Flatland: An Edition with Notes and Commentary

Flatland, Edwin Abbott's story of a two-dimensional universe, as told by one of its inhabitants who is introduced to the mysteries of three-dimensional space, has enjoyed an enduring popularity from the time of its publication in 1884. This fully annotated edition enables the modern-day reader to understand and appreciate the many 'dimensions' of this classic satire. Mathematical notes and illustrations enhance the usefulness of Flatland as an elementary introduction to higher-dimensional geometry. Historical notes show connections to late-Victorian England and to classical Greece. Citations from Abbott's other writings as well as the works of Plato and Aristotle serve to interpret the text. Commentary on language and literary style includes numerous definitions of obscure words. An appendix gives a comprehensive account of the life and work of Flatland's remarkable author.

William F. Lindgren is a professor of mathematics at Slippery Rock University. He is the coauthor of Quasi-Uniform Spaces (with Peter Fletcher). Thomas F. Banchoff is a professor of mathematics at Brown University. He is the author of Beyond the Third Dimension, Linear Algebra through Geometry (with John Wermer), and an introduction to a new edition of Henry P. Manning's The Fourth Dimension Simply Explained.