Flatterland (Book Review)

Ian Stewart Flatterland (2001) Ian Stewart is one of my heroes. He can make complex ideas simple enough that anyone with high school math should be able to understand them. He’s also something of a polymath: he ranges outside mathematics into biology and cosmology. See
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Stewart_%28mathematician%29
for more, including a bibliography.
Flatterland book is a sequel of Abbott’s Flatland, a classic that has never been out of print.  See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatland
     The book ranges far beyond geometry, however, leading up to the question “What shape is our universe?” Stewart brings Victoria Line (and us) to the answer step by step, with the guidance of the Space Hopper, who is able to take Vikki outside space. The mathematician’s need to avoid fuzzy thinking is demonstrated, which makes this an excellent book for anyone who wants to get past the notion that arithmetic is all there is to math. But what makes the book charming is Vikki’s character (she’s smart and courageous), and Stewart’s penchant for puns. There are frequent allusions and pastiches of the Alice books, too.
     I’m not sure how a mathematical naif would read this book. I find it difficult to say how much my prior knowledge of most of the concepts in this book helped me to follow the story. It certainly helped to get most of the jokes. However, I’ll recommend this book anyway. If you don’t get it the first time, read it again. The chapters are short, the illustrations not only conceptually accurate but often amusing. This is a book that will appeal to people who like to take their learning in small doses. ***