Flatland: Edwin Abbott

A work that still poses provocative questions about perception and reality, ‘Flatland’ is a brilliant parody of Victorian society where all existence is limited to length and breadth – its inhabitants unable even to imagine a third dimension. The amiable narrator, A. Square, provides an overview of this fantastic world – its physics and metaphysics, its history, customs and religious beliefs. But when a strange visitor mysteriously appears and transports the incredulous Flatlander to the Land of Three Dimensions, his worldview is forever shattered. Written more than a century ago, ‘Flatland’ offers an extraordinary animation of dimension, geometry and physical space that continues to resonate in contemporary science.