Only the educated are free.
Epictetus

Flatland Ebook

Flatland
Category: Romance


+$5

Title: Flatland
Author:
Description:
A Romance of Many Dimensions

"Fie, fie how franticly I square my talk!"

[Fifth Edition, Revised]

SECTION 1. -- Of the Nature of Flatland

I call our world Flatland, not because we cal it so, but to make its nature clearer to you, my happy readers, who are privileged to live in Space.

Imagine a vast sheet of paper on which straight Lines, Triangles, Squares, Pentagons, Hexagons, and other figures, instead of remaining fixed in their places, move freely about, on or in the surface, but without the power of rising above or sinking below it, very much like shadows -- only hard with luminous edges -- and you will then have a pretty correct notion of my country and countrymen. Alas, a few years ago, I should have said "my universe": but now my mind has been opened to higher views of things.

In such a country, you will perceive at once that it is impossible that there should be anything of what you call a "solid" kind; but I dare say you will suppose that we could at least distinguish by sight the Triangles, Squares, and other figures, moving about as I have described them. On the contrary, we could see nothing of the kind, not at least so as to distinguish one figure from another. Nothing was visible, nor could be visible, to us, except Straight Lines; and the necessity of this I will speedily demonstrate.

Place a penny on the middle of one of your tables in Space; and leaning over it, look down upon it. It will appear a circle.

But now, drawling back to the edge of the table, gradually lower your eye (thus bringing yourself more and more into the condition of the inhabitants of Flatland), and you will find the penny becoming more and more oval to your view, and at last when you have placed your eye exactly on the edge of the table (so that you are, as it were, actually a Flatlander) the penny will then have ceased to appear oval at all, and will have become, so far as you can see, a straight line.

The same thing would happen if you were to treat in the same way a Triangle, or a Square, or any other figure cut out from pasteboard. As soon as you look at it with your eye on the edge of the table, you will find that it ceases to appear to you as a figure, and that it becomes in appearance a straight line. Take for example an equilateral Triangle -- who represents with us a Tradesman of the respectable class. Figure 1 represents the Tradesman as you would see him while you were bending over him from above; figures 2 and 3 represent the Tradesman, as you would see him if your eye were close to the level, or all but on the level of the table; and if your eye were quite on the level of the table (and that is how we see him in Flatland) you would see nothing but a straight line.

When I was in Spaceland I heard that your sailors have very similar experiences while they traverse your seas and discern some distant island or coast lying on the horizon. The far-off land may have bays, forelands, angles in and out to any number and extent; yet at a distance you see none of these (unless indeed your sun shines bright upon them revealing the projections and retirements by means of light and shade), nothing but a grey unbroken line upon the water.

Well, that is just what we see when one of our triangular or other acquaintances comes towards us in Flatland. As there is neither sun with us, nor any light of such a kind as to make shadows, we have none of the helps to the sight that you have in Spaceland. If our friend comes closer to us we see his line becomes larger; if he leaves us it becomes smaller; but still he looks like a straight line; be he a Triangle, Square, Pentagon, Hexagon, Circle, what you will -- a straight Line he looks and nothing else.

You may perhaps ask how under these disadvantages circumstances we are able to distinguish our friends from one another: but the answer to this very natural question will be more fitly and easily given when I come to describe the inhabitants of Flatland. For the present let me defer this subject, and say a word or two about the climate and houses in our country.

Table of Contents:

Flatland
PREFACE TO THE SECOND AND REVISED EDITION, 1884.
PART 1 - THIS WORLD

  • Of the Nature of Flatland
  • Of the Climate and Houses in Flatland
  • Concerning the Inhabitants of Flatland
  • Concerning the Women
  • Of our Methods of Recognizing one another
  • Of Recognition by Sight
  • Concerning Irregular Figures
  • Of the Ancient Practice of Painting
  • Of the Universal Colour Bill
  • Of the Suppression of the Chromatic Sedition
  • Concerning our Priests
  • Of the Doctrine of our Priests

PART II - OTHER WORLDS

  • How I had a Vision of Lineland
  • How I vainly tried to explain the nature of Flatland
  • Concerning a Stranger from Spaceland
  • How the Stranger vainly endeavoured to reveal to me in words the mysteries of Spaceland
  • How the Sphere, having in vain tried words, resorted to deeds
  • How I came to Spaceland, and what I saw there
  • How, though the Sphere shewed me other mysteries of Spaceland, I still desire more; and what came of it
  • How the Sphere encouraged me in a Vision.
  • How I tried to teach the Theory of Three Dimensions to my Grandson, and with what success
  • How I then tried to diffuse the Theory of Three Dimensions by other means, and of the result

 

Add to Cart
Add to Wish List


Price: $3.00
Rating:
Related Books:
Lose 10 Years
Author: Natalie Stevens
Category: Beauty, Body, Health
Price: $17.00
Turn Her On Through Text
Author: Matt Artisan
Category: Relationships
Price: $17.00
The Magic Of Making Up
Author: TW (T Dub) Jackson
Category: Relationships
Price: $39.00
So You Want To Marry A Ukrainian Lady
Author: Peter Finch
Category: Romance
Price: $37.00
Dig A Little Deeper! Find Hidden Treasure In YOUR Relationship!
Category: Psychology, Relationships
Price: $12.95
What Husbands Cant Resist
Author: Bob Grant
Category: Relationships
Price: $39.95
Getting Her Back For Good
Category: Relationships
Price: $47.00
Secrets of Skateboarding
Category: Sports
Price: $27.00


Site owner: Put the rating form on your site!
Listing wrong or need to be updated? Modify it.

Popular:

Top 20
New
Free

Category:


Action (38)
Adventure (101)
Affiliates (40)
Animals (99)
Arts (48)
Auto (31)
Aviation (3)
Beauty (56)
Body (83)
Business (320)
Cats (19)
Child Custody (11)
Children (151)
Christian Books (81)
Classic (166)
Computers (40)
Cooking (182)
Cover design (3)
Crafts (45)
Decorating (19)
Diet (109)
Dogs (75)
E-Business (521)
E-Marketing (408)
Education (118)
Entertainment (93)
Family (72)
Fantasy (53)
Fiction (122)
Finance (83)
Fish and Fishing (37)
Fitness (162)
Food (86)
For Authors (54)
Forex (12)
Gambling (9)
Games (33)
Garden (68)
Golf (29)
Green Products (29)
Health (466)
History (31)
Hobbies (71)
Holidays (37)
Home (123)
Home Business (118)
Horror (23)
Horse (21)
How To (137)
Humor (32)
Illustrated Picture Books (5)
Internet (117)
Investing (39)
Jobs (71)
Law and Legal (13)
Management (15)
Manuals (64)
Marketing (24)
Medicine (57)
Men (43)
Military (7)
Mind (73)
Music (53)
Mystery (43)
Nature (32)
Nonfiction (70)
Novels (32)
Parenting (56)
Philosophy (23)
Photography (21)
Poetry (25)
Programming (30)
Psychology (117)
Real Estate (36)
Relationships (236)
Religion (69)
Remedies (70)
Romance (66)
SEO and Promotion (60)
Science (17)
Science Fiction (27)
Self Defense (35)
Self Help (284)
Spirituality (65)
Sports (73)
Thrillers (40)
Travel (78)
Wedding (21)
Weight Loss (97)
Women (121)
Young Adult (32)

Hide Menu
This ebook included to packages:
Romance Package!
9 Romance ebooks Click here to see the full list of these ebooks
(total value $27.00)
Buy Now

just for $4.95
$22
off
Silver Package!
Any 100 ebooks from 2000+ titles Click here to see the full list of these ebooks
Buy Now

just for $29.95
Gold Package!
Get full access to 2000+ ebooks Click here to see the full list of these ebooks
Buy Now

just for $49.95
Want to learn about new ebooks?Subscribe to our Newsletter:
Sign Up




eLibrary Awards:


Date: 3/5/2008
From: World Wide Web Awards™
E-Library has been selected to receive the World Wide Web Awards™ "Gold"Award.

The World Wide Web Gold Award represents web presence at its best.
Mistake found?

Select spelling error with your mouse and press Esc

HomeAdvanced searchTop RatedPopularNewFreeAdd Your EbookModify Your Listing

Authors ListFor AuthorsCover designPrivacy & Terms & CopyrightsResell RightsAffiliatesContact

Copyright © 2002 - 2024 eLibrary