The Book of Numbers by William R Hartston
Combining arithmetical oddities with historical facts, numbers in literature, art and music, statistical information and a range of other numerical oddities, this book aims to provide a reference source for collectors of information. It unearths some bizarre and amusing arithmetical coincidences as well as providing the material for deciding whether Douglas Adams was right about 42 being the answer to life, the Universe and Everything. Information contained in the book includes: the fact that the number three is the highest number in the language of the Yancos tribe of the Amazon; that the number of cups of tea drunk each day by the average Briton is identical to the number of frogs eaten each year per capita in France - four; and that the number four is also the number of months an oyster can survive out of water, the fingers on each of Mickey Mouse's hands and Edgar Wallace's "Just Men". Presented in numerical order, with framed features on significant numbers, and relevant topics such as counting, horology and lists, the book is indexed and cross-referenced in order to be used both for reference and pleasure.
William Hartston read Mathematics at Cambridge and is the author of many chess books, while his interest in useless information has given rise to The Drunken Goldfish (a tribute to useless academic research), How Was It For You, Professor (a book on academic sex research), Odd Dates Only (a book of weird anniversaries) and The Book of Numbers (a collection of weird numerical information). Since 1998, he has been writing the daily Beachcomber column of surreal humor for the Daily Express.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781860661129 |
| ISBN 10 | 1860661122 |
| Title | The Book of Numbers |
| Author | William R Hartston |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding type | Paperback |
| Publisher | John Blake Publishing Ltd |
| Year published | 1998-01-03 |
| Number of pages | 224 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |