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THE MAN WHO COUNTED

Name: THE MAN WHO COUNTED
Author: Malba Tahan
ISBN: 0-393-03430-5

A COLLECTION OF MATHEMATICAL ADVENTURES

by Malba Tahan ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 25, 1993

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Something of an oddity: Tahan, a Brazilian mathematician, casts a series of mathematical puzzles into the form of a continuous narrative describing the adventures of a 13th-century Persian mathematician, Beremiz Samir, secretary to a vizier in Baghdad. There are puzzles here about how to apportion an odd number of camels among three sons so that one receives half, the second a third, and the last a ninth; how to divide 21 casks of wine (seven full, seven half full, and seven empty) so that three friends get an equal number of casks and the same amount of wine—and there are variations on the theme involving pearls, apples, what have you. Tahan also includes asides on the lore of numbers—``perfect'' numbers (equal to the sum of their divisors, excluding the numbers themselves), numerical ``friends,'' magic squares, the weird properties of the number 142,857, and so on. What is curious is the extent to which elements of Islam are woven into the ``plot''—with quotes from the Koran, epigrams, and idealistic statements—as well as brief takes on the history of mathematics. It's also apparent that, for Tahan, mathematics is to be appreciated as a pursuit of pure reason without regard to practical applications. The final test of Beremiz's power consists of seven trials, including a typical truth-teller-vs.-liar puzzle. Our hero triumphs, of course, and asks as his reward the fair Telassim, with whom he lives happily ever after (avoiding the Mongol conquest of Baghdad by moving to Constantinople). A good bet for puzzlers and budding math students. (Thirty- four drawings.)

Pub Date: Jan. 25, 1993

ISBN: 0-393-03430-5

Page Count: 224

Publisher: Norton

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 1992

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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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

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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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.