Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions is a satirical science fiction novella by Edwin A. Abbott, an English schoolmaster and theologian. The book is presented as the notes of a square in Flatland, even being published under the pseudonym A Square, as he describes the rigid class structure and harsh laws of Flatland before his life is upended by a visit from a sphere, a being with a third dimension the square has trouble even conceiving of. Though the novella was not a large success when published, it received new interest in 1920 in the wake of Einstein’s general theory of relativity, which brought the concept of the fourth dimension to the public consciousness.
Fun fact: Edwin A. Abbott’s middle name is also Abbott.
We will be sending out two chapters every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in March, starting on Monday, March 4th and finishing with Chapters 21 and 22 on Wednesday, March 27th. Check it out each day on this site, or subscribe to the book club to get each chapter sent to your email inbox!
The text is provided by Standard Ebooks. If you want to read ahead or download the book to your ereader, there are multiple formats available on Standard Ebooks’ page for the novel. We are not affiliated with the organization, but they have put a significant amount of effort into making public domain works accessible to everyone. Go ahead and check them out.
If you prefer audiobooks, pick your favorite version from LibriVox and listen along. Or, if you like the feel of paper while you’re reading, support your local independent book store by buying a copy from Bookshop.org or take it out from your local library.
For a summary and analysis, check out the book’s page on Wikipedia.
Thanks for joining the book club, and we hope you enjoy Flatland next month!