Once Upon a Number

Named one of the Best Nonfiction Books of 1998 by the Los Angeles Times, Once Upon a Number presents a surprising and humorous look at the similarities between narratives and numbers.

"Both delightful and wise, this little book cries out to be kept close at hand, to be looked into from time to time, to be treasured as an old friend." -Los Angeles Times

A "charming narrative.…Almost every piece is fascinating." -Salon

"[Once Upon a Number] deserves rereading." -Booklist

Once Upon a Number shows that stories and numbers aren't as different as you might imagine. In fact, they have surprising and fascinating connections. Beside lucid accounts of cutting-edge information theory we get hilarious anecdotes and jokes; instructions for running a truly impressive pyramid scam; a freewheeling conversation between Groucho Marx and Bertrand Russell; explanations of why the mundane facts of the O.J. Simpson case are overwhelmingly incriminating; how the Unabomber's thinking shows signs of mathematical training; why we're much more likely to feel aggrieved than aggrieving; and dozens of other treats. America's most engaging mathematician has done it again.