Once Upon a Prime, Sarah Hart
Once Upon a Prime, Sarah Hart
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Once Upon a Prime
The Wondrous Connections Between Mathematics and Literature

Author: Sarah Hart

Narrator: Sarah Hart

Unabridged: 8 hr 51 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/11/2023

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included


Synopsis

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.

About Sarah Hart

Sarah Hart is a respected pure mathematician and a gifted expositor of mathematics. When promoted to full Professor of Mathematics at Birkbeck College (University of London) in 2013, she became the youngest STEM professor at Birkbeck and its first ever woman Mathematics Professor and one of only five women Mathematics Professors under the age of 40 in the United Kingdom. Educated at Oxford and Manchester, Dr Hart currently holds the Gresham Professorship of Geometry, the oldest mathematics chair in the UK. The chair stretches back in an unbroken lineage to 1597. Dr Hart is the 33rd Gresham Professor of Geometry, and the first woman ever to hold the position.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Miranda

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved once upon a prime. Though at first I found it a little disorienting. I’m a mathematician who is currently struggling through War and Peace, and Moby Dick on my ereader. And I’m the beginning the author talks about struggling through war and peace and Moby dick on, wait for it, her e......more

Goodreads review by Stetson

My full review is at Holodoxa on Substack It's a casual assumption that literature and mathematics are two very distant points on the map of disciplinary space. In other words, we think the two don't mix much and when they do they don't mix well. Here, enters Sarah Hart, professor of mathematics......more

Goodreads review by Anna

A book bridging mathematics and literature has a few options: 1) It can be dull and dry; 2) It can be unobtainable; 3) or it can be Sarah Hart's book, Once Upon a Prime. Funny, rich, approachable, and just the right amount of quirkiness, Hart dispels any myths about the separation between mathematic......more

Goodreads review by Tate

[once upon a prime: the wondrous connection between mathematics and literature | review] • “There's a broader mathematical theme underlying Moby-Dick, and that's the symbolism of mathematics as a way of understanding, and to some extent trying to control, our environment. Mathematics helps us to navig......more

Goodreads review by Honey

If you love maths and literature then this will be an enjoyable read for you. Slightly more on the technical side, but it's witty and quirky. It presents how math literally can be found in literary gems through time. I particularly enjoyed reading about formulaic pieces as well as mapping out equati......more


Quotes

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

“An absolute joy to read! Sarah Hart has created something wonderful: from nursery rhymes to Moby-Dick, she uncovers hidden links that I never could have imagined, but which I will never forget.”
—Steven Levitt, New York Times bestselling author of Freakonomics

“As an actress and math advocate, I often long for people to see the poetry in mathematics. I love this book. Sarah Hart illuminates hidden patterns and beautiful mathematics in well-known literature in a way that, simply put, fills me with joy. Brava!”
—Danica McKellar, actress and New York Times bestselling author

“A hugely entertaining and well-written tour of the links between math and literature. Hart’s lightness of touch and passion for both subjects make this book a delight to read. Bookworms and numberlovers alike will discover much they didn’t know about the creative interplay between stories, structure, and sums.”
—Alex Bellos, author of Here’s Looking at Euclid

“This lively and personal book uncovers quirky nuggets of mathematics in a wide variety of literature, with new perspectives on books I’ve already read and intriguing mathematical reasons to seek out some books I haven’t. Professor Hart is a welcome and fresh new voice in bringing math to a wider audience.”
—Eugenia Cheng, author of x+y and How to Bake Pi