Edwin Abbott Abbott Knihy

Plochozemí není jen nejoblíbenějším literárním dílem dr. Sheldona Coopera, geniálního hrdiny populárního sitcomu Big Bang Theory, ale také jedním z klasických textů sci-fi a fantasy, který se svým věhlasem řadí vedle Gulliverových cest nebo Alenky v říši divů. Tento „román o mnoha rozměrech“ v sobě snoubí matematicko-filosofické pojednání a zábavnou, štiplavou společenskou satiru, mísí se v něm téměř einsteinovské úvahy o čtvrtém rozměru (sepsané ovšem dlouho před vznikem Einsteinovy teorie relativity) s kritikou viktoriánské společnosti, zejména nerovného postavení žen. Ty mají v Plochozemí tvar úseček, vojáci jsou trojúhelníkovití, obchodníci jsou o tvaru čtverce a tak dále, nejvyšší kastou jsou pak kruhovití kněží (obecně lze říci, že čím má někdo v tomto podivuhodném dvojrozměrném světě víc úhlů, tím výš stojí na společenském žebříčku). Podmanivé vyprávění ctihodného obchodníka Čtverce půvabně dokreslují ilustrace Chrudoše Valouška, jehož bizarní svět si svou fantaskností nijak nezadá s tím Abbottovým.

Plochozemě – Flatland – patří ke kultovním dílům vědecko-fantastického žánru. Zatímco v češtině vychází poprvé, v angličtině se novela od roku 1884 dočkala osmdesáti vydání a byla přeložena do více než třiceti světových jazyků. Stala se rovněž inspirací pro několik filmových zpracování. „Román mnoha rozměrů“ není jen matematicko-filozofickou fantazií na geometrické téma. Jedná se o sociální satiru namířenou proti třídním rozdílům ve viktoriánské společnosti a především o srozumitelný úvod k pochopení čtvrtého rozměru, který Abbott napsal dávno před zveřejněním Einsteinovy teorie relativity. Vyprávění půvabně ilustrované autorem, ctihodným obchodníkem Čtvercem, přivádí čtenáře do země o dvou Rozměrech – délce a šířce – obývané geometrickými tvary. Ženy vypadají jako Přímky, příslušníky nejnižší třídy a vojáky představují Trojúhelníky, odborníci a džentlmeni patří mezi Čtverce a šlechta náleží k Šestiúhelníkům. Nejvyšší postavení ve společnosti pak zaujímají Kruhy. Poklidný život autora naruší sen o jednorozměrné krajině Přímkozemi a návštěva bytosti zvané Koule z trojrozměrné Prostorozemě – události, jež ho dovedou až k úvahám o existenci čtvrté dimenze.

A humorous examination with serious overtones of the concepts of space, time, and dimension.

Excerpt from The Fourfold Gospel: Section II, the Beginning This first volume of comment on the Fourfold Gospel must necessarily seem disproportionately large compared with the small number of the Synoptic verses covered by it. The reason is, that Mark's first chapter introduces a number of terms that must be discussed, each as it presents itself for the first time, and then not again. Should the work reach its proposed conclusion it would include about four Parts, as follows: - Part I. The Beginning, that is to say, the antecedents, acts, and words, of John the Baptist, and the relations between John and Jesus up to the time when Jesus, as Mark says, came into Galilee "after John had been delivered up." Part II. The Proclamation of the New Kingdom - the Kingdom of the Son - and the conflict between the Old and the New. Part III. The Law of the New Kingdom - Victory through Defeat. Part IV. The Defeat and the Victory. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from St. Thomas of Canterbury, Vol. 1 of 2: His Death and Miracles IN the course of preparing a critical commentary on the Four Gospels, it became necessary to consider other instances of documents relating the same fact in different language, as the Gospels relate in different language the acts and words of Christ. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from The Fourfold Gospel: The Law of the New Kingdom The subject with which this volume begins is Christ's teaching in parables and His object in thus teaching. The subject with which it concludes (or draws towards its conclusion) is Christ's precept to His typical follower: "Let him deny himself and take up his cross." There are few Synoptic traditions that are more obscure as to their meaning and origin than these two. An attempt will be made in the following pages to shew that the Fourth Evangelist, who nowhere mentions the word "parable," and who nowhere represents Jesus as mentioning the word "cross," constantly refers to Christian thoughts about both these terms, and helps us not only to understand why he, the writer, left the terms unmentioned, but also to draw nearer to what we may believe to have been thought about them by our Lord Himself. Mark's Gospel is taken as the starting point for investigation, for three reasons, first, because it has been proved to contain Synoptic tradition in its earliest form, secondly, because Matthew and Luke have largely borrowed from it, and thirdly, for a reason that cannot be quite so briefly expressed. It is, that Mark appears to have been, to a surprising extent, let alone by early editors and scribes. Victor of Antioch, writing not earlier than the fifth century, complains that Mark's is the only Gospel on which he has not been able to find a single continuous commentary. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from The Fourfold Gospel: Section I Introduction Previous Parts (published in 1900-12) of the series of which this is the tenth have dealt mostly with words. This Part will attempt to elucidate thoughts with the help of the evidence extracted from the elucidations of words. The earlier volumes might perhaps be described as a letting down of nets. If so, this one might be called an attempt to draw them in. The "nets" were, in fact, footnotes, which, in former volumes, were very many and very long. They were also often apparently digressive. The reason was that I mostly wrote them with a view to future investigations as well as, or more than, to the matter in hand. When fishermen let down their nets, the boats that row round a shoal of fish sometimes look as though they were rowing away from it; and my boats often (I dare say) presented the appearance of rowing away from that which they were attempting to surround and capture. Now I fear that I may incur an opposite charge. The notes in the present volume may seem too few and too slight to justify the statements placed in the text above them. If they do, I must ask the reader to remember that fishermen cannot draw nets in, and let them down, at one and the same time. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from The Fourfold Gospel: Section V; The Founding of the New Kingdom, or Life Reached Through Death I should be disposed to substitute, instead of any defence of my own, an imaginary defence, such as the Fourth Evangelist might be supposed to make - and indeed does make, by implication - in his Gospel It will save space, and avoid a tedious repetition of he may have thought, if I may be allowed, instead of such a clause, to substitute inverted commas and to represent him, thinking aloud, as follows. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

The book focuses on teaching students the essential skill of clear writing, emphasizing the importance of word arrangement. While it acknowledges that elements like force, elegance, and stylistic variety are more challenging to master, it aims to provide practical rules and exercises to enhance clarity in writing. The main objective is to equip learners with the tools necessary to express their thoughts clearly and effectively.

Set in a two-dimensional world, the story explores themes of dimensions and social hierarchy through the experiences of a square who encounters a three-dimensional being. This satirical novella critiques Victorian society and its rigid class structure while introducing mathematical concepts in a unique narrative. Abbott's work combines humor and social commentary, making it a thought-provoking read that transcends its era.