“An assemblage of mathematical fancies and entertainments”
An interesting idea for an anthology of short stories on a single, albeit vast, topic … “An assemblage of mathematical fancies and entertainments”
An interesting idea for an anthology of short stories on a single, albeit vast, topic … mathematics.
“Teachers in many cases found it an effective tool, possibly like the sugar coating on a pill. Just as small children train themselves for ‘real’ life through play, so some of us may approach the ostensibly forbidding country of mathematics through the gateway of fun and fancy.”
And, elsewhere in the foreword, editor Fadiman provides an obvious explanation for the clever title calling his collection of tidbits “Invitational Mathematics”.
“The reader is merely asked to look at some odd, shiny, sometimes ridiculous bits and pieces the magpie has retrieved in the course of her housekeeping.”
He ended that foreword with the wish,
“I hope that its stories, cartoons, humorous sketches, parodies, lyrics, anecdotes, verses, and playful speculations will help to seduce those who think they have nonmathematical minds into entering at least the anteroom of the crowded, astonishing, and almost magical hall of mathematics.”
I would concur with the wish and review THE MATHEMATICAL MAGPIE simply by expressing my opinion that the quality of the individual items included in the anthology range from weak and uninteresting to astonishing, amusing, laugh-out-loud funny 5-star gems.
"Whereas the plays were written for public performance, the Sonnets were originally ciTough to give this anything other than 5 stars!
From the preface:
"Whereas the plays were written for public performance, the Sonnets were originally circulated privately among his friends. As the intense personal expression of his own deep experience they show the man behind the plays."
What's not to like about an uncomplicated collection of some of the most beautiful poetry in the English language? 154 Sonnets; heavy high quality paper; one poem per page presented in a large readable calligraphy style font in Shakespeare's original "ye olde" English complete with the archaic spelling; and, an alphabetic index of first lines to locate your favourites. Literary analysis and interpretation not included ... that's left up to the loving reader to absorb the poems one at a time, think about them and decide not only what they meant to Shakespeare but what they mean to you as a reader.
My personal favourite is #116, "Let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediments". Perhaps it's because I first encountered it early in high school and memorized it in English class. Despite not truly appreciating the full depth and meaning of the poetry at that time, I still found it powerful enough that the lines have remained persistently in my head for over 45 years now. If that isn't powerful writing, "then I never writ nor no man ever loved."
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