Science Fiction...for a Math Project?

A man came into the store. In his late 30's or early 40's, slightly graying brown hair, a close cropped beard, he was wearing a light blue shirt and jeans. He came up to the information desk holding a piece of paper.

"I need to know if you have this book. My daughter needs it for a school project in math. It's FLATLAND by Edward Abbott. So it should be in the math section."

"Let me look it up, I'm not familiar with it." I look it up. "Actually we have it shelved in our science fiction section," I said with some surprise. "And we should have a copy."

I take him to the section, find the book and hand it to him. It's a slim volume.

"Okay, thanks!", he said, looking a little dubious, though glad to have accomplished his mission.

The book's entire title is: FLATLAND: A ROMANCE OF MANY DIMENSIONS.

            

A science fiction book for a project for math class? I am intrigued. Since he bought our only copy, I can't look at the book itself. So I look in our book search system to see what it says about it.

The description says that it was originally published in England in 1884 and has been as influential in science fiction as H.G. Wells. Interesting!

The description went on…
"With wry humor and penetrating satire, FLATLAND takes us on a mind-expanding journey into a different world to give us a new vision of our own.

"A. Square, the slightly befuddled narrator, is born into a place which is limited to two dimensions - irrevocably flat and peopled by a hierarchy of geometrical forms..."

...and I was hooked. Now there is a copy on order for me.

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