This semester the Library will commemorate the mathematical-philosophical novel Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions (1884) by Edwin Abbott (1838–1926). 2013 marks the 175th anniversary of Abbott’s birth, and 2014 will be the 130th anniversary of Flatland‘s 1884 publication. The exhibition “Flatland Worldwide and Edwin A. Abbott at 75 (+100)” opens in the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. library on November 1, 2013; Brown professor Thomas Banchoff, mathematician and Abbott scholar, will present a related talk on Wednesday, November 13 (at 5:30 p.m. in the Digital Scholarship Lab).

In 2005 the Library captured a rare 1980 Arion Press edition of Flatland, limited to 275 copies, featuring aluminum covers, accordion-style page binding, and illustrations designed to integrate creatively with the text. As described by the Press, this custom edition aimed to formally accentuate elements of the content:

…Andrew Hoyem‘s radical design and illustrations realize many implications of the book, such as: the “volume” can be opened out flat to form a thirty-foot plane; the plane-geometrical citizens of Flatland are infinitely thin (holes in paper); they cast shadows; their edges glow.…

Shown below are some sample spreads from the book. Stop by the exhibit to view the original.