it was easier to read. The language was still very old fashioned, but the story helped to get past it. All in all, I don't think I would recommend this book.

the product came in dependable the store prime fashion and was pleasing ,to read. the story the writer takes you through helps you understand his intent. over all it is a very good book, anybody intrested in math, science, or fantasy should read this bood

I had a very hard time with the old fashioned style of language in this book. The first two thirds of the book were very hard to get through. It was hard to understand, as well as boring. It took the first two thirds to set up the background of the story. Once I made it to where the story actually started, it was easier to read. The language was still very old fashioned, but the story helped to get past it. All in all, I don't think I would recommend this book.

I was wasting my time reading it. it seems an exercise in something. I did not want to hang around to find out. My free copy had no illustrations. Can't imagine that that would improve it. If it is to teach math...math alone is much more interesting because when you master a concept there are more to build on.

I read this book over 20 years ago for extra credit in 10th grade geometry. It has the effect of compressing your mind like a spring, (into 2D) then releasing it. What I got was a different meaning than most. And that is...this could explain "where" Heaven and Hell are. If our 3D existance is a subset of 4D or higher as the book suggests, then it "fits" for an answer to a rather basic question of faith in God.

Don't buy this version, there are plenty of others, including free downloads. The formatting of this book is broken such that there's a forced line break every other line, making the text annoying to read. Get one of the others that is properly formatted and don't waste your money on this one.

Flatland may be famous, the message may be good, but as a story it's terrible. The first half of the book (I'm not exaggerating-- it was 52%) is an infodump. Complete backstory explaining how Flatland actually works. But then, nothing actually happens in the 'story' after that anyway. The main character visits 2 other lands as the author attempts to teach us how we have to try to see things from a different perspective, or from a different angle because there might be more to the universe than we can currently see. Nice sentiment. I agree with that (it's always bugged me that scientists say life couldn't exist on Mercury, for instance, simply because nothing from Earth could survive there), but if you're going to sell/ describe something as a story, then make it interesting. Make something actually happen. Have some conflict that has us wondering what's going to happen.

And for all the people saying it's a lesson in geometry... What? Just because it has some shapes in it doesn't mean it's teaching you something about geometry.

I heard about this story about 10 years ago and have been wanting to read it since because it sounded interesting. That 10 year wait is the only reason I finished it-- that and an increasingly despairing hope as I read that something was going to happen. Well, something did happen... It ended, and I was grateful.

While it deals with dimensions, imho, it definitely is NOT a romance. It is dull, boring and, in spite of being recommended by physicist Tom Campbell, author of the MY BIG TOE trilogy [extremely interesting], it was of little educational value to me. The title FLATLAND is indicative of the quality of the book.

Warning: this is a terrible reproduction of the wonderful classic Flatland. I bought copies for college students and was very disappointed in the presentation. Very small print, poor contrast, and no decent formatting. Try to find an older printing, used if need be.

I downloaded this on my Kindle App after hearing about it on "Big Bang Theory" and tried to like it. I really did. But now it has been several months, and I'm less than 1/4 of the way through it. The first few chapters were interesting, but after a bit, I got completely lost. Sorry Flatland, maybe I'll try again in a few years.

Flatland was one of my finds on my recent short-novels hunt. I was intrigued by the premise - a comparative story of different lands, each of which features a different number of dimensions - and by the fact that its author had written the book in the 1800s, long before Einstein's theory of relativity and theories of time as the fourth dimension were common parlance. It was written by a non-mathematician and non-scientist. And it was only 75 pages long! I figured I had all the ingredients for a great, interesting, informative - and above all else, quick - read. Not so, she said. It took me forever to finish this extraordinarily short book, and it was a huge disappointment. It was rambling, overly technical (I do grudgingly have respect for this aspect, even if I did not enjoy the book overall), and (no pun intended) oddly flat.

My dad recommended this book to me & he is really well-read, so I figured it must be good. I guess I missed something though because I found it really boring. I think maybe I'm spoiled by all the very colorful & full fantasy & sci-fi worlds out there because in contrast, this was...well, FLAT. The only reason I read the whole thing was because I was in a foreign country with no internet connection to buy more Kindle books & no English-language paperbacks to be found!!

Great book of life on the Plains of the Old West---if you like this book you will also want to read the following 99 cent similar books:
1. Cowboys versus Indians: Indian Cattle Depredations in the Old West (1895)
2. Deadwood: The Murder of Wild Bill Hickok and Personal Reminisces and Historical Accounts of the Black Hills' Most Infamous Town (1899)
3. Buffalo Jones' Forty Years of Adventure (1899)
4. Clay Allison of the Washita: First a Cow Man and Then an Extinguisher of Bad Men (1922)
5. True Tales of the Plains (1908)
6. The Quirt and Spur: Vanishing Shadows of the Texas Frontier (1909)
7. California Joe, the Mysterious Plainsman (1900)
8. Thrilling Lives of Buffalo Bill and Pawnee Bill (1911)
9. California Joe; or, The Angel of the Wilderness, A story of the war in Virginia (1876)
10. Life of Dr. William F. Carver, of California: Champion Rifle-shot of the World, His Capture by the Indians (1878)

I had heard of this book as one that takes it's characters through different numbers of dimensions, but I did not realize how long ago it had been written. As a result, I really didn't like the book. Not only is it pretty sexist, but a lot of the "story" is just descriptions of life in the 2D world way back when. I thought their would be more plot instead of descriptions of old timey high society and class divisions. I guess if you want a Pride and Prejudice type story with a geometry flare, you might like it.

This edition is essentially unreadable and not representative of traditional printings. It's printed directly from the digitized (and free) copy from Google Books and has clearly had NO editing work done. The book is filled with references to figures that were not included, mangled words, and seemingly random breaks and markings in some spots. This would be fine for a free digitized text online, but is entirely unacceptable for a paid-for product, especially a short book that would be similarly priced in a physical store.

I made it about 40 pages and gave up. At first I enjoyed the description of the flatland but it didn't move fast enough. If you understand the concepts by page 10 then I can attest that the next 30 pages are just like rereading the first 10, 3 more times. Maybe there is something later in the book that is a mind bender but I can say the first third of the book is pretty elementary.

This book is outdated. Like another reviewer said, it is a book of its time. I bought it because it was supposed to present creative and interesting mathematics. It didn't. The math concepts wouldn't be new to 5th graders. The book tedious!

Flatland requires more imagination than I was willing to come up with; please note that I never watch sitcoms any longer because they always let me down in the laughter/satisfaction department. Your experience may vary.

Flatland, a delightfully odd science fiction novel, was originally published in 1884. English author Edwin Abbott Abbott wrote the book under the pseudonym of A. Square. The story is narrated by an actual square, an intelligent geometric figure who lives in a universe of only two dimensions. Speaking to an audience of third-dimensional readers, the Square introduces us to his flat-plane world, describing in detail not only its physical characteristics but also its societal and political structure. The result is a strange combination of geometry lesson, social commentary, and utopian parody.

With no conception of height, only length and width, the inhabitants of Flatland can only see each other as straight lines and must distinguish each other through hearing, touch, and visual techniques acquired through training. This is very important because the society of Flatland is built upon a strict social hierarchy. Circles, or Priests, are the highest social strata, while the lowly workers and soldiers take the form of very acute isosceles triangles. The higher the number of sides and the wider the angles that compose a figure, the greater his intelligence and the higher his social standing. Women, unfortunately, are not even factors in the class struggle, as they always take the form of straight lines. Through his description of this fictional society, Abbott wryly criticizes England’s restrictive class system. When in this satirical mode, the book entertains with an absurdism reminiscent of the sci-fi satire of Voltaire’s novel Micromegas. The humor is so dry at times that in some cases, like the extreme chauvinism with which women are discussed, it’s difficult to tell whether Abbott intends to be funny or not.

Flatland is based around an ingenious idea, but the execution is not always all it could be. Though only composed of 155 sparse pages, the book feels long-winded. At times reading through Abbott’s convoluted prose is like trying to run through molasses. Particularly in the first half of the book, he spends a lot of verbiage in making his points and often goes off on annoying digressions. The second half of the novel is much better. The Square describes his visit to the one-dimensional Lineland and his attempts to explain Flatland to the inhabitants there. Then he relates how he originally became aware of the third dimension when he was approached by a sphere from Spaceland. Here the geometry takes precedence over the satire, and the book is better for it, as Abbott illustrates the difficulty in comprehending dimensions above and beyond those which we experience with our senses. The book ends on a high note as Abbott delves deeper and deeper into the philosophical implications of multi-dimensional geometry. On the one hand, the Square and his third-dimensional awakening stands as a sympathetic surrogate for those who claim to have experienced religious revelations. On the other hand, the spirituality of those revelations are called into question as possibly being sensory experiences of geometrical dimensions higher than our own. Once again, how much of such speculation is intended to be serious or humorous is unclear.

For the mathematically minded, the contemplation of fourth-, fifth-, or higher-dimensional worlds is a perplexing but fascinating pursuit. Though the relevance of some of its social satire may have worn off with the end of the Victorian Era, Flatland can still speak to those with an interest in such abstract intellectual exercises, and it does so in a way that is both provocative and amusing.

I'm YEARS late in reading this book. I first spotted it on the shelf of one of my high-school math teachers, and I thought it looked interesting and asked if I could read it. He sadly declined, saying "you won't like it, it's pretty sexist." Over a decade later, as an adult, I finally got my hands on a copy of it... and while I wouldn't call it an entertaining read exactly, it's certainly VERY thought-provoking. And I have to disagree with my old teacher -- it's not so much sexist as it is a scathing commentary on misogyny (and eugenics, and class separation, and religious suppression of scientific advancement...). And somehow it manages to pack all this social commentary in with a fascinating exploration of various dimensions, and just how higher and lower dimensions would look to an outsider.

"Flatland" follows A. Square, the square-shaped inhabitant of the titular Flatland. He spends the first half of the book detailing the nature and culture of his world, and seems content with his lot in life -- he may not have as many sides as one of the noble class of multi-sided polygons or the priestly Circles, but at least he isn't a brutish Triangle or a female Line. His world is upended one night, however, when he dreams of a world of two dimensions, inhabited by Lines... and later, when a visitor of the third dimension, the enigmatic Sphere, appears in his home, he learns the truth about his world. There are higher and lower dimensions than the two-dimensional Flatland, and as he visits these mysterious worlds he learns that some astounding truths have been hidden from him by the government of Flatland. He decides it's time to spread the truth... but his crusade has terrible consequences, and Flatland society will do anything to keep him quiet...

If you pick this up expecting it to merely be an entertaining story, you'll probably be disappointed -- there's not so much a story here as there is an exploration of what a 2D universe might be like, and how higher and lower dimensions would appear to one from this sort of universe. On one level it works as a sort of introduction to basic geometry and to inter-dimensional thinking, and is fascinating reading to anyone with a mathematical knack. Even the legendary Isaac Asimov has praised this book as "the best introduction one can find into the manner of perceiving dimensions." (Quote his)

On another level, however, author Edwin Abbott wrote this book as a scathing commentary of his time period. The culture of Flatland is horrifically sexist and racist, dismissing both women and polygons with less than four sides as somehow less than "human" and stupid, vicious brutes... but in all honesty, this isn't much different from Victorian-era thoughts of the day, which thought very little of women, the lower classes, and people of different races. And the thought of the Circle-priests deliberately withholding information on the higher dimensions isn't much different from how religious leaders have suppressed scientific advancement for centuries -- something that plagues our society even today.

While the story itself is rather lacking, this novel is still a surprisingly creative exploration of mathematics and dimensions... and a biting commentary on the prejudice and misogyny of its time. When my teacher called it "sexist," I have to wonder if he just missed the satirical part of it, or if he thought a high-school student wouldn't understand satire. Regardless, it's still a worthwhile read, both as mathematical creativity and as a fascinating social commentary that still resonates today.

The first time I heard of the book Flatland was about 15 years ago when a friend asked what I thought a hand would look like if I were a two-dimensional being. He described one possible experience, if a 2D being were on a flat surface but looking "upward", a hand coming toward it might appear to be five circles increasing in size, with no clear indication that the were 3D fingers attached to a very real 3D hand.

I loved the thought experiment and we discussed matters of limited perception for some time, with him finally recommending Abbott's classic novella. It was a few years later when I finally read it for the first time. I was on a flight from Tucson to Detroit and finished it before we landed. It stuck with me and I've returned a few times since, most recently last week.

The story is told in the first person by A. Square, a cleverly named 2D being that exists in Flatland. The book could almost be considered two distinct stories. The first part is a detailed description of life in Flatland, which is dominated by a rigid hierarchy based on the number and regularity of angles one has. This part of the book is said to be a satirical look at Victorian England and its elitist structure and legal and social institutions. It is incredibly witty, especially told from the perspective of a square who finds the rules and habits, even the most barbarous and cruel of them, quite natural and beneficial.

The descriptions of life in (or rather on) Flatland are analogous to much more than just Victorian England. It's a geometric allegory to the horrifically tyrannical society praised by Plato in his Republic. It also has a very Darwinistic, mechanistic flavor in terms of individual progress being the result almost entirely of biological progress with each successive generation. There is also an especially cutting description of teachers and schools that I very much enjoyed.

The second part of the book is what has made it a classic and popular among math geeks, physicists, and philosophers. It describes the Square's discovery of other dimensions. First in a dream he descends to Lineland, where only a single dimension exists and the denizens and King are incapable of understanding him when he tries to convince them that he exists in two dimensions rather than one. They experience him as a point on a line that appears and disappears as her moves side to side.

This dreamtrip to Lineland precedes the Square's excursion to Spaceland and provides a brilliant backdrop and analogy both for the character and the reader. There is something very powerful buried in the sequence of events: he must first descend, go lower or more basic as it were, in order to ascend to something greater and more complex. The secrets of Spaceland are only (barely and with great difficulty) comprehensible to A. because of his ability to analogize his descent into Lineland and see from his perspective how limited to understanding of Linelanders was. First go within in order to go without.

The Sphere that visits him and brings him into Spaceland reveals how things appear from his 3D perspective and wows the Square with new vistas. They descend even further into a dimensionless Pointland briefly, which is one of the most captivating passages in the book. The journey as a whole is reminiscent of the fabulous scene at the end of the movie Men in Black, where the camera zooms out so far as to reveal our entire galaxy to be contained within a marble being tossed in a game by some great galactic creature.

The Square, being newly enlightened by all this, proceeds to speculate on the existence of additional dimensions. The Sphere, seeming so wise when revealing to the Flatlander a third dimension, is baffled and stubbornly resistant to the possibility of additional dimensions beyond his own, an excellent example of how the newly learned are often better at finding even deeper truths than those for whom knowledge is old habit.

A few minor observations that stuck out to me in this reading:

Things banned in Flatland include any house or building with acute angles, because from the vantage point of a Flatlander all shapes appear as lines until felt up close and therefore a sharp angle could seriously injure someone who bumped into it. From their perspective, this prohibition seems perfectly reasonable. But if they only had greater knowledge and perspective to see the additional dimensions of reality, no angle no matter how acute could pose a threat. Isn't this the way all strict prohibitionism works?

In Flatland a being can distinguish shapes not only by feeling them, but also through sight. Since everything appears as a line the only thing that makes sight recognition possible is the presence of fog. If, say, a Pentagon was coming toward you in Flatland even though it would appear as a single straight line you could see it's leading angle more brightly than it's sides, receding into the fog as it were. This is important because an irregular shape might be dangerous, whereas a near-circle would command great respect and deference. The book provides a fuller and clearer description of sight recognition, but I was struck by a simple analogy. Given our limited powers of perception, we often require various forms of "fog" in order to distinguish one person from another and see their true nature. When approached in a fogless environment, people may appear to have equal angularity and an equal number of sides at least until we become intimate enough to "feel" them. But fog - hardship, challenge, difficulty - provides a backdrop against which the unique shapes of each being can be distinguished.

There is so much in this book to ponder and explore. The existence of dimensions we are currently incapable of perceiving not least among them. But the lesser appreciated social and political satire in the first half of the book deserves exploration and discussion as well.

Go check it out. Let it take your mind "Upward, but not Northward".

Author shows us an imaginary land, civilization of beings that are inferior to humans.

Into the book you realize that it is teaching humans how limited, low on the evolutionary scale we are, our thinking is limited by beliefs, many false and robotic action. Book shows where we are as compared to higher, more evolved beings, worlds.
Our view is limited, just as the flat lines, shapes in the beings, things in the lower world described in this book.

We can open our minds, grow and evolve.

I was referred to this book through reading; My Big TOE - The Complete Trilogy by Thomas Campbell.

Am learning and hope to grow from the knowledge in both books and many others he refers to.

As I grow older I realize the time I wasted that could have been used in developing the spiritual side; have read of certain practices that prolong life, some that conquer death and illness. People like Jesus, other saints... are at that level, have that ability.

I am not. But it doesn't hurt to start at my present level and work toward that positive and entertaining goal. Its work at times, but it’s worth it. The results are permanent. Something that cannot be taken from you.

Robert Monroe (Journeys Out of The Body and other books mentioned meeting a being that was hundreds, (maybe thousands, I have to find the paragraph) of years old. A very advanced human. When asked how he hides his identity, age; he-she replied; I just keep changing jobs.

The earth is round. But many of our minds-thoughts are limited as would be as a flat surface.

This book is free as public domain. But is definitely worth having an original in your hand. Look for the antique, unaltered.

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions is an 1884 novella written and illustrated by Edwin A. Abbott. Here, a square that lives in a two-dimensional world relates his experiences there along with his travels in one- and three-dimensional worlds.

The social classes of the country of Flatland are described in such a way as to lampoon the Victorian social hierarchy. Every inhabitant of Flatland is devoted to climbing the social ladder; order is prized more than liberty; women belong to a lower class of their own. Abbott here is not particularly subtle in his criticisms, and one must imagine that the narrow thinkers that accused Abbott of misogyny really must not have been paying very close attention (these are the nineteenth-century analogs of people who think Stephen Colbert is really a conservative).

This dated aspect of the tale may not have particular relevance for a modern audience, but Flatland still has plenty of value. Abbott's one- and two-dimensional worlds are impressively imaginative and quite well thought-out. Flatland is immersive, and along the way, Abbott manages to work in a number of profound thoughts on existence.

Flatland's lasting legacy is its discussion of dimensions. Just as Abbott takes the reader through the two-dimensional square's travails in comprehending a third dimension, so the reader is challenged to imagine a fourth. And Abbott does an excellent job of this, whether one considers this fourth dimension as time (as per general relativity) or an extra aspect of space (this is quite a bit harder to imagine). It also works if you consider the tale an allegory for God and the spiritual realm (Abbott was a rather prodigious theologian), which is not by any means a stretch given the "preaching" done in the story. In any case, it's marvelously thought-provoking.

On the whole, Flatland is a well-imagined, well-reasoned, stimulating work.

In "Flatland", Edwin A. Abbot uses fiction to provide a unique understanding of dimensions. Rather than start with a three-dimensional subject and descend "downward," he starts in the "middle," with a two-dimensional square in Flatland that first visits a one-dimensional world called Lineland before "ascending" to the three-dimensional world of Spaceland. Abbot's narrative technique is quite effective in setting up his explanation of spatial geometry, though the first part of his story suffers from many of the biases and prejudices of his day. The first half of the book, and much of the second half, is replete with blatant misogyny and an approving portrayal of eugenics. Though Abbot's work plays a significant role in speculative fiction, he could not escape the views of his own time even as he invented new worlds. This work will interest fans of speculative fiction and those looking at the history of science fiction, but is unpalatable to modern sensibilities.

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions is an 1884 novella written and illustrated by Edwin A. Abbott. Here, a square that lives in a two-dimensional world relates his experiences there along with his travels in one- and three-dimensional worlds.

The social classes of the country of Flatland are described in such a way as to lampoon the Victorian social hierarchy. Every inhabitant of Flatland is devoted to climbing the social ladder; order is prized more than liberty; women belong to a lower class of their own. Abbott here is not particularly subtle in his criticisms, and one must imagine that the narrow thinkers that accused Abbott of misogyny really must not have been paying very close attention (these are the nineteenth-century analogs of people who think Stephen Colbert is really a conservative).

This dated aspect of the tale may not have particular relevance for a modern audience, but Flatland still has plenty of value. Abbott's one- and two-dimensional worlds are impressively imaginative and quite well thought-out. Flatland is immersive, and along the way, Abbott manages to work in a number of profound thoughts on existence.

Flatland's lasting legacy is its discussion of dimensions. Just as Abbott takes the reader through the two-dimensional square's travails in comprehending a third dimension, so the reader is challenged to imagine a fourth. And Abbott does an excellent job of this, whether one considers this fourth dimension as time (as per general relativity) or an extra aspect of space (this is quite a bit harder to imagine). It also works if you consider the tale an allegory for God and the spiritual realm (Abbott was a rather prodigious theologian), which is not by any means a stretch given the "preaching" done in the story. In any case, it's marvelously thought-provoking.

On the whole, Flatland is a well-imagined, well-reasoned, stimulating work.

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions is an 1884 novella written and illustrated by Edwin A. Abbott. Here, a square that lives in a two-dimensional world relates his experiences there along with his travels in one- and three-dimensional worlds.

The social classes of the country of Flatland are described in such a way as to lampoon the Victorian social hierarchy. Every inhabitant of Flatland is devoted to climbing the social ladder; order is prized more than liberty; women belong to a lower class of their own. Abbott here is not particularly subtle in his criticisms, and one must imagine that the narrow thinkers that accused Abbott of misogyny really must not have been paying very close attention (these are the nineteenth-century analogs of people who think Stephen Colbert is really a conservative).

This dated aspect of the tale may not have particular relevance for a modern audience, but Flatland still has plenty of value. Abbott's one- and two-dimensional worlds are impressively imaginative and quite well thought-out. Flatland is immersive, and along the way, Abbott manages to work in a number of profound thoughts on existence.

Flatland's lasting legacy is its discussion of dimensions. Just as Abbott takes the reader through the two-dimensional square's travails in comprehending a third dimension, so the reader is challenged to imagine a fourth. And Abbott does an excellent job of this, whether one considers this fourth dimension as time (as per general relativity) or an extra aspect of space (this is quite a bit harder to imagine). It also works if you consider the tale an allegory for God and the spiritual realm (Abbott was a rather prodigious theologian), which is not by any means a stretch given the "preaching" done in the story. In any case, it's marvelously thought-provoking.

On the whole, Flatland is a well-imagined, well-reasoned, stimulating work.

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions, published in 1884, is Edwin A. Abbott's social satire and Christian apologetic. As a Cambridge mathematician, theologian, and schoolmaster, Abbott had a lot to say about his Victorian society and about being open-minded to the supernatural. He does this from the point of view of a humble square that lives in Flatland, a world of only two dimensions.

For the first half of the book ("This World"), the square explains the demography of Flatland, all the while offering hilarious social satire. He begins at the lowest social stratum (women, who are straight lines) and ends with the king, who has so many sides that he's indistinguishable from a circle. Low-class men, such as soldiers, are isosceles triangles with sharp acute angles. Since the brain is the size of the smallest angle, these men are stupid, but their sharp angles provide offensive weapons. Anyone who has an angle under 60° is a serf. Women, of course, have no angles, which means they are brainless and irrational (and Abbot provides plenty of tongue-in-cheek evidence for this fact). But women have a mouth on one end, and it can effectively be used as a dagger. When viewed from the back, a woman is hard to notice since she is seen only as a point, thus she must sway her bottom back and forth to alert others of her dangerous presence.

Pretending that he's merely explaining Flatland society to his readers in "Spaceland," Abbot mercilessly mocks his era's class structure, fashion, aristocratic marriage and parenting practices, the education system and school board politics, and government. All of this is done in a reasonable-sounding lecturing tone:
Obviously then a Woman is not to be irritated as long as she is in a position where she can turn round. When you have them in their apartments -- which are constructed with a view to denying them that power -- you can say and do what you like; for they are then wholly impotent for mischief, and will not remember a few minutes hence the incident for which they may be at this moment threatening you with death, nor the promises which you may have found it necessary to make in order to pacify their fury.

In the second half of the book ("Other Worlds") the square explains his vision of a one-dimensional realm called "Lineland" where he meets the king of Lineland who can't imagine Flatland, a world of two dimensions. The square thinks this is amusing, so he torments the belligerent king by using the second dimension to speak to the king from above, to magically pop in and out of the King's view, and to offer predictions about who is approaching the king from afar (image in review at FanLit). With his omniscience and omnipresence, the square bewilders the king of Lineland.

Upon his return to Flatland, the square is confronted by a sphere from our Spaceland of three dimensions who, poised in the third dimension, can view all of Flatland. To the Flatlanders the sphere looks like a circle of changing diameter, and to Linelanders he seems to be only two lines (see the image at FanLit). The sphere can pop in and out of Flatland and Lineland as he wills, can see inside (and even manipulate) houses and bodies, and can make predictions about the future based on what he sees from his viewpoint. Our square, who harassed the king of Lineland for his inability to imagine Flatland, is now flummoxed at the thought of a dimension he can't perceive, but he believes it because he has witnessed the sphere's power and he remembers his analogous encounter in one-dimensional Lineland. When the square tries to preach this new teaching, though, he meets resistance from unbelievers.

The metaphor, of course, is that we in Spaceland, being confined to only the dimensions we are able to perceive, can't imagine more dimensions in which other beings exist and may be able to visit, view, or manipulate us. This idea isn't at all new to me, but I found Abbott's explanation to be a very convincing line of reasoning and, perhaps, a way to imagine what it must be like to be God. Flatland is best known, by the way, as a treatise on dimensionality and is considered by scientists to be prophetic in its use of unseen dimensions to explain physical phenomena.

Flatland is available in the public domain, but I chose to listen to Blackstone Audio's recent version which is four hours long and read by Robin Field. The audiobook does not come with Edwin Abbott's drawings, but I had no trouble imagining them because they're thoroughly described by Abbott in the text. However, it's easy to refer to them in public domain sources if you wish. I loved Robin Field's narration and, even though the material seems heavy, I didn't have any problem following along. I did, however, have to maintain constant focus just to translate all of the geometric metaphors into social analogies during the first section of the book. For that reason, Flatland is hard work, but immensely rewarding. I thought it was brilliant.

Very interesting book. It is based on math, but is also social commentary. Anyone with a mathematical bent that enjoys Animal Farm should read. A square in Flatland first explains his universe which is of course a plane. The number of sides a figure has determine its status with circles being supreme beings. Of course, females are lines no matter the class and are nearly unthinking creatures. Soon the square has a vision of something called a sphere and the sphere teaches him about three dimensions of which our friend is to spread the gospel to his neighbors. He of course fails but learns lots along the way. The prejudices of course translate into Victorian morals of the author's time. REally enjoyable

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions is an 1884 novella written and illustrated by Edwin A. Abbott. Here, a square that lives in a two-dimensional world relates his experiences there along with his travels in one- and three-dimensional worlds.

The social classes of the country of Flatland are described in such a way as to lampoon the Victorian social hierarchy. Every inhabitant of Flatland is devoted to climbing the social ladder; order is prized more than liberty; women belong to a lower class of their own. Abbott here is not particularly subtle in his criticisms, and one must imagine that the narrow thinkers that accused Abbott of misogyny really must not have been paying very close attention (these are the nineteenth-century analogs of people who think Stephen Colbert is really a conservative).

This dated aspect of the tale may not have particular relevance for a modern audience, but Flatland still has plenty of value. Abbott's one- and two-dimensional worlds are impressively imaginative and quite well thought-out. Flatland is immersive, and along the way, Abbott manages to work in a number of profound thoughts on existence.

Flatland's lasting legacy is its discussion of dimensions. Just as Abbott takes the reader through the two-dimensional square's travails in comprehending a third dimension, so the reader is challenged to imagine a fourth. And Abbott does an excellent job of this, whether one considers this fourth dimension as time (as per general relativity) or an extra aspect of space (this is quite a bit harder to imagine). It also works if you consider the tale an allegory for God and the spiritual realm (Abbott was a rather prodigious theologian), which is not by any means a stretch given the "preaching" done in the story. In any case, it's marvelously thought-provoking.

On the whole, Flatland is a well-imagined, well-reasoned, stimulating work.

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions is an 1884 novella written and illustrated by Edwin A. Abbott. Here, a square that lives in a two-dimensional world relates his experiences there along with his travels in one- and three-dimensional worlds.

The social classes of the country of Flatland are described in such a way as to lampoon the Victorian social hierarchy. Every inhabitant of Flatland is devoted to climbing the social ladder; order is prized more than liberty; women belong to a lower class of their own. Abbott here is not particularly subtle in his criticisms, and one must imagine that the narrow thinkers that accused Abbott of misogyny really must not have been paying very close attention (these are the nineteenth-century analogs of people who think Stephen Colbert is really a conservative).

This dated aspect of the tale may not have particular relevance for a modern audience, but Flatland still has plenty of value. Abbott's one- and two-dimensional worlds are impressively imaginative and quite well thought-out. Flatland is immersive, and along the way, Abbott manages to work in a number of profound thoughts on existence.

Flatland's lasting legacy is its discussion of dimensions. Just as Abbott takes the reader through the two-dimensional square's travails in comprehending a third dimension, so the reader is challenged to imagine a fourth. And Abbott does an excellent job of this, whether one considers this fourth dimension as time (as per general relativity) or an extra aspect of space (this is quite a bit harder to imagine). It also works if you consider the tale an allegory for God and the spiritual realm (Abbott was a rather prodigious theologian), which is not by any means a stretch given the "preaching" done in the story. In any case, it's marvelously thought-provoking.

On the whole, Flatland is a well-imagined, well-reasoned, stimulating work.

Flatland, a delightfully odd science fiction novel, was originally published in 1884. English author Edwin Abbott Abbott wrote the book under the pseudonym of A. Square. The story is narrated by an actual square, an intelligent geometric figure who lives in a universe of only two dimensions. Speaking to an audience of third-dimensional readers, the Square introduces us to his flat-plane world, describing in detail not only its physical characteristics but also its societal and political structure. The result is a strange combination of geometry lesson, social commentary, and utopian parody.

With no conception of height, only length and width, the inhabitants of Flatland can only see each other as straight lines and must distinguish each other through hearing, touch, and visual techniques acquired through training. This is very important because the society of Flatland is built upon a strict social hierarchy. Circles, or Priests, are the highest social strata, while the lowly workers and soldiers take the form of very acute isosceles triangles. The higher the number of sides and the wider the angles that compose a figure, the greater his intelligence and the higher his social standing. Women, unfortunately, are not even factors in the class struggle, as they always take the form of straight lines. Through his description of this fictional society, Abbott wryly criticizes England’s restrictive class system. When in this satirical mode, the book entertains with an absurdism reminiscent of the sci-fi satire of Voltaire’s novel Micromegas. The humor is so dry at times that in some cases, like the extreme chauvinism with which women are discussed, it’s difficult to tell whether Abbott intends to be funny or not.

Flatland is based around an ingenious idea, but the execution is not always all it could be. Though only composed of 155 sparse pages, the book feels long-winded. At times reading through Abbott’s convoluted prose is like trying to run through molasses. Particularly in the first half of the book, he spends a lot of verbiage in making his points and often goes off on annoying digressions. The second half of the novel is much better. The Square describes his visit to the one-dimensional Lineland and his attempts to explain Flatland to the inhabitants there. Then he relates how he originally became aware of the third dimension when he was approached by a sphere from Spaceland. Here the geometry takes precedence over the satire, and the book is better for it, as Abbott illustrates the difficulty in comprehending dimensions above and beyond those which we experience with our senses. The book ends on a high note as Abbott delves deeper and deeper into the philosophical implications of multi-dimensional geometry. On the one hand, the Square and his third-dimensional awakening stands as a sympathetic surrogate for those who claim to have experienced religious revelations. On the other hand, the spirituality of those revelations are called into question as possibly being sensory experiences of geometrical dimensions higher than our own. Once again, how much of such speculation is intended to be serious or humorous is unclear.

For the mathematically minded, the contemplation of fourth-, fifth-, or higher-dimensional worlds is a perplexing but fascinating pursuit. Though the relevance of some of its social satire may have worn off with the end of the Victorian Era, Flatland can still speak to those with an interest in such abstract intellectual exercises, and it does so in a way that is both provocative and amusing.

I'm YEARS late in reading this book. I first spotted it on the shelf of one of my high-school math teachers, and I thought it looked interesting and asked if I could read it. He sadly declined, saying "you won't like it, it's pretty sexist." Over a decade later, as an adult, I finally got my hands on a copy of it... and while I wouldn't call it an entertaining read exactly, it's certainly VERY thought-provoking. And I have to disagree with my old teacher -- it's not so much sexist as it is a scathing commentary on misogyny (and eugenics, and class separation, and religious suppression of scientific advancement...). And somehow it manages to pack all this social commentary in with a fascinating exploration of various dimensions, and just how higher and lower dimensions would look to an outsider.

"Flatland" follows A. Square, the square-shaped inhabitant of the titular Flatland. He spends the first half of the book detailing the nature and culture of his world, and seems content with his lot in life -- he may not have as many sides as one of the noble class of multi-sided polygons or the priestly Circles, but at least he isn't a brutish Triangle or a female Line. His world is upended one night, however, when he dreams of a world of two dimensions, inhabited by Lines... and later, when a visitor of the third dimension, the enigmatic Sphere, appears in his home, he learns the truth about his world. There are higher and lower dimensions than the two-dimensional Flatland, and as he visits these mysterious worlds he learns that some astounding truths have been hidden from him by the government of Flatland. He decides it's time to spread the truth... but his crusade has terrible consequences, and Flatland society will do anything to keep him quiet...

If you pick this up expecting it to merely be an entertaining story, you'll probably be disappointed -- there's not so much a story here as there is an exploration of what a 2D universe might be like, and how higher and lower dimensions would appear to one from this sort of universe. On one level it works as a sort of introduction to basic geometry and to inter-dimensional thinking, and is fascinating reading to anyone with a mathematical knack. Even the legendary Isaac Asimov has praised this book as "the best introduction one can find into the manner of perceiving dimensions." (Quote his)

On another level, however, author Edwin Abbott wrote this book as a scathing commentary of his time period. The culture of Flatland is horrifically sexist and racist, dismissing both women and polygons with less than four sides as somehow less than "human" and stupid, vicious brutes... but in all honesty, this isn't much different from Victorian-era thoughts of the day, which thought very little of women, the lower classes, and people of different races. And the thought of the Circle-priests deliberately withholding information on the higher dimensions isn't much different from how religious leaders have suppressed scientific advancement for centuries -- something that plagues our society even today.

While the story itself is rather lacking, this novel is still a surprisingly creative exploration of mathematics and dimensions... and a biting commentary on the prejudice and misogyny of its time. When my teacher called it "sexist," I have to wonder if he just missed the satirical part of it, or if he thought a high-school student wouldn't understand satire. Regardless, it's still a worthwhile read, both as mathematical creativity and as a fascinating social commentary that still resonates today.

The first time I heard of the book Flatland was about 15 years ago when a friend asked what I thought a hand would look like if I were a two-dimensional being. He described one possible experience, if a 2D being were on a flat surface but looking "upward", a hand coming toward it might appear to be five circles increasing in size, with no clear indication that the were 3D fingers attached to a very real 3D hand.

I loved the thought experiment and we discussed matters of limited perception for some time, with him finally recommending Abbott's classic novella. It was a few years later when I finally read it for the first time. I was on a flight from Tucson to Detroit and finished it before we landed. It stuck with me and I've returned a few times since, most recently last week.

The story is told in the first person by A. Square, a cleverly named 2D being that exists in Flatland. The book could almost be considered two distinct stories. The first part is a detailed description of life in Flatland, which is dominated by a rigid hierarchy based on the number and regularity of angles one has. This part of the book is said to be a satirical look at Victorian England and its elitist structure and legal and social institutions. It is incredibly witty, especially told from the perspective of a square who finds the rules and habits, even the most barbarous and cruel of them, quite natural and beneficial.

The descriptions of life in (or rather on) Flatland are analogous to much more than just Victorian England. It's a geometric allegory to the horrifically tyrannical society praised by Plato in his Republic. It also has a very Darwinistic, mechanistic flavor in terms of individual progress being the result almost entirely of biological progress with each successive generation. There is also an especially cutting description of teachers and schools that I very much enjoyed.

The second part of the book is what has made it a classic and popular among math geeks, physicists, and philosophers. It describes the Square's discovery of other dimensions. First in a dream he descends to Lineland, where only a single dimension exists and the denizens and King are incapable of understanding him when he tries to convince them that he exists in two dimensions rather than one. They experience him as a point on a line that appears and disappears as her moves side to side.

This dreamtrip to Lineland precedes the Square's excursion to Spaceland and provides a brilliant backdrop and analogy both for the character and the reader. There is something very powerful buried in the sequence of events: he must first descend, go lower or more basic as it were, in order to ascend to something greater and more complex. The secrets of Spaceland are only (barely and with great difficulty) comprehensible to A. because of his ability to analogize his descent into Lineland and see from his perspective how limited to understanding of Linelanders was. First go within in order to go without.

The Sphere that visits him and brings him into Spaceland reveals how things appear from his 3D perspective and wows the Square with new vistas. They descend even further into a dimensionless Pointland briefly, which is one of the most captivating passages in the book. The journey as a whole is reminiscent of the fabulous scene at the end of the movie Men in Black, where the camera zooms out so far as to reveal our entire galaxy to be contained within a marble being tossed in a game by some great galactic creature.

The Square, being newly enlightened by all this, proceeds to speculate on the existence of additional dimensions. The Sphere, seeming so wise when revealing to the Flatlander a third dimension, is baffled and stubbornly resistant to the possibility of additional dimensions beyond his own, an excellent example of how the newly learned are often better at finding even deeper truths than those for whom knowledge is old habit.

A few minor observations that stuck out to me in this reading:

Things banned in Flatland include any house or building with acute angles, because from the vantage point of a Flatlander all shapes appear as lines until felt up close and therefore a sharp angle could seriously injure someone who bumped into it. From their perspective, this prohibition seems perfectly reasonable. But if they only had greater knowledge and perspective to see the additional dimensions of reality, no angle no matter how acute could pose a threat. Isn't this the way all strict prohibitionism works?

In Flatland a being can distinguish shapes not only by feeling them, but also through sight. Since everything appears as a line the only thing that makes sight recognition possible is the presence of fog. If, say, a Pentagon was coming toward you in Flatland even though it would appear as a single straight line you could see it's leading angle more brightly than it's sides, receding into the fog as it were. This is important because an irregular shape might be dangerous, whereas a near-circle would command great respect and deference. The book provides a fuller and clearer description of sight recognition, but I was struck by a simple analogy. Given our limited powers of perception, we often require various forms of "fog" in order to distinguish one person from another and see their true nature. When approached in a fogless environment, people may appear to have equal angularity and an equal number of sides at least until we become intimate enough to "feel" them. But fog - hardship, challenge, difficulty - provides a backdrop against which the unique shapes of each being can be distinguished.

There is so much in this book to ponder and explore. The existence of dimensions we are currently incapable of perceiving not least among them. But the lesser appreciated social and political satire in the first half of the book deserves exploration and discussion as well.

Go check it out. Let it take your mind "Upward, but not Northward".

Author shows us an imaginary land, civilization of beings that are inferior to humans.

Into the book you realize that it is teaching humans how limited, low on the evolutionary scale we are, our thinking is limited by beliefs, many false and robotic action. Book shows where we are as compared to higher, more evolved beings, worlds.
Our view is limited, just as the flat lines, shapes in the beings, things in the lower world described in this book.

We can open our minds, grow and evolve.

I was referred to this book through reading; My Big TOE - The Complete Trilogy by Thomas Campbell.

Am learning and hope to grow from the knowledge in both books and many others he refers to.

As I grow older I realize the time I wasted that could have been used in developing the spiritual side; have read of certain practices that prolong life, some that conquer death and illness. People like Jesus, other saints... are at that level, have that ability.

I am not. But it doesn't hurt to start at my present level and work toward that positive and entertaining goal. Its work at times, but it’s worth it. The results are permanent. Something that cannot be taken from you.

Robert Monroe (Journeys Out of The Body and other books mentioned meeting a being that was hundreds, (maybe thousands, I have to find the paragraph) of years old. A very advanced human. When asked how he hides his identity, age; he-she replied; I just keep changing jobs.

The earth is round. But many of our minds-thoughts are limited as would be as a flat surface.

This book is free as public domain. But is definitely worth having an original in your hand. Look for the antique, unaltered.

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions is an 1884 novella written and illustrated by Edwin A. Abbott. Here, a square that lives in a two-dimensional world relates his experiences there along with his travels in one- and three-dimensional worlds.

The social classes of the country of Flatland are described in such a way as to lampoon the Victorian social hierarchy. Every inhabitant of Flatland is devoted to climbing the social ladder; order is prized more than liberty; women belong to a lower class of their own. Abbott here is not particularly subtle in his criticisms, and one must imagine that the narrow thinkers that accused Abbott of misogyny really must not have been paying very close attention (these are the nineteenth-century analogs of people who think Stephen Colbert is really a conservative).

This dated aspect of the tale may not have particular relevance for a modern audience, but Flatland still has plenty of value. Abbott's one- and two-dimensional worlds are impressively imaginative and quite well thought-out. Flatland is immersive, and along the way, Abbott manages to work in a number of profound thoughts on existence.

Flatland's lasting legacy is its discussion of dimensions. Just as Abbott takes the reader through the two-dimensional square's travails in comprehending a third dimension, so the reader is challenged to imagine a fourth. And Abbott does an excellent job of this, whether one considers this fourth dimension as time (as per general relativity) or an extra aspect of space (this is quite a bit harder to imagine). It also works if you consider the tale an allegory for God and the spiritual realm (Abbott was a rather prodigious theologian), which is not by any means a stretch given the "preaching" done in the story. In any case, it's marvelously thought-provoking.

On the whole, Flatland is a well-imagined, well-reasoned, stimulating work.

In "Flatland", Edwin A. Abbot uses fiction to provide a unique understanding of dimensions. Rather than start with a three-dimensional subject and descend "downward," he starts in the "middle," with a two-dimensional square in Flatland that first visits a one-dimensional world called Lineland before "ascending" to the three-dimensional world of Spaceland. Abbot's narrative technique is quite effective in setting up his explanation of spatial geometry, though the first part of his story suffers from many of the biases and prejudices of his day. The first half of the book, and much of the second half, is replete with blatant misogyny and an approving portrayal of eugenics. Though Abbot's work plays a significant role in speculative fiction, he could not escape the views of his own time even as he invented new worlds. This work will interest fans of speculative fiction and those looking at the history of science fiction, but is unpalatable to modern sensibilities.

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions is an 1884 novella written and illustrated by Edwin A. Abbott. Here, a square that lives in a two-dimensional world relates his experiences there along with his travels in one- and three-dimensional worlds.

The social classes of the country of Flatland are described in such a way as to lampoon the Victorian social hierarchy. Every inhabitant of Flatland is devoted to climbing the social ladder; order is prized more than liberty; women belong to a lower class of their own. Abbott here is not particularly subtle in his criticisms, and one must imagine that the narrow thinkers that accused Abbott of misogyny really must not have been paying very close attention (these are the nineteenth-century analogs of people who think Stephen Colbert is really a conservative).

This dated aspect of the tale may not have particular relevance for a modern audience, but Flatland still has plenty of value. Abbott's one- and two-dimensional worlds are impressively imaginative and quite well thought-out. Flatland is immersive, and along the way, Abbott manages to work in a number of profound thoughts on existence.

Flatland's lasting legacy is its discussion of dimensions. Just as Abbott takes the reader through the two-dimensional square's travails in comprehending a third dimension, so the reader is challenged to imagine a fourth. And Abbott does an excellent job of this, whether one considers this fourth dimension as time (as per general relativity) or an extra aspect of space (this is quite a bit harder to imagine). It also works if you consider the tale an allegory for God and the spiritual realm (Abbott was a rather prodigious theologian), which is not by any means a stretch given the "preaching" done in the story. In any case, it's marvelously thought-provoking.

On the whole, Flatland is a well-imagined, well-reasoned, stimulating work.

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions is an 1884 novella written and illustrated by Edwin A. Abbott. Here, a square that lives in a two-dimensional world relates his experiences there along with his travels in one- and three-dimensional worlds.

The social classes of the country of Flatland are described in such a way as to lampoon the Victorian social hierarchy. Every inhabitant of Flatland is devoted to climbing the social ladder; order is prized more than liberty; women belong to a lower class of their own. Abbott here is not particularly subtle in his criticisms, and one must imagine that the narrow thinkers that accused Abbott of misogyny really must not have been paying very close attention (these are the nineteenth-century analogs of people who think Stephen Colbert is really a conservative).

This dated aspect of the tale may not have particular relevance for a modern audience, but Flatland still has plenty of value. Abbott's one- and two-dimensional worlds are impressively imaginative and quite well thought-out. Flatland is immersive, and along the way, Abbott manages to work in a number of profound thoughts on existence.

Flatland's lasting legacy is its discussion of dimensions. Just as Abbott takes the reader through the two-dimensional square's travails in comprehending a third dimension, so the reader is challenged to imagine a fourth. And Abbott does an excellent job of this, whether one considers this fourth dimension as time (as per general relativity) or an extra aspect of space (this is quite a bit harder to imagine). It also works if you consider the tale an allegory for God and the spiritual realm (Abbott was a rather prodigious theologian), which is not by any means a stretch given the "preaching" done in the story. In any case, it's marvelously thought-provoking.

On the whole, Flatland is a well-imagined, well-reasoned, stimulating work.

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions, published in 1884, is Edwin A. Abbott's social satire and Christian apologetic. As a Cambridge mathematician, theologian, and schoolmaster, Abbott had a lot to say about his Victorian society and about being open-minded to the supernatural. He does this from the point of view of a humble square that lives in Flatland, a world of only two dimensions.

For the first half of the book ("This World"), the square explains the demography of Flatland, all the while offering hilarious social satire. He begins at the lowest social stratum (women, who are straight lines) and ends with the king, who has so many sides that he's indistinguishable from a circle. Low-class men, such as soldiers, are isosceles triangles with sharp acute angles. Since the brain is the size of the smallest angle, these men are stupid, but their sharp angles provide offensive weapons. Anyone who has an angle under 60° is a serf. Women, of course, have no angles, which means they are brainless and irrational (and Abbot provides plenty of tongue-in-cheek evidence for this fact). But women have a mouth on one end, and it can effectively be used as a dagger. When viewed from the back, a woman is hard to notice since she is seen only as a point, thus she must sway her bottom back and forth to alert others of her dangerous presence.

Pretending that he's merely explaining Flatland society to his readers in "Spaceland," Abbot mercilessly mocks his era's class structure, fashion, aristocratic marriage and parenting practices, the education system and school board politics, and government. All of this is done in a reasonable-sounding lecturing tone:
Obviously then a Woman is not to be irritated as long as she is in a position where she can turn round. When you have them in their apartments -- which are constructed with a view to denying them that power -- you can say and do what you like; for they are then wholly impotent for mischief, and will not remember a few minutes hence the incident for which they may be at this moment threatening you with death, nor the promises which you may have found it necessary to make in order to pacify their fury.

In the second half of the book ("Other Worlds") the square explains his vision of a one-dimensional realm called "Lineland" where he meets the king of Lineland who can't imagine Flatland, a world of two dimensions. The square thinks this is amusing, so he torments the belligerent king by using the second dimension to speak to the king from above, to magically pop in and out of the King's view, and to offer predictions about who is approaching the king from afar (image in review at FanLit). With his omniscience and omnipresence, the square bewilders the king of Lineland.

Upon his return to Flatland, the square is confronted by a sphere from our Spaceland of three dimensions who, poised in the third dimension, can view all of Flatland. To the Flatlanders the sphere looks like a circle of changing diameter, and to Linelanders he seems to be only two lines (see the image at FanLit). The sphere can pop in and out of Flatland and Lineland as he wills, can see inside (and even manipulate) houses and bodies, and can make predictions about the future based on what he sees from his viewpoint. Our square, who harassed the king of Lineland for his inability to imagine Flatland, is now flummoxed at the thought of a dimension he can't perceive, but he believes it because he has witnessed the sphere's power and he remembers his analogous encounter in one-dimensional Lineland. When the square tries to preach this new teaching, though, he meets resistance from unbelievers.

The metaphor, of course, is that we in Spaceland, being confined to only the dimensions we are able to perceive, can't imagine more dimensions in which other beings exist and may be able to visit, view, or manipulate us. This idea isn't at all new to me, but I found Abbott's explanation to be a very convincing line of reasoning and, perhaps, a way to imagine what it must be like to be God. Flatland is best known, by the way, as a treatise on dimensionality and is considered by scientists to be prophetic in its use of unseen dimensions to explain physical phenomena.

Flatland is available in the public domain, but I chose to listen to Blackstone Audio's recent version which is four hours long and read by Robin Field. The audiobook does not come with Edwin Abbott's drawings, but I had no trouble imagining them because they're thoroughly described by Abbott in the text. However, it's easy to refer to them in public domain sources if you wish. I loved Robin Field's narration and, even though the material seems heavy, I didn't have any problem following along. I did, however, have to maintain constant focus just to translate all of the geometric metaphors into social analogies during the first section of the book. For that reason, Flatland is hard work, but immensely rewarding. I thought it was brilliant.

Very interesting book. It is based on math, but is also social commentary. Anyone with a mathematical bent that enjoys Animal Farm should read. A square in Flatland first explains his universe which is of course a plane. The number of sides a figure has determine its status with circles being supreme beings. Of course, females are lines no matter the class and are nearly unthinking creatures. Soon the square has a vision of something called a sphere and the sphere teaches him about three dimensions of which our friend is to spread the gospel to his neighbors. He of course fails but learns lots along the way. The prejudices of course translate into Victorian morals of the author's time. REally enjoyable

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions is an 1884 novella written and illustrated by Edwin A. Abbott. Here, a square that lives in a two-dimensional world relates his experiences there along with his travels in one- and three-dimensional worlds.

The social classes of the country of Flatland are described in such a way as to lampoon the Victorian social hierarchy. Every inhabitant of Flatland is devoted to climbing the social ladder; order is prized more than liberty; women belong to a lower class of their own. Abbott here is not particularly subtle in his criticisms, and one must imagine that the narrow thinkers that accused Abbott of misogyny really must not have been paying very close attention (these are the nineteenth-century analogs of people who think Stephen Colbert is really a conservative).

This dated aspect of the tale may not have particular relevance for a modern audience, but Flatland still has plenty of value. Abbott's one- and two-dimensional worlds are impressively imaginative and quite well thought-out. Flatland is immersive, and along the way, Abbott manages to work in a number of profound thoughts on existence.

Flatland's lasting legacy is its discussion of dimensions. Just as Abbott takes the reader through the two-dimensional square's travails in comprehending a third dimension, so the reader is challenged to imagine a fourth. And Abbott does an excellent job of this, whether one considers this fourth dimension as time (as per general relativity) or an extra aspect of space (this is quite a bit harder to imagine). It also works if you consider the tale an allegory for God and the spiritual realm (Abbott was a rather prodigious theologian), which is not by any means a stretch given the "preaching" done in the story. In any case, it's marvelously thought-provoking.

On the whole, Flatland is a well-imagined, well-reasoned, stimulating work.

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions is an 1884 novella written and illustrated by Edwin A. Abbott. Here, a square that lives in a two-dimensional world relates his experiences there along with his travels in one- and three-dimensional worlds.

The social classes of the country of Flatland are described in such a way as to lampoon the Victorian social hierarchy. Every inhabitant of Flatland is devoted to climbing the social ladder; order is prized more than liberty; women belong to a lower class of their own. Abbott here is not particularly subtle in his criticisms, and one must imagine that the narrow thinkers that accused Abbott of misogyny really must not have been paying very close attention (these are the nineteenth-century analogs of people who think Stephen Colbert is really a conservative).

This dated aspect of the tale may not have particular relevance for a modern audience, but Flatland still has plenty of value. Abbott's one- and two-dimensional worlds are impressively imaginative and quite well thought-out. Flatland is immersive, and along the way, Abbott manages to work in a number of profound thoughts on existence.

Flatland's lasting legacy is its discussion of dimensions. Just as Abbott takes the reader through the two-dimensional square's travails in comprehending a third dimension, so the reader is challenged to imagine a fourth. And Abbott does an excellent job of this, whether one considers this fourth dimension as time (as per general relativity) or an extra aspect of space (this is quite a bit harder to imagine). It also works if you consider the tale an allegory for God and the spiritual realm (Abbott was a rather prodigious theologian), which is not by any means a stretch given the "preaching" done in the story. In any case, it's marvelously thought-provoking.

On the whole, Flatland is a well-imagined, well-reasoned, stimulating work.

A square living in a two-dimensional plane explains his ingenious world, and his revelatory introduction to lands of fewer--and more--dimensions. I have fond memories of reading this book as a child, but this was my first time revisiting it since then--and it was quite an experience. What I remembered best is a brillaint, unique concept, and that's still there: there's nothing else out there like Flatland, a world that appears utterly alien but is in fact too well-realized to be unfamiliar. It's ingenious, and a delight to rediscover. Yet this slim volume offers more than that idea alone. About half the book is given over to infuriating social satire, which I'd forgotten about completely. The satire isn't always obvious as such: Flatland's society has an extreme view of the misogyny, classicism, and essentialism present in our own (and particularly in Abbott's Victorian era), but the sad truth is that it's not a grand exaggeration--and it's presented so blandly that it reads more like an unfortunate relic of prejudice than any sort of social commentary. As such, I worry that the satire may go over the heads of younger readers (I can't remember if it went over mine) and would be taken at face value; regardless, it feels almost out of place--not that it doesn't have moments of keen, even painful, insight, but it is quite disparate from the fascinating physics lesson that fills the rest of the book.

To wit, the other half of the book is a novel exploration of dimension, verifying and exploring the existence of four or more dimensions by exploring two and fewer. It may not render comprehensible the incomprehensible, but it's a strong argument for some sort of world greater than the one we know. Meanwhile, the dimensions explored by our narrator the square are fascinating. Abbott succeeds by taking his concept to its furthest extent: the lines and shapes have unusual societies which are greatly influenced by the nature and limitations of their worlds, surprisingly simple diagrams help the reader to enter these unusual lands himself, and Abbott often anticipates--and then answers--the questions and doubts that surround his strange ideas. He takes what seems to be a pure mathematical novelty and renders it from a dynamic, convincing first-person perspective--and while it remains just one imaginative interpretation of the issue at hand, it's a brilliant one and a great read. Abbott's voice can tend towards stilted and dated, but Flatland's combination of breadth and brevity nonetheless make it compelling. This may not be precisely the book that I remember, but it provides what I loved and remembered best: something ingenious and brilliantly realized, something intriguing and delightful and thought-provoking. I take more issue with Flatland now than I did then, but I find it fascinating above all and so recommend it despite lingering reservations.

Edwin Abbott wrote this work in 1884 as a political satire on Victorian culture. I first heard of it through a reference made by science educator John Clayton. The concept of an entire civilization living in a 2 dimensional world and unable to fully grasp the concept of 3 dimensions is a wonderful analogy for human beings attempting to understand the divine nature of God; especially the trinity. We can become insistent in our demands that nothing can exist outside of our sensory perceptions. Or, we open our minds to the possibility that there does exist something beyond our understanding that has been revealed to us in ways we could grasp.

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions is an 1884 novella written and illustrated by Edwin A. Abbott. Here, a square that lives in a two-dimensional world relates his experiences there along with his travels in one- and three-dimensional worlds.

The social classes of the country of Flatland are described in such a way as to lampoon the Victorian social hierarchy. Every inhabitant of Flatland is devoted to climbing the social ladder; order is prized more than liberty; women belong to a lower class of their own. Abbott here is not particularly subtle in his criticisms, and one must imagine that the narrow thinkers that accused Abbott of misogyny really must not have been paying very close attention (these are the nineteenth-century analogs of people who think Stephen Colbert is really a conservative).

This dated aspect of the tale may not have particular relevance for a modern audience, but Flatland still has plenty of value. Abbott's one- and two-dimensional worlds are impressively imaginative and quite well thought-out. Flatland is immersive, and along the way, Abbott manages to work in a number of profound thoughts on existence.

Flatland's lasting legacy is its discussion of dimensions. Just as Abbott takes the reader through the two-dimensional square's travails in comprehending a third dimension, so the reader is challenged to imagine a fourth. And Abbott does an excellent job of this, whether one considers this fourth dimension as time (as per general relativity) or an extra aspect of space (this is quite a bit harder to imagine). It also works if you consider the tale an allegory for God and the spiritual realm (Abbott was a rather prodigious theologian), which is not by any means a stretch given the "preaching" done in the story. In any case, it's marvelously thought-provoking.

On the whole, Flatland is a well-imagined, well-reasoned, stimulating work.

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions is an 1884 novella written and illustrated by Edwin A. Abbott. Here, a square that lives in a two-dimensional world relates his experiences there along with his travels in one- and three-dimensional worlds.

The social classes of the country of Flatland are described in such a way as to lampoon the Victorian social hierarchy. Every inhabitant of Flatland is devoted to climbing the social ladder; order is prized more than liberty; women belong to a lower class of their own. Abbott here is not particularly subtle in his criticisms, and one must imagine that the narrow thinkers that accused Abbott of misogyny really must not have been paying very close attention (these are the nineteenth-century analogs of people who think Stephen Colbert is really a conservative).

This dated aspect of the tale may not have particular relevance for a modern audience, but Flatland still has plenty of value. Abbott's one- and two-dimensional worlds are impressively imaginative and quite well thought-out. Flatland is immersive, and along the way, Abbott manages to work in a number of profound thoughts on existence.

Flatland's lasting legacy is its discussion of dimensions. Just as Abbott takes the reader through the two-dimensional square's travails in comprehending a third dimension, so the reader is challenged to imagine a fourth. And Abbott does an excellent job of this, whether one considers this fourth dimension as time (as per general relativity) or an extra aspect of space (this is quite a bit harder to imagine). It also works if you consider the tale an allegory for God and the spiritual realm (Abbott was a rather prodigious theologian), which is not by any means a stretch given the "preaching" done in the story. In any case, it's marvelously thought-provoking.

On the whole, Flatland is a well-imagined, well-reasoned, stimulating work.

I was hesitant about reading Flatland, due partly to its age, but mostly to my negative relationship with math. However, due to its shortness, and my fascination with higher and lower dimensions, I picked it up and haven’t had a decent night of sleep since.

Flatland tells the story of a 2-Dimensional Square, living in what can only be described as the 2-Dimensional equivalent of Victorian England, which is pretty much hitting the nail on the head, because the book is meant to be a critique of the era, but I feel it’s so much more than just that.

The descriptions of the lower and higher dimensions were so flawless and well thought out, I didn’t even notice the fact that my edition had no illustrations (something other people seem to be complaining about, but you can easily find them online), as I easily grasped the concepts. The two main ideas I had going into this book; not liking math but enjoying dimensions, proved to be a fascinating mind-set. First of all this book has very little to do with “traditional math” in the sense of 1+4 or 67-53, or even finding the hypotenuse of a triangle, rather focusing more on basic geometry and anthropomorphizing beings of higher and lower dimensions. As someone who has scoured the web for fascinating stuff on dimensions outside of our own, I was quite surprised to find that this book is probably the most fascinating thing I have come across on the topic. In fact I spent quite some time making sure that this wasn’t a recent publication, as I had difficultly believing something this “enlightened” could have come out of an era as oppressive as the Victorian.

Despite not conforming to traditional mathematical concepts, I feel that if this book was taught to me back in school, I think my marks would have sky-rocketed, because finally math was interesting. Obviously I would kick and scream at first, thinking that it’s not bad enough I have to do equations, now I have to also read a book about it. But it would have all been worth it, and I’m sure other students would agree with me.

There is, however, one downside, which I would go as far as to say is a deal-breaker with this book; the nightmares. From the moment I opened the book, I was infected. Most of the dreams I’ve had since reading Flatland have, to some degree or another, involved travel between different dimensions. This may sound really awesome at first, but it’s also quite taxing. And it’s not just in sleep; I’ve missed countless slides at college because I’m too busy making sketches on my notepad of squares and lines and tesseracts. It even seeps into my meditation practice, and tends to be the place my mind most frequently wanders. I know psychologically this all means something very important, but I haven’t gotten to that module in college yet.

Overall I highly recommend this book, as it is short enough to finish in as little as two or three sittings, and it’s fairly easy to digest, even if you aren’t well versed in different dimensions. As long as you are okay with having visions of worlds beyond this one, you will be just fine.

This novel is a short classic that was written by a school headmaster as both an educational tool as well as a criticism of victorian society.

The novel follows the life of A. Square. Square is a lower middle class inhabitant of a 2 dimensional world. The polygon world and its politics are explained in the book as well. The square is visited by a 3 dimensional being (a sphere) and is taken to point land (1 dimensional) and is also taken to see the hidden inner workings of his own society.

The work is a commentary not only on mathematics, but is also a commentary on British society, repression of women, repression of the lower class, slavery, euthenasia, social dominance as well as religion (the sphere can symbolize educational or spiritual enlightenment). While this may all sound boring as hell, dont be fooled, the story line is fascinating and the plot is great. Additionally, the ending is a real killer! You wont be disappointed in the ending here!

Definately buy this book as it is a literary classic. The math behind it is very elementary and is easy to understand. It should be noted it had to be written this way since Abott could not come out and directly criticize the monarchy without being politically quited.

Definately buy this book and read it. This is a great piece for in depth literally analysis for class as there is tons of social commentary in it. Great plot, hidden meaning, awesome ending.. you cant lose!!

Edwin Abbott's "Flatland" is a story that can be read as many things: as an Orwellian satire on The State, as a contemplation of dimensions (even ones we do not know yet), as a philosophical variation of Plato's Cave, or simply as a delightful sci-fi story.

Flatland is broken up into two parts. The first sees our main character (a square who is a mathemetician - how cute!) telling us - those who live in "spaceland" - about the ins and outs of flatland. He teaches us both about how life is lived as a two dimensional object, explaining such things as how one can recognize by sight a squre from a hexagon without being able to see the angles. Also, the square explains how flatland's class and government system works: how women, for instance, are inferior to men and do not attend school, how polygons are superior to lowly squares and triangles, and how the circles make the laws.

It is this first section that is both a savy critique on government and the then prevailing social mores. Also, this seciton is fascinating from a mathematical point of view, answering questions that the astute reader is bound to have. (How, for instance, is sight possible in two dimensions?)

The second section of the book is where stuff gets even more intersting. This is the section where our square mathemetician both finds himself (in a dream) having to explain the concept of a second dimension to a "linelander", and is visited by a "spacelander" who must try to convince our "flatlander" that a third dimension is possible.

This section is most interesting from a philosophical perspective. How, for instance, is it possible to explain a third dimension to one who only knows two dimensions? To the flatlander, terms like "up," "down," "above," "below," "vertical," (etc.) have no meaning as they presuppose knowledge of a third dimension. That is, can a spacelander use "two diemsional language" (language presupposing no familiarity with any but two dimensions) to explain a third dimension? (Edwin Abbot thinks he can, but the astute reader will notice Abbott's linguistic fallacy in how he brought this about!)

At any rate, it is this part of the book that can also be seen as a variation on Plato's Cave. (Plato's Cave analogizes us to people looking at the back wall of a cave open at the other end, who see only shadows of objects outside the cave, but who are convinced that what they see is the real things.) That is, "Flatland" very beautifully articulates the idea of someone realizing that what they assumed was a complete view of reality was only a partial view of reality. And now, the flatlander bears the burden of trying to convince other flatlanders that the reality they take for granted as "all there is," is, in fact, not a complete view of reality at all.

Can he do it? Will he run into the same linguistic stumbling block already spoken of? More interestingly, if the "linelander" was wrong in assuming only one dimension, and the "flatlander" was wrong in assuming only two dimensions, might the "spacelander" be wrong in assuming only three dimensions, and so on? And how, if possible, could we find out?

These questions and more are artfully and skillfully broached in Edwin Abbott's mathematical classic "Flatland." Even if all you want is an intersting science fiction book, "Flatland" will do the trick. But for those who want a great "thinking" novel, "Flatland" is an outstanding choice!

It is hard to imagine such an intense combination of science, creativity and spirituality all rolled into one. The book is not an easy read but definitely a fascinating one. The creation and description of a two dimensional society in such great detail leaves one full of amazement. The idea of introducing an additional dimension, incomprehensible to people of two dimensional world as an indicator of our own limitations in realizing and recognizing what lies beyond or within our world is very touching. The "Upward not northward" notion, that the Square so tried to explain and preach could perhaps best be translated to "inwards not outwards" for us in our own world.

Although this book was written in the time when Hinton and his pseudo-analyses of higher dimensions ruled the popular masses (mostly as a semi-plausible explanation of the existence of ghosts), it delves a lot deeper into the nature of things, and, as noted above, even delivers a forceful parody of the society.
The author of the book is a Square, a perfectly flat creature that lives in a flat society in an ideally 2D world. His four equal sides (irregulars are always killed or imprisoned due to the confusion of recognizing an irregular figure from looking at its side) give him the status of lawyer (the number of sides denotes the social rank). His amazing visions and visitation give this flat and narrow-minded individual the understanding of the worlds outside his own.
First is the visit to Line Land, where all persons are lines of different lengths and vision is limited to a single spot. Naturally, bypassing anyone is a geometric impossibility, but, strangely, the denizens of that land live happy lives.
Next is the visit of mysterious Lord Sphere, who, due to the lack of dimensionality, has to resort to manifesting himself as his cross-sections which the square can see. He delivers to the Square the Gospel of Three Dimensions, and, when the complacent Square refuses to comprehend, Spherer pulls him out into 3D (i.e. puts him at an angle to his own flat space).
Finally, we are given a view of Point Land, inhabited by but a single creature of no dimensions and no coprehension of others beside it, hearing all and attributing all to its own grace and might.
The book is extremely sarcastic and acidic: a 2D woman is a straight line, invisible when seen head on ( and lethal if met headfirst due to her sharpness), and is always reduced to constantly emit her Peace Cry. Color is forbidden because it causes too much confusion. Criminals are those whose sides are not equal. Etc. etc., etc.
Read this book and stop to think from time to time - this is the sort of book that rewards thought.

I read this book because it came up in several conversations I have had recently about higher dimensions and also because it showed up in some reviews of modern physics (quantum physics) books that I have considered reading.
The book is just over 130 years old, but is still a fairly easy read. It includes some social commentary on life in Victorian England, of which I care very little. The meat of the book for me is in helping the reader to pontificate the existence of higher dimensions by showing how crazy the idea of two dimensions would seem to a line and how ludicrous the idea of three dimensions would be to a shape that exists on a plane.
The book likely will not help you to picture hyper dimensions, as doing so requires a dimension which we have not yet discovered and may in fact even be too profound for us to fathom. That being said it is still worth a read if you wish to expand your mathematical understanding of dimensions or as a warm up to trying to understand some of the concepts presented in quantum physics.

Like many readers and reviewers, I heard of Flatland long before I got around to reading it. I expected it to be conversational in tone, but all about the geometry of one, two, three, and four dimensional space. To my surprise, the book is as much about the foibles and prejudices of England's class-based society as it is about the explanation of contemplating more dimensions than one can directly perceive. While it has valuable insights on both dimensional space and class politics and mobility, as well as a light, humorous, conversational tone, the mix is an odd one, and ultimately a combination that is bound to be a bit disappointing to those reading it solely for the math and those reading it solely for the social commentary. A good, ground-breaking book, clearly ahead of its time, but neither a light, pleasant read nor especially deep on the substantive topic. Still, a short, intriguing read for those who like to think about abstract concepts, both mathematical and political. Recommended. Donald J. Bingle, Author of Forced Conversion and GREENSWORD: A Tale of Extreme Global Warming.

Much has been said about how Edwin Abbott's "Flatland" is a fun and thought-provoking mathematical fiction novel, introducing readers to dimensionality by personifying geometrical shapes. As a high school math teacher, I first read it planning on using it in my class to teach geometry. However, almost as interesting and its mathematical observations are its metaphors and, in my opinion, satires of Abbott's 19th century society.
All inhabitants of the novel's world, dubbed Flatland, are polygons, the narrator being a square. Flatland features a strict caste system, with a polygon's class being determined by his number of sides. A square is higher on the social order than a triangle, for example, yet lower than a pentagon. The rulers, or priests, are circles. Well, actually they are polygons with very many sides, approximating a circle. The lowest figures in Flatland are women, who are straight lines. One can interpret this fictional social order in a number of ways, including accusing Abbott of being classist and sexist. I happen to see this as a critique, even a satire, of our (spaceland's) social order, replete with classism and sexism. "Flatland" also spoofs eugenics and political short-sightedness, so there's plenty to choose from.
After introducing Flatland's social order, the narrator describes a journey he takes to lineland and spaceland, which offers a great way of looking at dimensionality, even for mathematics laypersons. I'd advise reading it slowly or even more than once to be sure your mind grasps all the interesting narrative and dialogue.
Mixing a clever introduction of mathematical concepts with an element of social satire, "Flatland" is well worth reading, even for those who are normally averse to anything that has to do with mathematics. While I still plan on using this novel to teach geometry, perhaps I'll also infuse some social justice issues into my lessons.

Flatland is a well-written, timeless satire. Author, Edwin Abbott, was an educator, theologian, and mathematician who lived and wrote during the Victorian Age with all its narrow-minded weirdness. That might seem sufficient reason to run, not walk, away from purchasing this book. Two reasons though to buy and read it: Best reason first, it is thought-provoking and requires the reader to imagine a --perhaps-- different realm and mode of existence. Second, the message is relevant even now when Western societies, as a whole, rarely question the critical social importance of quality, universal education.
How easy is it though to let our thinking become just as two-dimensional when we are contending with an intransigent "other" or seemingly immutable status quo?
Flatland is an engaging read that is short enough, and rich enough, to warrant rereading. Remember, Ladies, it IS a satire authored by an educator and father who valued his daughter as an intelligence superior to the education and opportunities which would be available to her and women like her.

The justly famous Flatland by Abbott stands out for several reasons
1. Its old Victorian style writing which is written from the somewhat "distant observer" viewpoint with the accompanying Englishness to go with it. It is full of social mores of the time (1884) such as the role of women in society or the very specific roles of the "lower classes" and those of the higher levels of society. Included also in this is the social graces themselves where his "feeling" inserted into the book as a means of differentiating various shapes is really a metaphor for the almost repugnant consequences of a meeting between a peasant and a member of the Aristocracy. As such the book is a superb example of he Victorian Age.
2. Another aspect, maybe not so much mentioned, is the fact that the book presents a fine example of the fact that people are trapped by their own culture/upbringing, this time dealt with through the idea of a 2 dimensional being not being able to comprehend 3 dimensions. Apart from the fact that the mind is not able to get around the concept of dimensions higher than the usual 3 I believe the book was intended maybe even accidently to support the idea of a prison of your own culture. However Abbott goes on to show that people are infinitely adaptable and there are ways to meet these seemingly insurmountable challenges. Again a path breaking book when looked at from this angle, who before Abbott would have considered such a view.
3. Finally the book presents many wonderful examples of the illumination of strange concepts not even considered in ordinary life through the vessel of the trek of the square who attempts to grasp his new world with the aid of a sphere.
A wonderful little book containing hitherto unexpected insights.

In the imaginary world of Flatland, everybody is some kind of geometry shape. Flatland has two dimensions, which we call length and width. There is no third dimension, which is the height. If I were in Flatland, I probably would have been a square, like the narrator of the story. If I were a square, I’d be smarter than a triangle. My brother would be a triangle. Like the narrator, I believe that I have one more side than a triangle. I would like to have more sides and larger angles, so that I would be more important in Flatland, but I just have four sides. The more sides and angles that someone has, the more they would be better and smarter. The bigger your angles, the smarter you are, and the circles rule.
Triangles are lowest in society, because they only have three sides. The steeper your angle and narrower your base, as a triangle, the dumber you are. The dumbest ones in the triangle group are the criminals. The criminal class is used for teaching school children their manners. The children practice greetings on the criminal triangle, which is chained up, until the triangle is worn out and dies. Then the triangle class is required to replace them. Girls are treated badly. They are considered to be dumber, because the women are straight lines. They have only one side. They can be dangerous if they become angry, because they can pierce right through anyone, so all the other shapes try to control them. They have no hope of improving. Sadly, they just have to live with keeping one side. They are not considered smart, because there isn’t enough room for brains. If they could remember longer that they never can improve, the writer thinks they would be upset.Through a special marriage, children can have more sides than their parents. The main square, the lead character, has two sons that are pentagons, because they have five sides. His grandsons have six sides. It means that they are smarter yet. If you have a family, they become more important, if each generation has one more side. In Flatland, there are many details about how everyone lives, which are very interesting. The towns, the laws, why colors were banned, and the special rules that women must obey are what the square talks about. When the writer was visited by a being, which had three dimensions, the climax of the story appears. This is where he discovers another world. Then something you’ll need to read about in Flatland will tell you what happens to him. When you read Flatland, it makes you think about why some people are born different than others, and how dangerous it can be to be different when no one wants to believe it’s true.

Even though this was written around 1880 it still is one of the most creative science fiction books I have read. This is a real mindbender. Edwin A. Abbott made me realize in his novel how narrow minded I actually am even though I consider myself a very open minded person. I came away from this book realizing their are more dimensions out their that science has yet to discover. This book also has a hidden message in the book that most people are completely ignorant about the world around them. They think they know it all and have no desire to educate themselves further than the little education they already have.
People believe in myths and assumptions and are ignorant and don't bother to seek the real answers in life. This message was very powerful to me and an important lesson. This author was concise, wasn't wordy like so many sci-fi/fantasy authors now, and didn't fill the book with nothing but metaphors and similies, and got right to the point in his writing. It took me the same time to read this book as it takes me to read most of the long wordy sci-fi/fantasy novels out their now. When a 700-900 page novel takes the same time as a 150-250 page novel to read that means that 900 page novel is of very poor quality.

A. Square is a rather exceptional member of Flatland, a world that only has two dimensions. He not only dreams about a one-dimensional world, but also dares to question the limitation of having only two dimensions. Being a polygon himself, he will never truly understand the magic of Spaceland, but his unbound imagination lets him travel beyond what others call their `space'. When he finally succeeds in going "Upward, not Northward" he gets convinced that he has a message to give to the other members of Flatland. But will the others accept his prophecy?
Flatland is a truly remarkable piece of literature. Not only makes is philosophy and mathematics accessible for the common reader, it also gives evidence of Abbott's visionary mind. Written in 1884 this book introduces the readers to concepts that will prove to become very `hot' more than 100 years later. Mathematicians of today who have no theory about the number of dimensions are almost considered to be unfaithful to their science.
This is simply a must-read for everybody who likes to fantasize about dimensions and what the world would look like if we could see beyond our known dimensions.

I just finished the book, and let me say this: just because it is talking about polygons and n dimensions does not make this book a math book! This book is first and foremost a book on philosophy and a social satire, and secondarily a book on religion.

Why?

Well, the long running theme is the socio-economic class system of Flatland, which is not simply unjust, but more accurately elitist, and misogynist. Polygons are just metaphors; well-off people get better off more quickly for every successive generation, and low poor working class people are stuck in a perpetual circle of poverty but always wishful to achieve higher status in the next generation.

The trips to Lineland, Pointland, and Spaceland illustrate the stubbornness of mankind and the irony of that stubbornness. After his dream that Lineland people and Pointland person are too stupid to accept Flatland, Square himself was regarded as too stupid to accept a higher form, i.e. the Spaceland. The Sphere, in turn, refused to accept an even higher form just after he admonished the Square for refusing to accept a higher form to him.

Granted, the details on geometry and polygons and the line on 4th dimension are pretty well-written, but such focuses are brief in this 81 pager, and briefer still when their metaphorical powers are accounted for. Don't just read the words. For a classic like this, one must read between the lines.

Flatland is subtitled "A Romance of Many Dimensions." I wouldn't call this book is "Romantic" in either the original or the modern sense of the term, but it certainly does include many dimensions. . .
And much more. With this one little book at the centre, one can discuss a wide array of topics: literature (late 19th century British satire), history (relate the satire to Victorian society), mathematics (beyond what you get from your typical proof-laden geometry class), physics (String Theory fits nicely), art (the influence of such mathematics on artists such as Dali and Escher), theology (pythian theology: God as The Being of Infinite Dimensions), and even a little climatology (how does it rain in a two-dimensional world?).
The first part of Flatland is an extensive description of life in a two-dimensional society. This is where most satirical elements can be found, but you don't have to know about British Victorian-era society to benefit by learning to view
physical reality more perceptively. How often would you ordinarily stop to consider what the social interactions and the houses and the weather and the class structure and so forth of a two-dimensional world might be? In addition to gaining a new appreciation for planar geometry, you will learn how very fortunate you are to have the extra dimension--but what if someone other entity is thinking the same about. . .
In the second part of Flatland, things really get spicy from the mathematical/physical/philosophical perspective. If you thought the preceding material was mind-expanding, just wait until A. Square travels to Sphereland, Lineland, and (my favorite) Pointland. This engages your brain in a way that no ordinary, prosaic math book can. Everything is explained in a manner that is easily understandable--but at the same time impossible to comprehend. You'll know what I mean when you try to apply the transition from Pointland to Lineland to Flatland to Sphereland to a like voyage to a fourth spatial dimension, and it seems like you should be able to do so, but you can never quite visualize the next dimension. You simply CANNOT. But, oh, what a savory intellectual treat it is to try!
Flatland does not have a plot--at least not until the very end, which is the book's most enduring satirical moment. How sad that this is based in reality. (It is also much like something one might read in. . .dare I say. . .a dystopia.)
If you really want an intellectual trip, contemplate temporal dimensions in a like manner. Yummy. . .
. . . but Abbott poses an even greater enigma: why is it that Flatland residents with the most acute angles are the most mentally obtuse (and vice versa)??
~pythia~

This is not a romance in the modern sense. It's more a dystopian tragedy and satire.

I first heard of it when researching fiction stories that incorporate math. I love Anno's Mysterious Multiplying Jar and Sir Cumference: And the First Round Table (A Math Adventure). This is quite a bit drier than those more recent books, as well as being intended for an older audience. I listened to it while working on a mind-numbingly boring project. If I'd attempted the book in other circumstances, I'm not sure I would have made it through, but I'm glad I did.

Much of the book is taken up describing Flatland and what it's like to live there (spoiler: not so great.) This is interesting from an academic stand point, but not a dramatic one. Toward the end when the action finally started and during the conclusion I was rooting for the Square main character (guess how that worked out.)

As an author, I know how difficult world building is. I've been working on a science fiction piece lately and it's incredibly challenging. Even with the book I have out, [...]where only one detail of our world has been altered, I found it incredibly difficult to portray it accurately. Abbott did a very good job with this. I don't think I'd read it a second time, but I'm glad to have read it once.

Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott was originally published in 1884 and is proof that great stories survive the test of time. It's a mind-bending adventure starring a protagonist that lives in a two-dimensional world. The story is filled with humor, romance, and satire. Flatland is a captivating and delightful invitation to free our thinking from the artificial constraints we constantly impose on it.

Certainly the saving graces of this little gem are its brevity and Abbot's creativity. Much more of the descriptions of life in Flatland would have bordered on tedium. However, the explanation for the banishment of color in Flatland was very clever and one of the better parts of the story. As it is, it's a humorous, demure satire in the Swiftian vein whereby the protagonist, A. Square, teaches us about his world, has a series of adventures, and learns lessons about life (and mathematics) along the way.
I question its value as a teaching tool, though. I fear the Victorian niceties employed in the exposition will seem stilted and nigh unbearable to today's younger audience, especially if assigned as schoolwork. But, I think those who already grasp the mathematics involved (basic geometry) will enjoy it. Also, A. Square's unabashed enthusiasm and thirst for knowledge are qualities one would happily encourage in students.
My favorite part of the whole book has got to be the visit to the King of Pointland. The way Abbot so succinctly portrays humanity's capacity to ignore evidence that does not conform to preconceived notions, then force the facts to fit long established beliefs is a stroke of genius. In Pointland, ignorance really is bliss.
This little tale definitely provided excellent entertainment for the price I paid here at the store. If it sounds interesting to you, I suggest putting it on your wish list, and then adding it to the next purchase you make (your wallet will barely feel it).

Back in the nineteenth century, the book was described both as being "fascinating" and "mortally tedious". I can see how both apply. For the most part, the book is amusing. It follows the world of A. Square who is, as his name indicates, a square. The first section of the book describes the world of the square, Flatland. The inhabitants range from the women who are straight lines, to the working isosceles triangles to the grand priest, a polygon of a great many sizes that he appears as a circle. The society boasts of a strict hierarchy where figures of greater sides are thought as smarter and better than the rest. The book describes how the shapes recognize each other. The book even goes into detail about a social upheaval where colour was introduced. If any section could be described as tedious, this part would be. However, picturing the actual society was indeed, very entertaining and amusing but at times, certain facts seemed insignifcant.
The second half of the book devotes itself to describing the discovery of other dimensions by A. Square and the consequences of him trying to attempt to explain these discoveries to his world. This part of the book would be the part considered prophetic and charming. First, A. Square stumbles upon one dimensional world. Then accompanying a sphere, he visits a third dimensional world and then a zero dimensional world (a point). Through his discoveries, he even contemplates universes of higher dimensions, the fourth and the fifth and so forth. Eventually his efforts to spread the knowledge end in vain with social ostracization.
The book truly shines in the detail of its description of the different worlds. In language, it could be described as somewhat bland, and stiffnecked but the worlds it describes are truly fascinating. Plus this book is a classic sci-fi and if you ever want to read more about hyperspace and so forth, many non-fiction books refer to Flatland.

If you're obsessed with math but need a break from equations and formulas, pick up a copy of Edwin Abbott's Flatland and go to town. Published over a century ago, this book illustrates the faults of politics and nobility as it explores the delicate relations between the inhabitants of Flatland. As the book progresses it diligently explains the factors of the known dimensions, and the obstacles that separate them. This book is a great read for anyone who loves history, math, and a good laugh.

This book follows a square that is set in his ways about the world. As an inhabitant of Flatland, this square ranks as a "Professional" or "Gentleman". He is joined by every other imaginable regular figure, and all have their place in the world according to their shape. The chain of nobility begins with women, who are, as Abbott repeatedly mentions, "straight lines". Following the women are Isosceles Triangles, who make up the army and servant class. Next come Equilateral Triangles, followed by Squares, Pentagons, Hexagons, and the rest of the regular Polygons follow suit. At the top of the pyramid rests the Priestly Circles, along with Polygons made up of so many thousands of sides they appear to be circles. Each level is smarter than the previous, starting with women who are like goldfish in their mentality, and ending with the Circles who occupy the highest roles of society. The second way Abbott connects the generations is highly entertaining for me, so I'll just leave that treasure for you to discover on your own.

Abbott has a lot of fun in creating the geometric figures' way of life. For instance, he has made recognition of another figure possible by sound, sight, and touch. The women have to take special precaution due to their dangerous shape. Abbott goes to the extreme when describing their circumstances, which I believe to be rather humorous.

The second part of the book follows the Square as he is shown dimensions that are unimaginable as well as down right silly in his perspective. He's shown Lineland, the world of one dimension, in a dream. Later a figure appearing to be a magical circle shows him the way to Sphereland, the world of three dimensions. Lastly, the Square is shown the world of Pointland, a place of no dimensions consisting of simple dots. Each world evokes a different response from the Square as his mind is opened to the various spaces surrounding him.

All in all, the book was a fun read. The best part to me was Abbott's many explanatory diagrams. However, being a female I was severely disgruntled by the low intelligence and mockery of women. I did find peace in knowing that our sharp points could be the weapon of ultimate destruction, as ironic as that may be. The line of nobility definitely revealed the books age, and also evoked several strong feelings I have towards equal rights. I love how I was connected to the troubles and controversy of an older era while learning about present day mathematics. Honestly, if you are a person with strong opinions who loves to argue, this book will give you and your book club things to talk about! One factor that kept me zoned in throughout the story was the reoccurring mention of the phrase "straight line". This redundant fault of Abbott's was a rather comical feature for me, and I have to say it was interesting to see how many times it popped up.

This book is a fun way to view the world as it exists in two dimensions. The flashbacks to historical ideals make for a highly political and controversial read that will surely keep the reader interested. Once Abbott starts explaining the multiple dimensions and their connections, the book becomes a whirlwind of that "I know what I mean but I just can't explain it" feeling of frustration and determination. If you or anyone you know enjoys geometry, controversial issues, and puzzles, this book is sure to be a hit.

For hundreds of great reviews of young adult books by young adults themselves, be sure to check out notrequiredreading.com.

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions is an 1884 novella written and illustrated by Edwin A. Abbott. Here, a square that lives in a two-dimensional world relates his experiences there along with his travels in one- and three-dimensional worlds.

The social classes of the country of Flatland are described in such a way as to lampoon the Victorian social hierarchy. Every inhabitant of Flatland is devoted to climbing the social ladder; order is prized more than liberty; women belong to a lower class of their own. Abbott here is not particularly subtle in his criticisms, and one must imagine that the narrow thinkers that accused Abbott of misogyny really must not have been paying very close attention (these are the nineteenth-century analogs of people who think Stephen Colbert is really a conservative).

This dated aspect of the tale may not have particular relevance for a modern audience, but Flatland still has plenty of value. Abbott's one- and two-dimensional worlds are impressively imaginative and quite well thought-out. Flatland is immersive, and along the way, Abbott manages to work in a number of profound thoughts on existence.

Flatland's lasting legacy is its discussion of dimensions. Just as Abbott takes the reader through the two-dimensional square's travails in comprehending a third dimension, so the reader is challenged to imagine a fourth. And Abbott does an excellent job of this, whether one considers this fourth dimension as time (as per general relativity) or an extra aspect of space (this is quite a bit harder to imagine). It also works if you consider the tale an allegory for God and the spiritual realm (Abbott was a rather prodigious theologian), which is not by any means a stretch given the "preaching" done in the story. In any case, it's marvelously thought-provoking.

On the whole, Flatland is a well-imagined, well-reasoned, stimulating work.

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions is an 1884 novella written and illustrated by Edwin A. Abbott. Here, a square that lives in a two-dimensional world relates his experiences there along with his travels in one- and three-dimensional worlds.

The social classes of the country of Flatland are described in such a way as to lampoon the Victorian social hierarchy. Every inhabitant of Flatland is devoted to climbing the social ladder; order is prized more than liberty; women belong to a lower class of their own. Abbott here is not particularly subtle in his criticisms, and one must imagine that the narrow thinkers that accused Abbott of misogyny really must not have been paying very close attention (these are the nineteenth-century analogs of people who think Stephen Colbert is really a conservative).

This dated aspect of the tale may not have particular relevance for a modern audience, but Flatland still has plenty of value. Abbott's one- and two-dimensional worlds are impressively imaginative and quite well thought-out. Flatland is immersive, and along the way, Abbott manages to work in a number of profound thoughts on existence.

Flatland's lasting legacy is its discussion of dimensions. Just as Abbott takes the reader through the two-dimensional square's travails in comprehending a third dimension, so the reader is challenged to imagine a fourth. And Abbott does an excellent job of this, whether one considers this fourth dimension as time (as per general relativity) or an extra aspect of space (this is quite a bit harder to imagine). It also works if you consider the tale an allegory for God and the spiritual realm (Abbott was a rather prodigious theologian), which is not by any means a stretch given the "preaching" done in the story. In any case, it's marvelously thought-provoking.

On the whole, Flatland is a well-imagined, well-reasoned, stimulating work.

Flatland is THE must-read for anyone interested in getting a feel for higher dimensions. The book is extraordinarily readable and succeeds even with people that are afraid of mathematics. Abbott's charm lies in his ability to write simply and clearly about a topic that has its share of very unreachable, esoteric books. You fall into the story (whose plot is by no means secondary to the mathematical ideas), and before you know it you find yourself in contemplation of things like the fourth and fifth dimensions. The visual image that this book provides is a necessary step to envisioning and then understanding the idea of higher dimensions, even for those already versed in the mathematics of it. You never know, after you read this, you might even be willing to try your hand at things like Einstein's relativity. A little on the social aspects of the book: keep in mind that it was written in the very late 1800's. Hidden within the philosophical and mathematical ideas is a satire of the social climate of the times: how women, the military, the upper echelons of society, and just about everyone else were viewed. Flatland makes you think, and think deeply, on many different and sometimes unexpected levels.

I can see this book being interesting to two types of people.
First, the book is based on geometrical concepts to create a vision of Flatland. The descriptions of how to visualize different dimensions and the question of higher dimensions are simply explained. I believe someone who knows nothing about math would find the explanation satisfactory.
Second, the book is a satire of Victorian society. It's important to remember that the author does not actually think women are inferior, just that he is mocking the world around him. I also found an interesting passage where the author describes how the inhabitants of the southern latitudes (e.g., Africa) are savages because their air inhibits the ability to distinguish shapes. This compares to the northern latitudes (i.e., London) where fog allows better sight. Trust me, it will make sense when you read it.
This is just one of the examples of satire in the book. I thought the book was excellent and can easily be read in a few hours. Plus, it costs a buck..

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions is an 1884 novella written and illustrated by Edwin A. Abbott. Here, a square that lives in a two-dimensional world relates his experiences there along with his travels in one- and three-dimensional worlds.

The social classes of the country of Flatland are described in such a way as to lampoon the Victorian social hierarchy. Every inhabitant of Flatland is devoted to climbing the social ladder; order is prized more than liberty; women belong to a lower class of their own. Abbott here is not particularly subtle in his criticisms, and one must imagine that the narrow thinkers that accused Abbott of misogyny really must not have been paying very close attention (these are the nineteenth-century analogs of people who think Stephen Colbert is really a conservative).

This dated aspect of the tale may not have particular relevance for a modern audience, but Flatland still has plenty of value. Abbott's one- and two-dimensional worlds are impressively imaginative and quite well thought-out. Flatland is immersive, and along the way, Abbott manages to work in a number of profound thoughts on existence.

Flatland's lasting legacy is its discussion of dimensions. Just as Abbott takes the reader through the two-dimensional square's travails in comprehending a third dimension, so the reader is challenged to imagine a fourth. And Abbott does an excellent job of this, whether one considers this fourth dimension as time (as per general relativity) or an extra aspect of space (this is quite a bit harder to imagine). It also works if you consider the tale an allegory for God and the spiritual realm (Abbott was a rather prodigious theologian), which is not by any means a stretch given the "preaching" done in the story. In any case, it's marvelously thought-provoking.

On the whole, Flatland is a well-imagined, well-reasoned, stimulating work.

Even after 110 years, Flatland is a fascinating book. We are
introduced to life in Flatland -- a 2-dimensional world --
through the eyes of a scholarly square, a respectable gentleman.
He teaches us the ways of Flatland, and then takes on a mind-blowing
adventure into the third dimension and beyond.
Through the Square's discovery, we expand our view of our own
world. We begin to wonder if we, the human race, are like inhabitants
of Flatland, blissfully unaware of all that we cannot see. We wonder
if we might even be as the King of Lineland, mightily ruling
our fragile Earth. We question the validity of our perceptions of
the world.
Reading Flatland requires full concetration, due to Abbot's dense
prose, but the results are spectacular. Take a look at Flatland
and expand the dimensionality of your universe.

This book was written by a theologian, not a math professor, and it's not about geometry. The author uses geometry to create a parable that was intented to help open the mind of the reader to spiritual reality.

What happens when a lowly square receives a revelation of a higher dimension of reality from a sphere, and then tells the other flat shapes what happened to him? He gets presecuted and thrown in prison. Does that sound vaguely like something that might happen in our world and has happened over and over again in history?

Anyway, it seems our Westen Civilization is getting flatter all the time. Read this book, and gain some insight into our human condition, and some funny insights into the culture of Victorian England. How can you miss at this price? This book really is a classic.

Maybe it's because I'd read so much about this book (by Gardner, Dewdney, etc.) that I was expecting more of this than I got.

At the time it was written, mathematics and science were somewhat moribund, western society was complacent and original thinkers were treated with (at best) condescension and/or (at worst) persecution.

Into this realm plopped Abbott's "Flatland", simultaneously attempting to be a social satire and a mathematical thesis, but somehow falling short of both. No arguing it's entertaining, if a little clothy, but ultimately it is (by the standards of modern literature and mathematics) woefully shallow.

It's worth reading (in any edition), and it's thin enough to fit in a small gap, so won't impose badly on your bulging bookshelves, but I wouldn't hunt it out especially.

What struck me about this book more than anything else is the idea of SEEING BEYOND WHAT YOU SEE. In other words, to see the world in a new way. To see what you see and not be afraid to say so. To know that anyone that sees the world in a new way will be called mad or dangerous by the masses and especially by the powers that be.

It's not so much a story where there is a plot or characters that spark empathy. It is more an ESSAY TOLD IN THE FORM OF A STORY ~ as you might tell to a child. It uses the world of mathematics as the backdrop for the story. But, beyond that it speaks more to human nature and philosophy. How we are taught what is good and what is bad, what is real and what is an illusion, what is right and what is wrong, and most importantly what is too dangerous to even fathom.

I liked how the MAIN CHARACTER, a square living in the SECOND DIMENSION, travels to the first dimension where lines and points travel in a straight line only and aren't aware of the second dimension. And, how below the first dimension is no dimension where a world of points only know of themselves (and don't move at all). The square tries to explain to both worlds that there is more than what they know. No one believes him.

So, when a character from the THIRD DIMENSION pays this same square a visit to explain that there is more than he knows (and shows him so), it opens up the square to wonder what is beyond the third dimension and the fourth and the fifth and so on.

As people in our world and the fictional world of Flatland learn, WHEN YOU SEE THE WORLD IN A NEW WAY AND SAY IT OUT LOUD, it usually means your head.

This is worth a read. I like reading books from different eras. I was checking out books from the 1880s when I ran across this one. It's a QUICK READ. And, while it doesn't pull at your heartstrings, it does make you think and maybe just maybe look at your own world in a new way.

I'm a writer, so "what ifs" are always popping into my head. And, somewhere between starting this book and finishing it (not while reading it), the following swam into my head:

What if all your imagination, all your creativity, all your inspiration, all your inklings to go this way or that, are merely a creature in another dimension whispering into your head.

The only difference between you and this other creature is that they are aware of you and you are not aware of them. All of those thoughts in your head are merely suggestions to you. From them.

(I'll be filing this away for a short story or a bit of another story or maybe just let it fall into the massive grand canyon of little thoughts that float in and out of my imagination).

What is there to say about Flatland? It is certainly a creative attempt at trying to familiarize people with the concepts of dimensionality. It is not nearly as enlightening as some reviewers have made it out to be, though there are a couple of great endearing ideas that will stick with you.
Unfortunately, what starts off as a great book quickly becomes mired in tedium. Part of the tedium stems from the vast difference between 19th and 21st century cultures. Abbott works hard to describe a society for one-dimensional or two-dimensional beings based on his own Victorian era. Unfortunately it is written in such a way that the difference in values between our two eras adds confusion rather than enlightenment to the message of the book. We can't identify with the society, and that identification is crucial to the usefulness of the story. Second, there is entertaining fiction, and then there is ad-nauseum details which detract from the plot. His penchant for tangents (pun intended) reminded me of how boring the Iliad could be at points.
The book receives an A for originality. As for simplifying weighty concepts and making the matter entertaining, it receives only a passing grade. It is so far entangled in a social scheme that is outdated as to detract from the overall enjoyment.

Interesting and thought-provoking, this story compels us to consider the possibility of something more than we can conceive. It is an allegory of so many things; in addition to infinite possibilities beyond what we see, it also touches on social and political prejudices and injustices.

Content: clean; no sex or language, and only very mild abstract violence.

Flatland is the the only notable book by Edwin A. Abbot. Sure, he wrote some books on Shakespeare and theology, but this is where he really shines.

The story itself is about a square who lives in a two-dimensional world. He happens to meet a sphere, manifested as a circle in Flatland. The sphere challenges the square's very understanding of the universe around him, taking him on adventures to other strange places, such as Lineland and Pointland.

Ordinarily a favorite of mathematicians, Flatland also has appeal to fans of science fiction or fantasy. I strongly recommend this thin tome for any fan of such, or even fans of fine literature.

The book is narrated from the view point of the protagonist - a square who lives in a two-dimensional world. The 55-page book takes you through the square's journeys across multi-dimensional worlds that include Pointland with no dimensions, Lineland with one dimension, Spaceland with three dimensions and his own 2-d hometown - Flatland.
The Flatland world itself is a satire on various aspects of modern human society such as the low status of women, discrimination on the basis of races and classes (in this case triangles versus circles)and so on.

The author's thought process is absolutely brilliant and quite ahead of his time. At a time (1884) when quantum mechanics was non existent, the
author has displayed an uncanny ability to conceptualize worlds beyond three dimensions and logically justify them using mathematical analogies.

Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, though this is not the kind of thing that may appeal to everyone.

I first read "Flatland" when I was studying mathematics as a university first-year. I have just been re-reading it.
In my naivity, I first thought that Abbot was exhibiting his own prejudice against women and lower classes. I realise now that it is his very clever way of satirising his own culture - and he chose an ingenious way of doing it, by choosing a setting that was as far removed from the real world as is conceivable - the world of abstract mathematics.
The culture and society of Flatland are wonderfully developed, and the very human personalities of the square, circular, linear and hexagonal characters are colourful and vivid - displaying all the passions, corruptions, and emotions of our own, three dimensional world.
In addition, this book is a remarkable lesson in how higher dimensions can be conceived by beings who inhabit worlds of lower dimensions. And Abbot's eloquent and humorous writing style is a great pleasure to read.

This classic short novel is centered about intelligent beings that live in only two dimensions. One of the inhabitants, Mr. Square, describes his world and visits a one-dimensional world. He later encounters beings from the third dimension. Mr. Square finally considers even higher dimensions. This tale by Edwin A. Abbott (1839-1926), an English clergyman and academic, has become quite popular with those physicists and mathematicians who study higher dimensions. It is also regarded as a classic in the development of speculative fiction. I really enjoyed reading it. I've had a copy on my shelf for over forty years and I have never met a Ph.D. in physics (or math for that matter) who has not read it. Any student of the development of science fiction should also have a copy.

This book is a good read because it's interesting, makes you think, and it's short.
The story is pretty obviously divided into two sections: One which describes a two-dimensional land and its inhabitants, one which describes how these characters react to the realization of a three-dimensional land like our own. The entire book satirically illustrates many social/cultural themes under the pretext of describing this two-dimensional civilization.
The book does an good job of detailing how the characters live and thrive in their two-dimensional world, as well as contrasting how many objects and actions which we take for granted in our world are not feasible in theirs.
Also, the author does a good job of making the reader think about how we perceive our world, as well as how we would see (or not see, as it were) a mythical 4D world. Drawing parallels between how we think about a 4D world and how the main characters think about a 3D world, I think, helps to further enjoyment and understanding of the book.
I usually like short books -- I can get through them, feel like I have accomplished something, and move on to another book. However, I feel this book was a little too short. Just when I was really getting involved, the book ended. I think it could have been taken so many more directions (or dimensions.. ha ha).
Nonetheless, I would recommend this book for anyone who likes to think casually about how we perceive (visually and physically) our universe. Even if you don't like to do that, it's kind of a fun story and a good satire. :)

I bought this book on a whim because it was so cheap, and I rather enjoyed it, despite it being a very short book. At the minute, it is circulating among my friends.
The first part deals with the social structure and mores of the flatland society. I've heard that it's a critique of the way life was set up when the book was written, but I can't confirm that. It describes a world where women are seen as worthless nobodies who are dangerous without really noticing, and where people are judged and placed in social classes based merely on their appearance (more specifically, how many sides they have).
The second part is why you should buy this book. It is the tale of what happens when one of the members of this two-dimensional society is taken and shown how life is lived in worlds of one, zero, and three dimensions. It is this part of the book which is absolutely fascinating, and convinced me that I will never be able to envision a fourth spatial dimension.
I highly recommend this book as a singular novelty, and a very good read.

Well, here is an interesting book. I don't remember how it ended up on my list, someone talked about it a long time ago. It is really just a mental exercise in visualizing dimension and understanding perspective. It is wrapped as a story, of sorts.

It is not an exciting book, nor one with a life meaning or excellent craft, but it has some interesting ideas. I will not think of dimension the same way again.

On the other hand, I rarely find myself contemplating dimensions, lines, space, angles, and perspective.

It was a decently fun read.

This book "flatland" is one of my favorite books of all time. Even though it was written along time ago, it still introduces new theories that most people would not think about everyday. The details on geometry and polygons and the other dimension are well. Also the diagrams included also help a lot. The trips to Lineland, Pointland, and Spaceland portray the stubbornness of people to adapt to new customs that our introduced to them. The questions I have after reading this book is their other dimensions like 5th and 6th. My favorite character in the book is the square because; he is very curious and smart. A thing I liked in this book is that it was written in third person. I would strongly recommend this book because it takes an idea that is rarely used, and makes it understandable to the general public.

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions is an 1884 science fiction novella by the English schoolmaster Edwin Abbott Abbott.
As a satire, Flatland offered pointed observations on the social hierarchy of Victorian culture. However, the novella's more enduring contribution is its examination of dimensions; in a foreword to one of the many publications of the novella, noted science writer Isaac Asimov described Flatland as "The best introduction one can find into the manner of perceiving dimensions." As such, the novella is still popular amongst mathematics, physics and computer science students.

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!

Flatland is one of those pseudo-scientific novels that has since become a piece of the scientific canon in the same way that Alice's Adventures in Wonderland has; when attempting to explain theoretical physics to a class, and at a dead-end, a professor is most liekly to turn to an analogy from Flatland. Which makes sense. Flatland is the story of A. Square, a resident of the two-dimensional Flatland, and how he comes to understand that there are universes in every dimension. Previous to this, the idea of any universe but his own two-dimensional universe was unthinkable; by the end of the novel, he is positing the existence of a great, infinitely-dimensional being-- god. This is not surprising; Edwin Abbott was a theologist first and foremost. What is surprising is how modern eyes have seen this tale, and it gives us a perspective on the endless debate as to whether the author's belief about his story is the final and "right" one.
Abbott meant his book as a treatise on theoretical physics-- if at all-- in only a minor way. According to Abbott himself, his main goal in the writing of Flatland was to produce a kind of "satire of manners" on Victorian England. And, given what little I know of the ways of life in Victorian England, he seems to be right on the money. But what do I know? Abbott's assertion is backed up by the structure of the novel, certainly; the first hundred pages of this small (hundred fifty page) tome are devoted to the customs and mores of Flatland. How stinging a criticism they are of the values and mores of Victorian England is not for me to say. Thus, those of us who are not historians are left with the final fifty pages, and the impact of the first hundred pages upon them (which, aside form the knowledge gained therein, is minimal); and, at least as far as the physicists go, the book has metamorphosed into a trestise on theoretical physics.
I'm not a theoretical physicist, either, but I've always been interested in mathematics in a sort of hobbylike way, and the math presented in Flatland is good, solid theory that also happens to be thought-provoking. Seeing how A. Square's realization of how the third dimension works dawns on him, and seeing how Lord Sphere explains the mechanics of the third dimension to A. Square, it is easy to take those arguments and make them to postulate a theoretical fourth dimension (albeit one that is impossible to visualize, at least within the narrow scope of my mathematical knowledge) and its supercubes with sixteen points and eight faces, and the like.
The point is, however, we seem to have taken a minor part of the book's appeal to its original audience and made that its full appeal today. We still think it's good (or it wouldn't still be in print a hundred sixteen years after its release, no?), but we think different aspects of it are good. The opinions of the artist have passed on, and the work itself remains in a different perspective.

This edition of Flatland has all of the diagrams made with the keystrokes of a typewriter, not with continuous lines. So the squares, triangles , circles , etc, are illegible. Since the many diagrams are an indispensible part of the book, this edition is completely useless. I bought four copies of this edition for gifts and had to trash them all. Flatland is a very well written, profound, thought provoking discourse of our inability to comprehend life in more dimentions than the three that we occupy, and it is a shame that this edition, well done in all other aspects, contains this fatal flaw, rendering it junk. Do not buy this edition. There are many other far better editions.

What struck me about this book more than anything else is the idea of SEEING BEYOND WHAT YOU SEE. In other words, to see the world in a new way. To see what you see and not be afraid to say so. To know that anyone that sees the world in a new way will be called mad or dangerous by the masses and especially by the powers that be.

It's not so much a story where there is a plot or characters that spark empathy. It is more an ESSAY TOLD IN THE FORM OF A STORY ~ as you might tell to a child. It uses the world of mathematics as the backdrop for the story. But, beyond that it speaks more to human nature and philosophy. How we are taught what is good and what is bad, what is real and what is an illusion, what is right and what is wrong, and most importantly what is too dangerous to even fathom.

I liked how the MAIN CHARACTER, a square living in the SECOND DIMENSION, travels to the first dimension where lines and points travel in a straight line only and aren't aware of the second dimension. And, how below the first dimension is no dimension where a world of points only know of themselves (and don't move at all). The square tries to explain to both worlds that there is more than what they know. No one believes him.

So, when a character from the THIRD DIMENSION pays this same square a visit to explain that there is more than he knows (and shows him so), it opens up the square to wonder what is beyond the third dimension and the fourth and the fifth and so on.

As people in our world and the fictional world of Flatland learn, WHEN YOU SEE THE WORLD IN A NEW WAY AND SAY IT OUT LOUD, it usually means your head.

This is worth a read. I like reading books from different eras. I was checking out books from the 1880s when I ran across this one. It's a QUICK READ. And, while it doesn't pull at your heartstrings, it does make you think and maybe just maybe look at your own world in a new way.

I'm a writer, so "what ifs" are always popping into my head. And, somewhere between starting this book and finishing it (not while reading it), the following swam into my head:

What if all your imagination, all your creativity, all your inspiration, all your inklings to go this way or that, are merely a creature in another dimension whispering into your head.

The only difference between you and this other creature is that they are aware of you and you are not aware of them. All of those thoughts in your head are merely suggestions to you. From them.

(I'll be filing this away for a short story or a bit of another story or maybe just let it fall into the massive grand canyon of little thoughts that float in and out of my imagination).

What is there to say about Flatland? It is certainly a creative attempt at trying to familiarize people with the concepts of dimensionality. It is not nearly as enlightening as some reviewers have made it out to be, though there are a couple of great endearing ideas that will stick with you.
Unfortunately, what starts off as a great book quickly becomes mired in tedium. Part of the tedium stems from the vast difference between 19th and 21st century cultures. Abbott works hard to describe a society for one-dimensional or two-dimensional beings based on his own Victorian era. Unfortunately it is written in such a way that the difference in values between our two eras adds confusion rather than enlightenment to the message of the book. We can't identify with the society, and that identification is crucial to the usefulness of the story. Second, there is entertaining fiction, and then there is ad-nauseum details which detract from the plot. His penchant for tangents (pun intended) reminded me of how boring the Iliad could be at points.
The book receives an A for originality. As for simplifying weighty concepts and making the matter entertaining, it receives only a passing grade. It is so far entangled in a social scheme that is outdated as to detract from the overall enjoyment.

Interesting and thought-provoking, this story compels us to consider the possibility of something more than we can conceive. It is an allegory of so many things; in addition to infinite possibilities beyond what we see, it also touches on social and political prejudices and injustices.

Content: clean; no sex or language, and only very mild abstract violence.

Flatland is the the only notable book by Edwin A. Abbot. Sure, he wrote some books on Shakespeare and theology, but this is where he really shines.

The story itself is about a square who lives in a two-dimensional world. He happens to meet a sphere, manifested as a circle in Flatland. The sphere challenges the square's very understanding of the universe around him, taking him on adventures to other strange places, such as Lineland and Pointland.

Ordinarily a favorite of mathematicians, Flatland also has appeal to fans of science fiction or fantasy. I strongly recommend this thin tome for any fan of such, or even fans of fine literature.

The book is narrated from the view point of the protagonist - a square who lives in a two-dimensional world. The 55-page book takes you through the square's journeys across multi-dimensional worlds that include Pointland with no dimensions, Lineland with one dimension, Spaceland with three dimensions and his own 2-d hometown - Flatland.
The Flatland world itself is a satire on various aspects of modern human society such as the low status of women, discrimination on the basis of races and classes (in this case triangles versus circles)and so on.

The author's thought process is absolutely brilliant and quite ahead of his time. At a time (1884) when quantum mechanics was non existent, the
author has displayed an uncanny ability to conceptualize worlds beyond three dimensions and logically justify them using mathematical analogies.

Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, though this is not the kind of thing that may appeal to everyone.

I first read "Flatland" when I was studying mathematics as a university first-year. I have just been re-reading it.
In my naivity, I first thought that Abbot was exhibiting his own prejudice against women and lower classes. I realise now that it is his very clever way of satirising his own culture - and he chose an ingenious way of doing it, by choosing a setting that was as far removed from the real world as is conceivable - the world of abstract mathematics.
The culture and society of Flatland are wonderfully developed, and the very human personalities of the square, circular, linear and hexagonal characters are colourful and vivid - displaying all the passions, corruptions, and emotions of our own, three dimensional world.
In addition, this book is a remarkable lesson in how higher dimensions can be conceived by beings who inhabit worlds of lower dimensions. And Abbot's eloquent and humorous writing style is a great pleasure to read.

This classic short novel is centered about intelligent beings that live in only two dimensions. One of the inhabitants, Mr. Square, describes his world and visits a one-dimensional world. He later encounters beings from the third dimension. Mr. Square finally considers even higher dimensions. This tale by Edwin A. Abbott (1839-1926), an English clergyman and academic, has become quite popular with those physicists and mathematicians who study higher dimensions. It is also regarded as a classic in the development of speculative fiction. I really enjoyed reading it. I've had a copy on my shelf for over forty years and I have never met a Ph.D. in physics (or math for that matter) who has not read it. Any student of the development of science fiction should also have a copy.

This book is a good read because it's interesting, makes you think, and it's short.
The story is pretty obviously divided into two sections: One which describes a two-dimensional land and its inhabitants, one which describes how these characters react to the realization of a three-dimensional land like our own. The entire book satirically illustrates many social/cultural themes under the pretext of describing this two-dimensional civilization.
The book does an good job of detailing how the characters live and thrive in their two-dimensional world, as well as contrasting how many objects and actions which we take for granted in our world are not feasible in theirs.
Also, the author does a good job of making the reader think about how we perceive our world, as well as how we would see (or not see, as it were) a mythical 4D world. Drawing parallels between how we think about a 4D world and how the main characters think about a 3D world, I think, helps to further enjoyment and understanding of the book.
I usually like short books -- I can get through them, feel like I have accomplished something, and move on to another book. However, I feel this book was a little too short. Just when I was really getting involved, the book ended. I think it could have been taken so many more directions (or dimensions.. ha ha).
Nonetheless, I would recommend this book for anyone who likes to think casually about how we perceive (visually and physically) our universe. Even if you don't like to do that, it's kind of a fun story and a good satire. :)

I bought this book on a whim because it was so cheap, and I rather enjoyed it, despite it being a very short book. At the minute, it is circulating among my friends.
The first part deals with the social structure and mores of the flatland society. I've heard that it's a critique of the way life was set up when the book was written, but I can't confirm that. It describes a world where women are seen as worthless nobodies who are dangerous without really noticing, and where people are judged and placed in social classes based merely on their appearance (more specifically, how many sides they have).
The second part is why you should buy this book. It is the tale of what happens when one of the members of this two-dimensional society is taken and shown how life is lived in worlds of one, zero, and three dimensions. It is this part of the book which is absolutely fascinating, and convinced me that I will never be able to envision a fourth spatial dimension.
I highly recommend this book as a singular novelty, and a very good read.

Well, here is an interesting book. I don't remember how it ended up on my list, someone talked about it a long time ago. It is really just a mental exercise in visualizing dimension and understanding perspective. It is wrapped as a story, of sorts.

It is not an exciting book, nor one with a life meaning or excellent craft, but it has some interesting ideas. I will not think of dimension the same way again.

On the other hand, I rarely find myself contemplating dimensions, lines, space, angles, and perspective.

It was a decently fun read.

This book "flatland" is one of my favorite books of all time. Even though it was written along time ago, it still introduces new theories that most people would not think about everyday. The details on geometry and polygons and the other dimension are well. Also the diagrams included also help a lot. The trips to Lineland, Pointland, and Spaceland portray the stubbornness of people to adapt to new customs that our introduced to them. The questions I have after reading this book is their other dimensions like 5th and 6th. My favorite character in the book is the square because; he is very curious and smart. A thing I liked in this book is that it was written in third person. I would strongly recommend this book because it takes an idea that is rarely used, and makes it understandable to the general public.

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions is an 1884 science fiction novella by the English schoolmaster Edwin Abbott Abbott.
As a satire, Flatland offered pointed observations on the social hierarchy of Victorian culture. However, the novella's more enduring contribution is its examination of dimensions; in a foreword to one of the many publications of the novella, noted science writer Isaac Asimov described Flatland as "The best introduction one can find into the manner of perceiving dimensions." As such, the novella is still popular amongst mathematics, physics and computer science students.

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!

Flatland is one of those pseudo-scientific novels that has since become a piece of the scientific canon in the same way that Alice's Adventures in Wonderland has; when attempting to explain theoretical physics to a class, and at a dead-end, a professor is most liekly to turn to an analogy from Flatland. Which makes sense. Flatland is the story of A. Square, a resident of the two-dimensional Flatland, and how he comes to understand that there are universes in every dimension. Previous to this, the idea of any universe but his own two-dimensional universe was unthinkable; by the end of the novel, he is positing the existence of a great, infinitely-dimensional being-- god. This is not surprising; Edwin Abbott was a theologist first and foremost. What is surprising is how modern eyes have seen this tale, and it gives us a perspective on the endless debate as to whether the author's belief about his story is the final and "right" one.
Abbott meant his book as a treatise on theoretical physics-- if at all-- in only a minor way. According to Abbott himself, his main goal in the writing of Flatland was to produce a kind of "satire of manners" on Victorian England. And, given what little I know of the ways of life in Victorian England, he seems to be right on the money. But what do I know? Abbott's assertion is backed up by the structure of the novel, certainly; the first hundred pages of this small (hundred fifty page) tome are devoted to the customs and mores of Flatland. How stinging a criticism they are of the values and mores of Victorian England is not for me to say. Thus, those of us who are not historians are left with the final fifty pages, and the impact of the first hundred pages upon them (which, aside form the knowledge gained therein, is minimal); and, at least as far as the physicists go, the book has metamorphosed into a trestise on theoretical physics.
I'm not a theoretical physicist, either, but I've always been interested in mathematics in a sort of hobbylike way, and the math presented in Flatland is good, solid theory that also happens to be thought-provoking. Seeing how A. Square's realization of how the third dimension works dawns on him, and seeing how Lord Sphere explains the mechanics of the third dimension to A. Square, it is easy to take those arguments and make them to postulate a theoretical fourth dimension (albeit one that is impossible to visualize, at least within the narrow scope of my mathematical knowledge) and its supercubes with sixteen points and eight faces, and the like.
The point is, however, we seem to have taken a minor part of the book's appeal to its original audience and made that its full appeal today. We still think it's good (or it wouldn't still be in print a hundred sixteen years after its release, no?), but we think different aspects of it are good. The opinions of the artist have passed on, and the work itself remains in a different perspective.

This edition of Flatland has all of the diagrams made with the keystrokes of a typewriter, not with continuous lines. So the squares, triangles , circles , etc, are illegible. Since the many diagrams are an indispensible part of the book, this edition is completely useless. I bought four copies of this edition for gifts and had to trash them all. Flatland is a very well written, profound, thought provoking discourse of our inability to comprehend life in more dimentions than the three that we occupy, and it is a shame that this edition, well done in all other aspects, contains this fatal flaw, rendering it junk. Do not buy this edition. There are many other far better editions.

I've read Ken Wilber refer to Flatland enough times to make me curious enough to read this book. This book is written from the perspective of a 2 dimensional being. His world consists of length and width only. The first half of this book is the main character describing every aspect of this two dimensional world. The second half is where it gets interesting. Our 2 dimensional main character interacts with a 3 dimensional being and a 1 dimensional being and describes how these interactions might take place. All this sets the stage for the 3 dimensional reader to ponder the experience of the 4th dimension and what 4 dimensional beings might be like.

It's hard to believe that this book was published in 1880. Abbot, the author, was in my eyes, a genius. I read this book and was amazed by several things:

1-All the amazing concepts in this book were incredibly easy to understand-even for a high school student. The diagrams included also help a lot. I did not know or understand much about dimensional theory before reading this book, but after, I'm amazed at how much I learned from an amusing book written in the late 1800's.

2-This book should not be taken just for its mathematical simpleness and genius, but also for it's amusing writing. The story was funny, often satirical of the Victorian world which Abbot lived in. This is one of the reasons the book was so easy and quick to read-it is interesting in a literary as well as a mathematical sense.

3-The book contains no complex math equations involving numbers what-so-ever. It only explains theory in an easy to understand way that does not limit the concept that the author is teaching.

These and other details make Flatland one of the best books I have ever read. If you liked Flatland after reading it, also read Sphereland. I have written a review for it, also (you may see it by pressing the link).

This book, narrated by 'a square', explores what life in a two-dimensional world would be like. The first half of the book which describes Flatland's society is not only interesting sci-fi worldbuilding, but is a biting satire on Victorian society.

In the second half, the narrator meets a three-dimensional being from Spaceworld (our world) and has visions of one-dimensional Lineworld and no-dimensional Pointworld. The recurring effort of explaining additional dimensions to a being who cannot see, feel, or even imagine them brings up interesting questions about faith/spirituality/religion. Even though this book was written over 125 years ago it remains fascinating and thought-provoking.

Yes, even though it is truly about math, this is a most wonderfully humane and insightful book. And thanks to Dover Thrifts, there is something besides long distance you can buy for [the price]! :-)
My grandmother was a (gifted) math teacher in a Massachusetts high school, and she used to assign both "Flatland" and "Through the Looking Glass" for extra-credit to her brightest students. Those who went for it discovered vibrant harmonies between principles in their textbooks and how they would inhabit reality as people.
Who could ask for more...?

Reading reviews on this little gem of a novelette I have owned for over 33 years now, I see most have completely missed the point. Square states this clearly: "inspired people are always considered by the majority to be mad". Although Abbott's little book has been embraced by generations, used as a guide to kiddy schoolers in understanding geometry, its message runs much deeper. It is an illustration of mankind's effect on innovators who disclose knowledge at the cosmological level. It is the story that parallels all those who became a majority of one, all those who have seen further than others, to all who examine a pretty shell at the beach and realize there is a sea of knowledge before them, to all who have dared to step outside the box. Those are the innovators who have stepped out of flatland into spaceland and were subsequently denounced and ridiculed. Galileo, who expanded the universe a thousand fold, was put into house arrest by the inquisition...those priests refusing to "look through his tube" (a telescope). We pay the Edison company for a Nikola Tesla product (the inventor of alternating current). Tesla died almost forgotten and penniless. When demonstrating the first electro-magnetic device, Faraday was asked what good is it? His response, "I don't know...what good is a newborn baby? Someday they will learn how to tax it". The history and drama of the discoverer is the story of "square", his newly acquired cosmological knowledge through meeting "sphere", and what happened when he tried to disclose it to flatlanders. "Square" was a spacelander in a world of flatlanders.

Flatland is an interesting piece of fiction. On the one hand the ideas it presents are endlessly intriguing, and trying to percieve what they speak of is much like running in a dream (at least for me). On the other hand, the book is too short, a thinly veiled lecture, in which the societal patterns in Lineland aren't explored to their full extent.
One main problem I had in the novel was the main character's view of women (despite the cryptic apology in the Preface). Women are seen as unskilled "lines", the simplest of figures, dominated by their emotions, ignorant, and dangerous. While this might seem like a commentary on the ways women are treated today, I threw this idea aside: the fact remains that many of the harmful descriptions are proven true by the narrative. Should not they be contradicted to make such a point?
But I digress. I understand the novels purpose is not to improve the role of women in society, but rather to convince the reader of the existence of a fourth dimension. At this is surely succeeds. I still am wondering is whether the added dimension might be spacial, temporal, mental, or something entirely different. It truly elicits thought.
To continue, I enjoyed the book. However, it isn't for everyone, and at times I simply wished to hurry through it to finish and get on with things. But at a slim 80 pages, it is decidedly worth it. I would have given a four star rating because of this, but length seems like a poor measure of quality.
Also, allow me to commend Dover for their Thrift editions of books. While most of these are free on the internet, it's great to get something to hold in my hands for only a pittance.

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.

This book was written in an attempt to prepare the minds of the Victorians to the concept of a fourth dimension, as a side story it is a commentary on the sexist and stratified society in which the clergyman, mathematician and head master Mr. Abbott found himself in. Abbott draws our attention to the lowly status of the "irregulars", triangles and in particular female "lines" not because he agrees with their plight but to highlight the inequity and absurdity that the majority can be lorded over by the minority. But I digress. The main story is about enlightening a people accustomed to 2 or 3 dimensions to the prospect of 3 or 4 dimensions respectively. I only gave it three stars as I dislike the first half of the book in that it doesn't have a coherent story - rather a series of chapters each on a different area of 2D society. A story is developed in the second half of the book and this is where it really picked up for me. While I would have liked to know how lines "give birth" to polygons I understand that this is a minor technicality and the concept is still sound without that detail being included.

A note to teachers: Don't set this as required reading, your students won't like it, they already know all about the 3D world and the 4D concept isn't alien to them like it was to the Victorian society it was written for. Instead read them Planiverse by A.K. Dewdney it will blow their minds.

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.

I appreciated this as a concept book...in other words, I didn't really "enjoy" reading Flatland except as a stimulus to looking at the world differently. Since I like doing that, it made the book worthwhile. It's the kind of book you remember long afterward because it's so different...and it raises new ways of looking at issues you've probably considered at some point.

The fantastical setting of Edwin A. Abbott's "Flatland" is one of the most curious in literature: a two-dimensional world in which all the inhabitants are sentient flat shapes which slide around on a plane with no knowledge or conception of a third dimension. However, the book's theme -- the importance of unimpeded scientific inquiry and the danger of denying the possibilities of infinity in all its forms -- is treated with the didacticism of a tendentious theological tract, leaving the reader, who probably was already well aware of the book's implications long before he even heard of the book, gasping for breath.
We are introduced to the nature of Flatland by the narrator, a nameless Square, who describes his world as being populated primarily by regular polygons. A citizen's social and occupational status is in direct proportion to his number of sides, so those with so many sides that they approximate circles achieve the highest ranks. These circular elite are dubbed "priests" and rule Flatland apparently on a parliamentary model. At the other end of the spectrum are the Triangles, who constitute the working class. Even lower than the Triangles, however, are the simpleminded Lines -- and these are Flatland's women, useful only for procreation. It takes little imagination to guess what the irregular polygons represent.
The Square's purpose in writing this report is to rejoice in his discovery of the (previously unimagined) third dimension, revealed to him by a helpful Sphere who visits from Spaceland. The Square, now in possession of arcane knowledge and an intuitive conviction of the existence of higher dimensions, assumes an evangelical role and ultimately emerges as a Promethean figure when he is imprisoned for the heretical act of preaching a third dimension.
"Flatland" has been compared to "Alice in Wonderland" and "Gulliver's Travels," but I'd say there are clearer parallels to Huxley's "Brave New World" (in the classist regimentation of the Flatlanders' society) and Samuel Butler's "Erewhon" (in the Flatlanders' strange and limited belief system). The difference is that the aforementioned novels employ both irony to qualify as allegorical satires and narrative integrity to endure as pure fiction, whereas "Flatland" is so earnest in its delivery and so ineffectual in its impact, it feels like a pebble in an avalanche. Too obvious and elementary to be a scientific or mathematical essay, too obtuse to be a philosophical treatise, too moralistic to be a good example of a novel, "Flatland" misses its mark and slips silently through the cracks.

Flatland is Edwin A. Abbott's depiction of A. Square's (the story's narrator) odyssey though the spaces of many dimensions. It was written in Victorian England and is a very stylized piece. The book is divided into two parts. In Part I of the book Abbott describes Flatland and particularly its social structure in a satirical nature (akin to Animal Farm). Part II of the book is where the more mathematical and geometrical concepts are expounded upon. This section of the book is also written in the spirit of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. A. Square (analogous to Alice) ventures back and forth through Pointland (no dimensions), Lineland (one dimension), Flatland (two dimensions), and Spaceland (three dimensions). A. Square even eventually speculates the appearance of the inhabitants of a land composed of four dimensions! Flatland will appeal to both mathematicians and lay people alike. If you are curious about dimensionality and the world in which we live, and would like to see it presented in a playful and charismatic manner, then Flatland is the book for you. Although initially taken at face value, Flatland is very deep and fully of many hidden mathematical and satirical jokes waiting to be discovered by its readers (again similar to Alice in Wonderland). Furthermore, Abbott's style tends to be very wordy. To that end, his sentences are jammed packed with ideas. These final two aspects of the book may deem a reread useful. Nonetheless, Abbott blesses us with phrases such as "dimensionable Dimensionality," "Thoughtland," "Spacious Space," and perfect perfection." Brilliant! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

"Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions," by Edwin A. Abbott, is a marvelous tale that I regard as a pioneering piece of science fiction. According to the introductory note in the Dover edition, Abbott was an English scholar and clergyman, and the book was first published under a pseudonym in 1884. The book is enhanced by the author's own delightful illustrations.
"Flatland" is told in the first person by an intelligent square who lives in a fantastic two-dimensional world. He describes in fascinating detail his own world of Flatland, going into such topics as architecture, war, genetics, medical arts, law, and family values. Particularly fascinating is his account of his society's rigid stratification by class and gender. The square tells of his visions of zero- and one-dimensional worlds, and of his life-changing contact with the three-dimensional world.
Abbott succeeds in a task attempted with varying success by generations of science fiction writers since him: he creates an alternate world which is utterly alien, yet disturbingly familiar--a world that is complete and consistently compelling. "Flatland" could certainly be read as a satire of Abbott's own world; parts of it are laugh-out-loud hilarious. Whimsical yet possessing a biting edge, this is a brilliantly conceived and wonderfully written book. For a companion text, try A.K. Dewdney's "The Planiverse" (also about contact between two- and three-dimensional worlds); also try Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World" (an equally intriguing view of a stratified sci-fi culture).

Originally written with a Victorian theme, it is now a must-read classic for anyone who enjoys reading about the fourth dimension. The story is about a two-dimensional being (called A Square) living in a two-dimensional world (hence the title, Flatland). As a three-dimensional being imagining this two-dimensional world, you come to realize that you can understand higher-dimensional space through lower-dimensional analogies. In fact, A Square meets a three-dimensional being (A Sphere), and takes a journey beyond the second dimension. Although some readers may enjoy the book for its historical and Victorian period merits, math lovers can enjoy the book for its geometric insight.

If you are curious about the fourth dimension, you should also read:

- Spaceland: A Novel of the Fourth Dimension, Rudy Rucker's novel of the fourth dimension
- Flatterland: Like Flatland, Only More So, a continuation of the geometric idea from Flatland
- The 4th Dimension: Toward a Geometry of Higher Reality, Rudy Rucker's classic introduction to the fourth dimension
- The Visual Guide to Extra Dimensions: Volume 1: Visualizing the Fourth Dimension, Higher-Dimensional Polytopes, and Curved Hypersurfaces, a modern geometric introduction to the fourth dimension

This is a classic. It's probably been almost 5o years since I last read it. Understand of course that in addition to the wonderful discussion of multi-dimensional space that there's a fair amount of social commentary from the time in which it was written. Commentary that's surprisingly appropriate to ponder in our current time.

This ingenious approach to science and mathematics relates the higher forms of each to the graduate educated as well as the proverbial layman. But disguised amidst the ideas of another dimension of reality for these complacent Flatlanders, lies a social and religious commentary on our own society. The roots of ignorance, or rather self-perpetuated blindness, toward several social and religious truths are discussed, and each hold as true today as when Abbot first wrote. This triumph of penmanship is of multiple dimensions; where the planes of scientific inquiry, dimensional mathematics, social forces, Christian ethics, women's rights and aristocratic roots all meet--to name a few. Don't let its small size disguise you; there is more in these few pages than in many full length novels. A must read!

Read aloud, Abbotts' Shakespearean flare rings out with lovely sounds as wonderful to ears of a toddler at bedtime as to an adult with spirited imagination or any rebel who enjoys the venting of 'dangerous utterances'. An enchanting read at any age. I recommend it for younger readers so that they may have many years to re-read and grow with it.

If you find a modern-day difficultly with Abbott's gender inequality (a clear challenge to some animators),consider that orthogonal planes do indeed look like lines to each other. "When ... flat human is turned on his side, his personality is hidden inside the plane ... indistinguishable from others. Another human then turned to her side orthogonal to the first would then appear just a line. We...turn to adornment to reveal a contrived identity, whether true or deceitful. Instead, if we were to expand the dimensionality of our perception we could see inside both the male and female planes. " (Peterson, Flatland Point: The DRUM & DRAW Navigations,Flatland Point: The DRUM & DRAW Navigations, 2009)

The first contact I ever had with this book was in fourth grade when my teacher read a couple of passages as a lead-in to geometry.
That being said, I need to tell you that I hated my freshman geometry course. My teacher didn't speak English; there were all these formulas, theorems, and postulates that we had to memorize; and we spent all our time doing useless proofs. But this is getting into my high school career, and away from a review of this book.
Even though I didn't enjoy geometry, I found this book fascinating. Don't be deceived by the subtitle; it's not a love story. Abbott uses the word "romance" in the sense of "epic." I guarantee that you will stop at least once while you're reading this book to try to wrap your mind around what the fourth dimension must look like.
The only criticisms I have are about the misogyny and the pacing. In Flatland, women are treated as second-class citizens, but this is not a major theme. A few times, particularly during A Square's conversation with the King of Lineland, I got bored. But overall the book was paced well, and I'm impressed that the 19TH century churned-out any book less than two hundred pages.

Witness profundity stunningly aproportionate with length! This treatise boggles the mind with its premise, the plausbility of conceptualizing higher dimensions. With fanatical brilliance, this book elucidates on the transdimensionalism underlying spacetime, superstrings, and other theories central to modern physics. But even more, even more, it's an appealing story. If you read and loved _The Phantom Toolbooth_, or have an even passing interest in mathematics, herein will you find the sublime

From the square character's world of two dimensions in Flatland to the Sphere's three dimensional Spaceland, one comes to recognize the role of dimensions in geometry and in thinking in Abbott's Flatland. Both a mathematical essay and a satire the book challenges readers to discover dimensions for themselves in an unusual story. Beyond the story of the square lawyer protagonist and his adventure with the Sphere is the satire on Abbott's English society. Women are depicted as lines with the power to destroy men with there sharp, pointed ends. They are forced to remain in a constant waving motion as a courtesy to men in order to remain visible. An interesting predicament surfaces when coloring becomes a popular practice in identification. Women from certain viewpoints appear the same color as priests, much to the priests' chagrin. In sum, the women appear to have an inferior role to the multi-sided men as women faced inequality in late 19th century society. Secondly, the shapes themselves present a hierarchy of society. From the irregular figures to the noble Circles, each shape has its own ranking and occupations. Moreover, each shape is subdivided into figures that have a higher status in the Flatland world. For example, the equilateral triangle is seen as superior to any of the other isosceles triangle with top angles of less than sixty. These shapes have little hope of progressing; hope lies in their offspring which may possess a more respected number of equal sides. This can be seen as an analogy to the lower classes struggle to achieve success in the society dominated by the wealthy or aristocratic. While the story of Flatland may be a mockery of Victorian England, its heart is its mathematical meaning. It serves as an interesting and understandable window into the subject of dimensions. From Lineland, which knows no left or right directions, to the abstract Fourth Dimension, where it is possible to look inside a solid object, readers are introduced to new ways of thinking not usually encountered in math class. Most importantly, the text of the book is not beyond the scope of someone with a casual interest in the topic. Anyone can appreciate the search for the meanings of dimension and truth in easy to comprehend analogies presented by the author. Another math topic addressed is the discovery of new ideas themselves. Abbott shows that math is a field where anyone with an interest has a chance to succeed just as the main character stumbles upon the meaning of dimensions from thoughts from his grandson. He pursues his hypothesis on the dimensions of Spaceland as well as develops the ideas for the Fourth Dimension on his own. Although he is imprisoned for his thoughts and attempts to teach others, the square keeps his theories, not letting the views of society interfere with his work. It is interesting that he faces this fate when trying to educate the public about the truth of their world and beyond. On the whole, Flatland is more than just a short book with intriguing mathematical ideas. It is an opening experience to the search from the truth behind the world through the subject of dimensions. While mocking the English , the book also introduces readers an odd world of shapes and figures. Lastly, math is encouraged even though it may go against the grain of society. Any book that introduces readers to a new way of thinking is worth reading.

Even though this is one-hundred-twenty-nine-years old, it's still mind-blowingly deep. It is unbelievably original, highly thought-provoking, and quite fun. However, it is simply a tour of Flatland. Not a whole lot really happens. If you go into the book knowing that there really isn't any action and with an open and thoughtful mind, and you'll likely truly enjoy it.

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Can you even imagine the lateral thinking it took to write this? Even though it seems basic after reading it, this book must have been quite a groundbreaker when first published. The author even has room in this tiny book to add a bit of sarcasm toward social mores!
If you want to understand the possibility of multiple dimensions beyond our paltry 3, you need only to limit yourself to two to understand how little we actually perceive.
Read it. Read it. Read it.

It's humorous and it also shows how hard it is to expand your outlook. The difficulty for someone living in one dimension (point land) trying to conceive of two dimensional life (flatland) and the flatlanders trying to imagine three dimensional life (space land).

It was written over one hundred years ago and I have read reviews that say it's politically incorrect, but I don't see it. Anyway, it's worth looking at and the price is right.

Well by the time you read this book you probably know all about it. Almost all books about multiple dimensional spaces refer to this book and when you find it less than a dollar you want to read it. It is interesting that somebody wrote a popular science book hundered years ago regarding how life concepts would show itself in one two or more dimensional spaces and author creates his own concepts and solutions to problems. Well you do not learn anything new that you did not know but it is a classic book.

(...). The obvious is that it is a math-ish book, just as any book written in English is also an English language book. To me, using an imaginary world of 2 dimensions and a journey into 0,1,3 dimensional worlds the author is revealing to us a potentailly new way in which to look at our own life, the universe etc. Its less a mathematical book and more a philosophical/spiritual book. The author's background should be an additional pointer towards this conclusion.
The message is that there is more to us and our life on earth than is commonly understood. That our perception of the universe need not limit it to just that in reality. The story itself is a highly interesting illustration of this fact using mathematical concepts. And the best part -- the author commendably stays away from actually expounding any theories or belief systems. For anyone interested in spirituality, this book will be mighty enjoyable.

When I read this book in geometry class, i never knew that someone would wast so much time to write a book like this. Is this guy nuts? This man just rammbled on. He wrote about thirty pages of story, and about fifty pages of pure junk. When the author is trying to make a point he starts to trail off and starts to talk about things that have nothing to do with what the book's about. I thought I was going to go crazy, until i got to part two of the book. Part two is the actual story of the book. It was interesting about how other worlds in the book were. I like the way he described them. I also like how he took the way these people acted in the different lands and showed how close-minded some people are to new ideas. I also liked how he put in the color revolt. It was my favorite part of the book. In conclusion, I honestly wish i had never read this book. I'm glad it was only 82 pages long.

This book has no images! The text references several figures and images and none of them are included in the book. I would not recommend this copy of flatland. The story is worth reading but find a different version. One that includes the original text and images the author references.

This book is utterly amazing; by playing out "mr. square"'s life on a 2-dimensional surface, and soon his realization of the first and third dimensions, the reader is left pondering over the things beyond our world. ....................To those who are ignorant torwards the enlightening proposals of this book, and think you might rate it like the person before me, save yourself some time and return to your "alice in wonderland"... This is way past that Lewis Carol's writing (though I loved it dearly) and has nothing to do with fairy-tales. It is presicely the opposite, it takes to somewhere where few have dreampt of, and even fewer have written on. I highly reccomend this book to everyone searching for what is "past our dimension".

Excellent work! Explore the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd dimensions as well as listen to a critique of Victorian culture. Could one possibly endure the heresy of a third, nay, a fourth, nay, infinite dimension(s)? Attend to you configuration.

I have read this book at least a dozen times. It's a must read for anyone, a satire of many dimensions. While the aspects of dimensionality apply to the math geeks, the pun on straight-laced Victorian society actually mirrors many of the things we face in our society today, but with a different twist. This is a great way for a lay person to understand the concept of dimensionality. If you like this book, I also highly recommend reading Rudy Rucker's Spaceland and Ian Stewart's Flatterland. Both are great sequels to this original classic and absolutely hilarious!

It was an interesting study in perspectives, but not so interesting a read. I enjoyed seeing how the hero would view each new environment, but there was no plot as such. It may have been good for me to read it because it reinforces my desire to see things as others see them. It just wasn't a whole lot of fun.

I love this book, a creative allegory and firsthand inspection of perspective. While I appreciate some feminists' objections to depictions of women, I made peace with Abbott's stated and implied objectives, respect his devices, and refer critics to his preface addressing this issue.

I read this book in 9th grade. It was interesting and captivating. It perked my interest in math and physics. After reading this book, I went on a time travel kick and never went off. An interesting approach to math and science set in a fictional world. Advanced concepts, but worth the read!

Abbot has a commanding style as he weaves a tale using geometry to challenge the way people view the world. Through a cunning use of analogy, though admittedly more suited to a younger, school-age audience, he challenges the way people view the world, urging them to be more open-minded and less narrow-minded, or "flat," in their view of events around them. He also obliquely deals with the antagonism between the sexes, somewhat outmoded in today's culture, as well as the resistance of society in accepting new ideas and the power of government to corral the thoughts and images available to the public.

You have to follow geometry and be able to read with your index finger to follow this book. That is its greatest fault. It presents an interesting satire on Victorian social structure, but the main purpose, mathematics, is mind boggling. I am not an inept reader, but I found myself having to reread several parts just to make sure I go the jist of them.
I will say that the most interesting part is how Abbott decides to describe the social structure and how it changes certain aspects of their existence. For example, although it was a bit convoluted for the aforementioned reasons, the way that the shapes reproduce was one of the more interesting parts of the book. I also enjoyed the way that each succeeding generation had more sides, thus making them higher on the social ladder. Then, once Abbott begins to go into the other dimensions, it become even more fascinating. His imagination is the most redeemable quality of the whole experience.
Also, I commend Abbott on his introduction to the system of dimensions.

Imagine beings living out their existences in a two-dimensional world, unable to conceive of a third dimension. Now ask yourself whether the ground that our three-dimensional mindset stands on is any more solid. Thus Abbott's quirky tale is seen to be not a mere curiosity, but a probing inquiry into the nature of reality.

Sometimes you look at a book and shake your head. From what I've heard, they did that when this book came out in the late 19th century.
This book isn't science fiction in the classical sense; compared to A. K. Dewdney's Planiverse, the science in it is actually quite bad. It's more valuable as a cultural benchmark describing the class strictures of Victorian Britain in an unusual setting than anything else. Its overriding message of being open to different thinking, while admirable, is lost in the portrayal of a society whose strictures are not merely cultural but biological, rendering the point of the book somewhat vague at best.
It's interesting, yes. For the price of a Dover Thrift Classic edition, it's worth getting. But it's heavy-handed and lacking in any real sense of wonder such as you'd expect from a Jules Verne or Arthur Conan Doyle.

Having always been the type of person to sell knowledge and truth, this fable rooms true to me in it's analogous call to put aside trivialities and think deeper. If highly recommend to anyone trying to think deeper.

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.

I have just finished reading this little book for probably the third time. As I tend to read in bed at night just before turning out the light to go to sleep, I would lie in bed after putting the book down trying to imagine the fourth dimension. The spiritual implications throughout the book are undeniable. Once one has been touched by a higher dimension, life will never be the same. However, trying to communicate to others what one has experienced proves near impossible, as our square friend in Flatland so aptly relates.

Excellent work! Explore the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd dimensions as well as listen to a critique of Victorian culture. Could one possibly endure the heresy of a third, nay, a fourth, nay, infinite dimension(s)? Attend to you configuration.

I have read this book at least a dozen times. It's a must read for anyone, a satire of many dimensions. While the aspects of dimensionality apply to the math geeks, the pun on straight-laced Victorian society actually mirrors many of the things we face in our society today, but with a different twist. This is a great way for a lay person to understand the concept of dimensionality. If you like this book, I also highly recommend reading Rudy Rucker's Spaceland and Ian Stewart's Flatterland. Both are great sequels to this original classic and absolutely hilarious!

It was an interesting study in perspectives, but not so interesting a read. I enjoyed seeing how the hero would view each new environment, but there was no plot as such. It may have been good for me to read it because it reinforces my desire to see things as others see them. It just wasn't a whole lot of fun.

I love this book, a creative allegory and firsthand inspection of perspective. While I appreciate some feminists' objections to depictions of women, I made peace with Abbott's stated and implied objectives, respect his devices, and refer critics to his preface addressing this issue.

I read this book in 9th grade. It was interesting and captivating. It perked my interest in math and physics. After reading this book, I went on a time travel kick and never went off. An interesting approach to math and science set in a fictional world. Advanced concepts, but worth the read!

Abbot has a commanding style as he weaves a tale using geometry to challenge the way people view the world. Through a cunning use of analogy, though admittedly more suited to a younger, school-age audience, he challenges the way people view the world, urging them to be more open-minded and less narrow-minded, or "flat," in their view of events around them. He also obliquely deals with the antagonism between the sexes, somewhat outmoded in today's culture, as well as the resistance of society in accepting new ideas and the power of government to corral the thoughts and images available to the public.

You have to follow geometry and be able to read with your index finger to follow this book. That is its greatest fault. It presents an interesting satire on Victorian social structure, but the main purpose, mathematics, is mind boggling. I am not an inept reader, but I found myself having to reread several parts just to make sure I go the jist of them.
I will say that the most interesting part is how Abbott decides to describe the social structure and how it changes certain aspects of their existence. For example, although it was a bit convoluted for the aforementioned reasons, the way that the shapes reproduce was one of the more interesting parts of the book. I also enjoyed the way that each succeeding generation had more sides, thus making them higher on the social ladder. Then, once Abbott begins to go into the other dimensions, it become even more fascinating. His imagination is the most redeemable quality of the whole experience.
Also, I commend Abbott on his introduction to the system of dimensions.

Imagine beings living out their existences in a two-dimensional world, unable to conceive of a third dimension. Now ask yourself whether the ground that our three-dimensional mindset stands on is any more solid. Thus Abbott's quirky tale is seen to be not a mere curiosity, but a probing inquiry into the nature of reality.

Sometimes you look at a book and shake your head. From what I've heard, they did that when this book came out in the late 19th century.
This book isn't science fiction in the classical sense; compared to A. K. Dewdney's Planiverse, the science in it is actually quite bad. It's more valuable as a cultural benchmark describing the class strictures of Victorian Britain in an unusual setting than anything else. Its overriding message of being open to different thinking, while admirable, is lost in the portrayal of a society whose strictures are not merely cultural but biological, rendering the point of the book somewhat vague at best.
It's interesting, yes. For the price of a Dover Thrift Classic edition, it's worth getting. But it's heavy-handed and lacking in any real sense of wonder such as you'd expect from a Jules Verne or Arthur Conan Doyle.

Having always been the type of person to sell knowledge and truth, this fable rooms true to me in it's analogous call to put aside trivialities and think deeper. If highly recommend to anyone trying to think deeper.

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.

I have just finished reading this little book for probably the third time. As I tend to read in bed at night just before turning out the light to go to sleep, I would lie in bed after putting the book down trying to imagine the fourth dimension. The spiritual implications throughout the book are undeniable. Once one has been touched by a higher dimension, life will never be the same. However, trying to communicate to others what one has experienced proves near impossible, as our square friend in Flatland so aptly relates.

Abbott's imagination is just fantastic. And I say fantastic in the most realistic sense. He has so many amazing ideas and makes everything so believable, but also makes you consider the possibility of something, some world completely beyond your conception; completely beyond your reality. It's entertaining and interesting and left me turning page after page, not putting the book down. Anyone who would like a good, interesting book should check this out. It's great for everyone because not only is it a fabulously well-written imaginitave piece of literature, it's very short. Short enough to finish in a day as I did.

A whimsical introduction to the concepts of multidimensional mathematics, this book is very much the product of the 1880's Victorian era in which it was written. In a preface to the book entitled ``Limitations'', Isaac Asimov writes, ``This book, then, should lead us to question the limitations we set to our Universe generally, not only those that are mathematical and physical, but those that are sociological as well.''
Indeed, this book taught me more about the backward attitudes of Victorian society than it did about mathematics. It does a nice job of illustrating what it means to project, say, 4-dimensional space into 3 dimensions, by starting from physical concepts we can grasp, namely, the projection of 3-space into 2 dimensions. However, if you're already familiar with such concepts, there's not much else here to recommend this one. The anachronistic references are just too distracting.

This book has to be read by every mathematician and why not everyone! It can help you get a better view of higher dimension, in a very strict mathematical way, without having difficult terms. It is also a deep book with implications even to relegion and the way we see the world! Plus the whole story is very funny! As for the transaction it was excellent. The book came to me within the appropriate dates.

Great book great exchange!

Flatland: A Romance Of Many DimensionsThis is not the version I bougt, because that one was nott in the list. This is the same title and author and about the same price, so it is about the same book. It's an entertaining story about analogies between two and three dimensions mainly, to come to an idea to percieve four and more dimensions, although for me some ideas were new, I can't say that I can imagine 4 spacial dimensins now, a two dimensional square with four one dimensional line borders leeds via a three dimensional cube with six two dimensional square sides to a fourth dimensional "supercube", with eight cubes as borders and twelve cornerpoints, how I must imagine that is not clear. But the ideas and the story are original considering the time in which the book was written.

This book is about Square, a mathematician who lives in two-dimensional Flatland. He is a very lawful citizen, and goes out of his way to explain to his grandchildren that there is no third dimension, even theoretically. But when he is visited by a sphere from Spaceland, he finds it hard to deny the reality of a third dimension. He is given further reason to consider this possibility when he is granted the rare chance to visit Lineland. He is baffled when the king and queen of that country refuse to acknowledge his existance, because they cannot, in their sphere of experience, imagine that there could be any dimension higher than the first. He is finally convinced when the Sphere allows him to visit Spaceland, where he is able to experience first-hand the third dimension - something he never thought was possible when he lived in Flatland. He then tries his best to convince the rest of the two-dimensional shapes that there's a third dimension, even though they can't see or imagine it. "

I love this book ever since school days. A classic of science (and mathematical) fiction!

When I read this book, I was struck by how harsh the government was. In fact, most of the book was dedicated to describing the government. The main character is sentenced to life long inprisonment, just because he's explaing his views. It was interesting, tho, when he discovered the three dimensional world and asked his pal, the sphere, to open his guts. I assume that the sphere was a human.

In Flatland, we are reminded that it is hard to convince people of something, when they have no terms of reference with which to make sense of what we're saying. It is a great reminder to us that, when we are talking to people from other religions or belief systems, it will be very hard for them to understand us. We have to really bend over backwards to translate our message into something that they can latch onto and understand. Fine. But here is the problem: Today, people are using this film to convey a very different message. They try to leave the impression that anyone who disagrees with their agenda (political, environmental, gender, whatever) is (1) wrong, (2) too poorly armed to ever understand them, and (3) therefore not worth trying to reason with. The result of this line of "thought" is that they will simply have to impose their wisdom on the Others. This leads to having government health care, whether you want it or not; using politically correct language, whether your want to or not; for your own good! So, the only problem with the Flatland story is that it fails to remind us that most people who go against the crowd are simply wrong. Sure, everyone laughed at Einstein and he turned out to be right. But everyone also laughed at millions of clowns who were simply nuts. The idea that anyone who is different is therefore right, is wrong. The idea that there is no point in reasoning with your adversaries, is also wrong. Please read or watch this story and enjoy it, but when your boss says, "I want us all to see this film so that we have a common language ..." RUN!

My husband and I read this book when we were kids (we didn't know each other then). He gave it to our daughter to read. I recently purchased this for our grandson to read (he has Geometry this year). This is a great book for all generations! Love it, love it, love it!

Flatland is an account of the adventures of A Square in Lineland and Spaceland. In it Abbott tries to popularize the notion of multidimensional geometry but the book is also a clever satire on the social, moral, and religious values of the period. A romping good read!

Really an exceptional book. It expertly places a person within the world of flatland then, to use the parlance of our times, 'blows the readers mind'. I will say that you shouldn't read past the 5th chapter alone and in a dark house. You will start to think something touched your stomach and then will have no recourse but to be a moving target, skillfully dodging back and forth in ninja/dragon/mongoose fashion until your roommate comes home. Luckily he/she/it may be drunk from a rowdy wedding party and will forget the fact that you were about to jump from the couch to the kitchen table, the 4th dimension jerks would have never seen that coming!!!

Great book, but read during the day... and don't take a nap right after.

Was introduced to Flatland by our 10th grade Math teacher - and can't wait to read it again. An extremely novel perspective. Purchased a copy for a friend who had the same teacher and had not heard about it. Want to share opinions of it. Finding it on the store was easy and quite inexpensive.

This book was kind of a waste of time for me. I really did not care one way or the other about it. A book I hate will keep me talking for weeks... I might have hated it, but at least it made a difference. But this book practically wasn't there. It made NO impression on me, and just wasted an afternoon. One bright, sunny, Sunday afternoon that I can never get back. A Sunday afternoon that could have been spent mowing the lawn or doing the dishes.
I understand that many people love this book, and that it has been influential in turning people on to mathematics, philosophy, logic, etc. But I really can't say it triggered ANY ideas in my head. Thought-provoking? Heck no.
Yawn provoking? Sure thing.
This book is not inspirational. It is a sleep aid, much better than any other I have tried.

I just have to add to the previous comments with this similar opinion: it was fun and very interesting. A short novel about shapes that have some very human qualities, such as our hierarchy. Worthwhile.

I read Flatland (which, I believe, in the US was published without post colon, as it was in the UK) when I was a teenager in the 1970s studying geometry and many other things (girls, art, girls, movies, girls...) without understanding much of any of it. The book fascinated me, and I went on (probably not because of it, but certainly in appreciation of it) to study Mathematics at University. I even sometimes bring it up in my consulting engagements as a way to explain how different types think of their world and learn. While there are different dimensions represented in the book, there are different learning styles, different socioeconomic exposures, different interests, different *people* we all have to deal with. I'd recommend Flatland to anyone who wants to take a different slant on why we are all different.

I love the book and have had my copy since the 1970s. I downloaded the Kindle version and discovered that there are references to diagrams but they are not included (that I could find). This book is impossible to enjoy without them.

Flat is an exercise in science fiction geometry, if you like. It shows a denizen of a 2 dimensional world seeing what it would be like to exist in higher dimensions. An interesting mathematical and philosophical exercise. Some will definitely find this very odd, and rather quirky. If you don't know what a dimension means in this sense, give it a miss.

Quite simply, this book is an absolute delight to read for anyone who is analytically-minded, imaginative, philosophical, and/or enjoys math. Classic.
*~*~* Highly amusing, enjoyable fiction *~*~*

Flatland is a clever satire on the Victorian era and not a romance at all. But it certainly is concerned with many dimensions. Maybe it should better be described as an infatuation with plane geometry.

An ingenius little story about life in the two-dimensional world of Flatland, whose citizens use a heirarchy based on their shape. A Square is A CHAUVANEST [otherwise he's A_CUTiE] - The whole of Flatland is rather elitist, in fact. Flatland is a 2-D world, vastly differing from the 3-D one we're use to, so it's impossible to judge them by 3-D moral codes. It's hard to find Flatlanders as anything less than an intriguing, likeable lot.
To sum up Flatland, it equals a very clever, enjoyable book.

A fascinating geometric tale. An easy and short (<100 pages) read. It is an interesting read for anyone (not just mathematicians). It's amazing to think this was written over 100 years ago - Abbott was way ahead of his time.

Why anyone would publish an unillustrated version of this marvelous book is beyond my understanding. Do not take my granting of a whole star as any sort of endorsement; one star is the lowest rating available.

A whole new world opens up when you think about the differences between the 2nd and 3rd dimensions. Really interesting and provides avenues for much creative thinking. The archaic ideas about the nature of women is annoying throughout, but the era in which this was written is more to blame than the author, I suspect.

It's a good book, and had to reread it two or three times to fully appreciate it, but it just wasn't what I expected. Maybe because I'm so use to modern day novels, I expected it to be written like Enders Game.

A brilliant book even for today's science although it was written over 100 years ago. I suggest everyone to read it. A wonderful blend of math, SCI-FI and fiction. The book marvelously touches on the subject of how ignorant we humans are and yet consider ourselves the highest beings on the universe. I only wish it had more pages.

Flatland is a story of A Square living in a two dimensional land called Flatland. One day he discovers that another dimension exists and it changes his life. This 19th century classic is not only an explanation of dimensions, but it is also a social commentary on Victorian England. I was disappointed in this story. I was looking forward to an interesting look at geometry and dimensions, but mostly I was bored, especially with the first half of the book. I had to repeatedly remind myself that it was social commentary and that the horrible description of women may have been commentary and not the author's real feelings. If you are interested in a way of viewing dimensions, the second half of the book might interest you, but as a whole I wish I skipped this one.

I read this book when I was 13 because my math teacher recommended it. This book is great. It was first published in 1952 and is still used and taught by schools, mathematicians, physicists, and others. I have always had an interest in math and since reading this book I have been reading other math/science related books nonstop. Anyone who likes math should read this book.

It' s a book about many dimension - and many dimensions it has. You can read this book from the viewpoint of a mathematican or from the viewpoint of a philosopher or from the viewpoint of civilisation or form the viewpoint of a historian ... or just for fun.The book is not only very very interesting from many points of view, it is also charmingly written. So: Have fun!