Lewis Carroll in Numberland: His Fantastical Mathematical Logical Life

New
Paperback
2009
$16.73

Lewis Carroll's books have delighted children and adults for generations, but behind their exuberant fantasy and delightful nonsense was the mind of a brilliant mathematician. Now his forgotten achievements in the world of numbers are brought to light by acclaimed author and mathematician Robin Wilson. Here he explores the curious imagination of a man whose pioneering work at Oxford University included investigations into voting patterns and tennis seeding, who dreamt up numerical conundrums in bed at night and who filled his writings with problems, paradoxes, puzzles and teasing games of logic. Taking us into a world of mock turtles and maps, gryphons and gravity, Lewis Carroll in Numberland reveals the singular mind of a genius.

Synopsis

Lewis Carroll's books have delighted children and adults for generations, but behind their exuberant fantasy and delightful nonsense was the mind of a brilliant mathematician. Now his forgotten achievements in the world of numbers are brought to light by acclaimed author and mathematician Robin Wilson. Here he explores the curious imagination of a man whose pioneering work at Oxford University included investigations into voting patterns and tennis seeding, who dreamt up numerical conundrums in bed at night and who filled his writings with problems, paradoxes, puzzles and teasing games of logic. Taking us into a world of mock turtles and maps, gryphons and gravity, "Lewis Carroll in Numberland" reveals the singular mind of a genius.

$16.73

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1 in stock

More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 256
Edition: New Edition
Publisher: Penguin
Published: 30 Jul 2009
ISBN 10: 0141016108
ISBN 13: 9780141016108

Media Reviews

'A fascinating story ... Wilson could not be better qualified to write a book on [Carroll's] career in numbers' - Jonathan Bate, Sunday Telegraph 'First-rate ... Wilson conjures the spirit of a man who delighted in paradox' Nature 'A loving mathematician's biography ! revel in the unravelling of an intricate and exquisite mind' Independent 'A delightful blend of whimsy, satire, endlessly ingenious puns, brain-teasers and unexpected (but very accessible) mathematical insights' - Matthew Reisz, The Times Higher Education Supplement

Author Bio

Robin Wilson is Head of the Pure Mathematics Department at the Open University and, in London, Gresham Professor of Geometry, the oldest mathematics Chair in England. He is also a Fellow in Mathematics at Keble College, Oxford. The author and editor of thirty books, including the critically acclaimed Four Colours Suffice, he is well known internationally for his expository skills and has won a number of prestigious awards for his writings.