The Jinn from Hyperspace: And Other Scribblings--Both Serious and Whimsical [Hardcover]

Martin Gardner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 31, 2008

This new collection of Gardner gems takes its name from an essay on a mathematical theme, about a jinn (or genie) trapped in a 'Klein Bottle' - an amusing tale that also teaches the maths phobic something interesting about a theoretical one-sided object with no distinction between inside and outside. Other topics in maths and physics include speculations about universes where time runs in reverse; the Banach-Tarski paradox (whereby a sphere, after being deconstructed, can be reassembled at twice its size); and a vigorous defence of the objective reality of mathematical theorems independent of human culture.On the literary side, Gardner discusses two neglected works by G K Chesterton, one of which concerns an imaginary but now very topical war between Islam and Christianity. He also considers the fantasies of L Frank Baum that don't take place in "Oz", Clement Moore's ever-popular "The Night Before Christmas", and the many fascinating books by Lewis Carroll that are sometimes overshadowed by his famous "Alice in Wonderland". A treat for longtime Gardner readers or the perfect introduction for newcomers, "The Jinn From Hyperspace" offers a rich selection of stimulating intellectual wonders.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Best known for writing Scientific American's "Mathematical Games" column for more than 25 years, Gardner is less well known for his books and essays in other publications. This collection, brimming with charm and wit, includes a fascinating range of articles originally published in such journals as Math Horizons, The Skeptical Inquirer and The New Criterion, as well as in Gardner's past books. The title story is a confabulation of satire, homage and mathematical puzzle that encapsulates the many themes and variations of this far-reaching book. Part one, "Science, Math and Baloney," is devoted to the uses and abuses of science and mathematics, including critiques of false memory syndrome, artificial intelligence research and zero point energy. Part two consists of five chapters on G. K. Chesterton and "The Night Before Christmas," while parts three and four are devoted to L. Frank Baum and Lewis Carroll, respectively. Though readers might be put off by the breadth of subject matter, or wonder why a "serious" mathematical writer might trouble himself with The Wizard of Oz, Gardner fully validates all his interests with lively prose, appropriate humor and umbrage where needed.
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About the Author

Martin Gardner, the creator of Scientific American's "Mathematical Games" column, which he wrote for more than twenty-five years, is the author of almost one hundred books, including The Annotated Night Before Christmas, The Annotated Snark, Martin Gardner's Favorite Poetic Parodies, From the Wandering Jew to William F. Buckley Jr., and Science: Good, Bad and Bogus. For many years he was also a contributing editor to the Skeptical Inquirer.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 307 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books (January 31, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591025656
• ISBN-13: 978-1591025658
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #526,210 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

For 25 of his 95 years, Martin Gardner wrote 'Mathematical Games and Recreations', a monthly column for Scientific American magazine. These columns have inspired hundreds of thousands of readers to delve more deeply into the large world of mathematics. He has also made significant contributions to magic, philosophy, debunking pseudoscience, and children's literature. He has produced more than 60 books, including many best sellers, most of which are still in print. His Annotated Alice has sold more than a million copies. He continues to write a regular column for the Skeptical Inquirer magazine.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Reviewed by a software engineer, June 19, 2008

By 

Muhammad Ali Shah "jaywalker" (Leeds, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Jinn from Hyperspace: And Other Scribblings--Both Serious and Whimsical (Hardcover)

If you are a fan of Martin Gardner's recreational mathematics book, and would like to see his other writings, this book might be for you; others should be ok if they miss it. It's a collection of essays, on no single topic. The book is divided into four parts, with 36 chapters in all spread over 300 pages. The parts are


* Science, Math, and Baloney: This part (19 chapters) contains Martin's opinion on various science related topics, as well as some paradoxes which philosophers and logicians seem to be very fond of. The topics range from False Memory Syndrome to a hypothetical Time Reversed Universe. The title of the book is actually name of a fictional story related to Klein bottles in this part.

* Literature: This series of chapters (5) contains Martin's view of literature, specifically focusing on the work of Chesterton and how the Santa Clause came into being.

* L. Frank Baum: Martin Gardner seems to be a fan of L. Frank Baum (the author of The Wizard of Oz); though, people outside the US (like me) might not have heard of him earlier. This section consists of 7 chapters, entirely dedicated to the writing style of L. Frank Baum.

* Lewis Carroll: Like Frank Baum, Martin seems to be a fan of Lewis Carroll as well. Martin discusses the background of the writings of the famous logician. This might be very interesting for you if you know a little bit about Lewis and/ or have enjoyed reading Alice in the Wonderland/ Through the Looking Glass. This part consists of 5 chapters, and also sheds some light on the life of Lewis.

Depending on where you live, some of the content---such as False Memory Syndrome which discusses false childhood abuse memories---in the book might be disturbing for you. While there were certain bits and pieces to learn from here and there, I am not much impressed by the overall theme and content of the book.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Difficult to easily categorize, but promising to read across genres, July 14, 2008

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Jinn from Hyperspace: And Other Scribblings--Both Serious and Whimsical (Hardcover)

THE JINN FROM HYPERSPACE AND OTHER SCRIBBLINGS - BOTH SERIOUS AND WHIMSICAL blends math and science, essays and fantasy/sci fi tales in a book difficult to easily categorize, but promising to read across genres. Science fiction readers will love its possibilities, science readers will love its focus on math and probability, and even literary readers will find analysis of and references to literary topics in this satisfying, involving read perfect for both college-level science collections and general-interest lending libraries.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

4.0 out of 5 stars A Hodge-Podge of Many Topics, December 23, 2011

By 

G. Poirier (Orleans, ON, Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Jinn from Hyperspace: And Other Scribblings--Both Serious and Whimsical (Hardcover)

This is a book that should have something of interest for just about everyone. Roughly the first half contains nineteen essays on various scientific topics; some of these essays are reviews of certain books. The second half is about certain authors of fictional literature, i.e., Lewis Carroll, L. Frank Baum, G.K. Chesterton and some others. Here the author discusses details of several of their stories and offers some critique.

As a science buff, I much preferred the first half of the book, although I enjoyed some essays therein much more than some others.

Martin Gardner's writing style is very clear, friendly, lively and engaging. Because of the wide variety of topics discussed in this book, it's difficult to determine who its intended audience is. Perhaps one can safely say that those who are likely to enjoy this book the most are fans of Martin Gardner' writings.