Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions
Edwin A. Abbott (1838-1926.
English scholar, theologian, and writer.)
With Illustrations by the Author, A SQUARE (Edwin A. Abbott)
To
The Inhabitants of SPACE IN GENERAL
And H. C. IN PARTICULAR
This Work is Dedicated
By a Humble Native of Flatland
In the Hope that
Even as he was Initiated into the Mysteries
Of THREE Dimensions
Having been previously conversant
With ONLY TWO
So the Citizens of that Celestial Region
May aspire yet higher and higher
To the Secrets of FOUR FIVE OR EVEN SIX Dimensions
Thereby contributing
To the Enlargement of THE IMAGINATION
And the possible Development
Of that most rare and excellent Gift of MODESTY
Among the Superior Races
Of SOLID HUMANITY
Preface to the Second and Revised Edition, 1884.
By the Editor
If my poor Flatland friend retained the vigour of mind which he enjoyedwhen he began to compose these Memoirs, I should not now need torepresent him in this preface, in which he desires, firstly, to returnhis thanks to his readers and critics in Spaceland, whose appreciationhas, with unexpected celerity, required a second edition of his work;secondly, to apologize for certain errors and misprints (for which,however, he is not entirely responsible); and, thirdly, to explain oneor two misconceptions. But he is not the Square he once was. Years ofimprisonment, and the still heavier burden of general incredulity andmockery, have combined with the natural decay of old age to erase fromhis mind many of the thoughts and notions, and much also of theterminology, which he acquired during his short stay in Spaceland. Hehas, therefore, requested me to reply in his behalf to two specialobjections, one of an intellectual, the other of a moral nature.
The first objection is, that a Flatlander, seeing a Line, seessomething that must be THICK to the eye as well as LONG to the eye(otherwise it would not be visible, if it had not some thickness); andconsequently he ought (it is argued) to acknowledge that his countrymenare not only long and broad, but also (though doubtless in a veryslight degree) THICK or HIGH. This objection is plausible, and, toSpacelanders, almost irresistible, so that, I confess, when I firstheard it, I knew not what to reply. But my poor old friend's answerappears to me completely to meet it.
"I admit," said he—when I mentioned to him this objection—"I admitthe truth of your critic's facts, but I deny his conclusions. It istrue that we have really in Flatland a Third unrecognized Dimensioncalled 'height', just as it is also true that you have really inSpaceland a Fourth unrecognized Dimension, called by no name atpresent, but which I will call 'extra-height'. But we can no more takecognizance of our 'height' than you can of your 'extra-height'. EvenI—who have been in Spaceland, and have had the privilege ofunderstanding for twenty-four hours the meaning of 'height'—even Icannot now comprehend it, nor realize it by the sense of sight or byany process of reason; I can but apprehend it by faith.
"The reason is obvious. Dimension implies direction, impliesmeasurement, implies the more and the less. Now, all our lines areEQUALLY and INFINITESIMALLY thick (or high, whichever you like);consequently, there is nothing in them to lead our minds to theconception of that Dimension. No 'delicat