Review of Once Upon a Prime

It’s surprising how many excellent pieces of literature–classics from way back, as well as contemporary–feature mathematician authors and characters, and math-related plotlines!

Here are just a few of those featured in this book: Journey to the Center of the Earth, O. Henry, Neal Stephenson, The Tale of Genji, George Eliot, Sherlock Holmes, John Updike, and Richard Powers.

Once Upon a Prime: The Wondrous Connections Between Mathematics and Literature, published in 2023, is written by the fun-loving and brilliant Sarah Hart.

The author is the first woman to hold the Gresham professorship of geometry, England’s oldest mathematical chair.

(AND, she lived one street away from the pub where C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien had met each week to discuss their work.)

I lived and breathed that book for weeks! Here are just a few reasons why…

“… the geometry of narrative… symbolism of numbers in fiction… secret codes… Ahab’s arithmetic… mathematical concepts that escape into fiction… the real life of Pi… the role of mathematical genius in literature… A Mathematician’s Bookcase.”
—Once Upon a Prime, Table of Contents

And that “Mathematicians Bookcase” at the end provides me with plenty of titles and authors well into the future.

“Pure mathematics is, in a way, the poetry of logical ideas” (attributed to Albert Einstein)

Love math? Delve into the world of math-inspired literature for a broader appreciation of their connections.

Prefer literature? Check out some of the many novels made more powerful by their mathematician authors, math-related storylines, and complex number-nerd characters!

My appreciation to the following for the free use of their images:
Freestock.com , Amazon