Thinking in Numbers - by Daniel Tammet (Paperback)

About the Book

Originally published: Great Britain: Hodder & Stoughton, 2012.

Book Synopsis

The irresistibly engaging book that "enlarges one's wonder at Tammet's mind and his all-embracing vision of the world as grounded in numbers" (Oliver Sacks, MD).

Thinking in Numbers is the book that Daniel Tammet, mathematical savant and bestselling author, was born to write. In Tammet's world, numbers are beautiful and mathematics illuminates our lives and minds. Using anecdotes, everyday examples, and ruminations on history, literature, and more, Tammet allows us to share his unique insights and delight in the way numbers, fractions, and equations underpin all our lives.

Inspired variously by the complexity of snowflakes, Anne Boleyn's eleven fingers, and his many siblings, Tammet explores questions such as why time seems to speed up as we age, whether there is such a thing as an average person, and how we can make sense of those we love. His provocative and inspiring new book will change the way you think about math and fire your imagination to view the world with fresh eyes.

Review Quotes

"Thinking in Numbers is a magnificently, movingly peculiar and wise book." --Kurt Andersen, author of True Believers and host of Studio 360

"A delightful, diverse collection of essays. Great fun and the perfect gift for any math-phobic person, young or old." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"A engrossing blend of autobiography, mathematical theory, and 'what if' speculations, Daniel Tammet's essays allow us to see the world through the lens of numbers. The result is fascinating, even dizzying series of fresh perspectives on things we thought we knew." --Billy Collins

"A mind-expanding, kinetic aesthetic experience. Tammet's poetic mathematics are beautiful guideposts for thinking about life and even love." --Amy Tan

"Always informative, always entertaining, Daniel Tammet never loses his respect for the mystery of the universe of number." --J. M. Coetzee

"How many mathematicians are dazzling storytellers as well? What a joy to read an author whose dexterity with digits is matched by his wisdom with words." --David Eagleman, PhD, neuroscientist, author of Incognito and Sum

"Intriguing, provocative - to wrestle with numbers in this way is an adventure." --Lydia Davis, author of The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis

"Tammet is a master of gleaning profound insights from seemingly mundane trivia...This is a delightful book." --Publishers Weekly (starred and boxed review)

"Whether or not readers consider themselves mathematically inclined, they will be enthralled. This book will charm just about anyone." --Library Journal (starred review)

"With Einsteinian elegance, Tammet recasts our perceptions of the human experience in this extraordinary collection of essays. His remarkable talent for expression--for enlightening, moving, and transforming his reader--reveals a rare combination of ingenuity and artistry." --David Finch, author of The Journal of Best Practices

About the Author

Daniel Tammet is an essayist, novelist and translator. He is the author of Thinking in Numbers, Embracing the Wide Sky, and the New York Times bestseller Born on a Blue Day. Tammet is Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA). He lives in Paris.