Once upon a Prime: The Wondrous Connections Between Mathematics and Literature

4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars | 145 ratings

Price: 17.71

Last update: 12-14-2024


About this item

This program is read by the author.

"An exuberant enthusiasm for mathematics (and life in general) shines through Dr. Hart." —The New York Times

“An absolute joy to read!" —Steven Levitt, New York Times bestselling author of Freakonomics

"Listeners, however well versed in literature and mathematics, or not, will relish author/narrator Sarah Hart's spirited tour of the long and intimate relationship between the two. Some may find the finer points of her readings of classics like MOBY-DICK and MIDDLEMARCH a bit daunting. But it hardly matters when the narrative is so informed and insightful and the narrator so infused with energy and enthusiasm."- AudioFile

For fans of Seven Brief Lessons in Physics, an exploration of the many ways mathematics can transform our understanding of literature and vice versa, by the first woman to hold England's oldest mathematical chair.

We often think of mathematics and literature as polar opposites. But what if, instead, they were fundamentally linked? In her clear, insightful, laugh-out-loud funny debut, Once Upon a Prime, Professor Sarah Hart shows us the myriad connections between math and literature, and how understanding those connections can enhance our enjoyment of both.

Did you know, for instance, that Moby-Dick is full of sophisticated geometry? That James Joyce’s stream-of-consciousness novels are deliberately checkered with mathematical references? That George Eliot was obsessed with statistics? That Jurassic Park is undergirded by fractal patterns? That Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie wrote mathematician characters? From sonnets to fairytales to experimental French literature, Professor Hart shows how math and literature are complementary parts of the same quest, to understand human life and our place in the universe.

As the first woman to hold England’s oldest mathematical chair, Professor Hart is the ideal tour guide, taking us on an unforgettable journey through the books we thought we knew, revealing new layers of beauty and wonder. As she promises, you’re going to need a bigger bookcase.

A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.


Top reviews from the United States

Timothy Haugh
5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging & Insightful
Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2023
Dr. Hart has written a wonderful book here. She finds a range of connections between mathematics and literature from the structural (meter & rhyme scheme) to the subtle (the mathematical logic embedded in Lewis Carroll) to the obvious (Flatland). Mathematics truly is a big part of the world of literature.

Some of the things Dr. Hart discusses are things I’ve come across before, some of which is a bit blah. (Can Swift’s Lilliputians really exist as described?) But I’m always excited when a book leads me to other books or, at least, different perspectives of books I know. She offers this throughout her book. For example, I was particularly taken by her discussion of Georges Perec’s Life: A User’s Manual, which was new to me.

The best thing about this book, however, is Dr. Hart’s prose style. Too often, I find that mathematicians and scientists don’t really know how to write for a general audience. Dr. Hart, on the other hand, is a funny and engaging writer. There’s hardly a moment in this book that doesn’t flow easily and provide something worthwhile for the reader. This is a book that should be read by anyone interested in understanding literature better.
A M
4.0 out of 5 stars Fun to read for those who likes fiction and mathematics
Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2023
Sadly, not many people like both fiction and mathematics. But if you are one of those, this book is fun to read. The first part reviews patterns in books. This part is somewhat trivial. The other parts review several authors and books, such as Alice in Wonderland, where mathematics is embedded in the text.

Fun to read for those who likes fiction and mathematics
Thomas
5.0 out of 5 stars Could not put it down
Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2023
Loved this book. Of course my many years in mathematics had already acquainted me with many of the works she discusses, but there were many new facts I had never noticed and many books that I had not read. She has a certain flair in her delivery that is very inviting. After I read her OpEd in the NYTimes I immediately pre-ordered the book. When it became available this week I devoured it and bought the Audible book with her narrating as well. I had to put all of my other reading aside until I finished it. In her discussion of The Library of Babel she says, “There is even a copy of Once Upon a Prime, but given that every possible book is in the library, there are also millions of almost-copies. If the book you are holding in your hand contains any awful spelling errors or mathematical faux pas, clearly you have accidentally picked up one of these near-miss versions.” This provides a nice excuse for the “typo” of “115 to 355” in the ratio of the diameter to the circumference in the discusssion of Daboll’s Arithmetic and 355/115 as an approximation for pi when discussing the mathematics in Moby-Dick. She even read the incorrect “115” in the audiobook. The correct, well-known ratio is 355/113 of 5th Century Chinese astronomer and mathematician Zu Chongzhi, which gives pi, accurate to six decimal places. As one of my favorite mathematics teachers once said, “A mathematician is a person who says one thing, writes another on the board, means something else entirely, and none of the three are correct.” There are too many wonderful things to point to that this book covers to include in a short review. I just recommend you buy the book and see for yourself.
Lawrence Johnston
3.0 out of 5 stars You may find less in here than you might expect
Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2023
In the worlds of Tom Lehrer, "Some of you may, on occasion, met a mathematician and wondered how they got that way." The author is a pure, abstract mathematician, interest in math with no real uses. And she lives for math, and she sees math everywhere.
The book is worth reading, altho I suggest skip the first chapter unless you're a poetry geek.
There was less Melville than the promo led me to believe.
However, I gotta admit, she did provide a nice insight to "Life of Pi" and some other novels.
Michael M.
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect match
Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2023
Hart’s math credentials cannot be questioned and it turns out her literary critical skills are of similar quality. As a “reader” she would not be embarrassed in the ring with heavyweights like Arnold Weinstein and Harold Bloom. Not since Jacques Barzun has there been this high a level of combined STEM/literature critique.

That said, what makes this book truly great is her love and enthusiasm for her subject. I wanted to go right out and read (or re-read) every book she mentioned, whether fiction or non-fiction. Reading this book was a joy.
DJ Traxler
5.0 out of 5 stars A book with math in it that is fun to read.
Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2023
Not being a mathemation (not even close) that I found that I understood most of the math in this book. And if I didn't understand it, it least I had heard of it. I learned a lot from this book. This always increases my joy in reading a book. I felt a little bit sad upon completing it, wishing that there was more to read. I am now looking for acurrances of the magical numbers in nature an my reading.
Robert Boucher
4.0 out of 5 stars Lilliputian Dynamics
Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2023
I enjoyed the book, but I think Sarah missed her chance at stardom in Gulliver’s Travels. Instead of calculating the strength of femurs, she missed the wonders of scaled down dynamics. The clocks of the Lilliputians would tick sq rt 12 or 3.46 time faster than ours. Their little violins would wail almost two octaves higher, and the men would speak in high soprano. Their little legs would go at a frightening pace, but Gulliver’s leisurely stride would beat them in any race. Perhaps in the next edition. But still it was a very good read.
Sd King
5.0 out of 5 stars Once Upon a Prime
Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2023
The author, Professor Sarah Hart, has written an energetic, thoughtful, and witty book. The Audible version is joyfully narrated by Professor Hart. It is a book I highly recommend.

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