A frothy celebration of the joy of numbers. Having waltzed through the world of letters (Alpha to Omega, 1981), the Humezes—this time with the help of freelancer Maguire- -turn their sights on numbers 0 through 13, along with infinity (whose sign, a sideways eight, explains the title). Numbers, they assure us, shine with integrity: ``To the extent that numbers say anything about the real world, they do so unfailingly and incorruptibly.'' Drawing on thinkers as diverse as Camille Paglia and Georg Cantor, and dipping into history, etymology, mathematics, and folklore, the authors praise each integer in turn. Zero, ``where it all began, the clean slate''—the only number that is neither positive nor negative—gives birth to ``zero hour'' and ``ground zero.'' One (``in the beginning, all things were one'') allows discussion of the Peano postulates, which demonstrate how and why numbers run in sequence. Two leads to meditations on left-handedness and pairings of heroes and sidekicks. Three brings Fibonacci numbers, golden rectangles, prime numbers, pi, and jokes: ``How many Californians does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Three: one to screw it in and two to share in the experience.'' Four suggests the four-color map problem. Five? ``Take five!'' Six includes anagrams—as well as antigrams, wherein ``The Waldorf'' becomes ``Dwarf Hotel.'' And so on up to infinity, which holds ``an infinitude of infinities.'' The approach is giggly, inventive (the discussion of eight includes a floor plan for a one-dimensional house), stuffed with arcana (13 is ``the only number for the fear of which we have a specific word in English: triskaidekaphobia''). Nimble nutty number play, as the authors make their case, four-square and to the nines, that ``no number is dull.'' (Line drawings)
Pub Date: Aug. 5, 1993
ISBN: 0-671-74282-5
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1993
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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