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The Mystery of Numbers, by Annemarie Schimmel
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Why is the number seven lucky--even holy--in almost every culture? Why do we speak of the four corners of the earth? Why do cats have nine lives (except in Iran, where they have seven)? From literature to folklore to private superstitions, numbers play a conspicuous role in our daily lives. But in this fascinating book, Annemarie Schimmel shows that numbers have been filled with mystery and meaning since the earliest times, and across every society.
In The Mystery of Numbers Annemarie Schimmel conducts an illuminating tour of the mysteries attributed to numbers over the centuries. She begins with an informative and often surprising introduction to the origins of number systems: pre-Roman Europeans, for example, may have had one based on twenty, not ten (as suggested by the English word "score" and the French word for 80, quatrevingt --four times twenty), while the Mayans had a system more sophisticated than our own. Schimmel also reveals how our fascination with numbers has led to a rich cross-fertilization of mathematical knowledge: "Arabic" numerals, for instance, were picked up by Europe from the Arabs, who had earlier adopted them from Indian sources ("Algorithm" and "algebra" are corruptions of the Arabic author and title names of a mathematical text prized in medieval Europe). But the heart of the book is an engrossing guide to the symbolism of numbers. Number symbolism, she shows, has deep roots in Western culture, from the philosophy of the Pythagoreans and Platonists, to the religious mysticism of the Cabala and the Islamic Brethren of Purity, to Kepler's belief that the laws of planetary motion should be mathematically elegant, to the unlucky thirteen. After exploring the sources of number symbolism, Schimmel examines individual numbers ranging from one to ten thousand, discussing the meanings they have had for Judaic, Christian, and Islamic traditions, with examples from Indian, Chinese, and Native American cultures as well. Two, for instance, has widely been seen as a number of contradiction and polarity, a number of discord and antithesis. And six, according to ancient and neo-platonic thinking, is the most perfect number because it is both the sum and the product of its parts (1+2+3=6 and 1x2x3=6). Using examples ranging from the Bible to the Mayans to Shakespeare, she shows how numbers have been considered feminine and masculine, holy and evil, lucky and unlucky.
A highly respected scholar of Islamic culture, Annemarie Schimmel draws on her vast knowledge to paint a rich, cross-cultural portrait of the many meanings of numbers. Engaging and accessible, her account uncovers the roots of a phenomenon we all feel every Friday the thirteenth.
- Sales Rank: #254230 in Books
- Published on: 1993-02-25
- Original language: German
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.56" h x 1.12" w x 5.88" l,
- Binding: Hardcover
- 336 pages
From School Library Journal
YA-- This is not a math book, but rather a journey through time and cultures that focuses on the place of numbers in various human systems. As such, it is entertaining, enlightening, and may even be somewhat unsettling to those who have always dismissed mysticism and numerology as bogus. Shimmel has translated and added to Franz Carl Endres's book of the same name, broadening the scope of the German original. Her introduction, which stands by itself, is a clear, concise, and interesting survey of the history of numbers and their importance to many societies. She covers everything from the origins of our Arabic numbers to modern superstitions and number games, stopping off to explore the Gnostics, mysticism, and Islam. The author continues with a detailed description of the various meanings and symbolism associated with each individual number up to 40, and then includes assorted descriptions from 42-10,000. Each of these chapters is fascinating and includes much detail taken from religion, mythology, daily life, and scientific observation. The book is profusely illustrated with drawings, woodcuts, and designs, and there is an exhaustive bibliography in addition to an excellent index.
- Susan H. Woodcock, Potomac Library, Woodbridge, VA
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"This is not a math book, but rather a journey through time and cultures that focuses ti
"A delightful cross-cultural romp through the history of number mysticism....By the time you finish this entertaining yet scholarly book, you'll not only be in seventh heaven, you'll understand why."--The New York Times Book Review
About the Author
About the Author:
Annemarie Schimmel is Professor of Indo-Muslim Culture at Harvard University. A widely-respected scholar of the Near East, she has written numerous books on Islamic literature, religion, and culture.
Most helpful customer reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful.
Complex and Intricate Mysteries Unraveled
By A Customer
This is a rather odd but very enjoyable book. It begins with a very brief introduction to different number systems and beliefs about numbers, covering the Pythagoreans, gnosticism, the Cabala, Islamic mysticism, medieval numerology and numerical puzzles. The bulk of the book is a kind of encyclopedia of numbers: each of the numbers up to 21 gets its own chapter; after that they are dealt with "en masse".
Each chapter is an unordered and unstructured compilation of beliefs about the subject number, mostly drawn from Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Unfortunately, there is no attempt at cross-cultural comparative analysis or at relating beliefs about numbers to other symbolic systems.
This book might better serve as a reference rather than a complete read. It is very interesting but might be too much for one reading.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful.
An anthology of mysterious numbers
By Burak Eldem
What are the roots of the divine "Trinity" concept or what is the secret meaning of Buddha's 3 bodies? Why was Amon-Ra called "The Lord of 4 directions" or why had the god Shiva 4 arms? What is the significance of number 5 in pentagram? Why the star of Israel had six corners? How come the number 13 is believed to bring bad luck in some traditions while in Mayan culture it is one of the essential numbers? Annemarie Schimmel, a specialist on Eastern philosophies, presents a very interesting and entertaining anthology of mysterious numbers in "The Mystery of Numbers". The book follows a linear path and begins with "Number 1" and passes several "stations" of curious numbers along the way. It also has an introduction that gives a summary about the numbering systems of various cultures. You can either keep it on your bookshelf to consult for some specific numbers from time to time, or you can carry it in your pocket and have your daily fun.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful.
A sense of existential perfection
By Elizabeth H. Odonnell
This book is to this date the best book that I have ever read on the subject. It deals with a subject matter that is at once simple and at once infinite- a subject that is unambiguous and clear and at the same time infinitely convoluted- always incomplete, yet perfect by necessity.
In a word, numbers.
I picked up this book in the math section of a local used book store. I was excited by the cover title at first, "The Mystery of Numbers", and so I picked it up and flipped through it. I quickly realized that this book was substantive in information as well as artistic in detail. This book has some sketches especially of things like the Mayan calendar and things of the like. I had to buy the book because mathematical history, theory and mysticism was something that I was just beginning to fancy an interest for.
In any event, I began to read the book and was just impressed. This book is written not only with the vocabulary and descriptive detail and accuracy of an expert- this book is ful of beautiful linguistic novelty.
Annemarie does a brilliant job covering the bases and wowing the reader. Did you know that any multiple of the number 9 can be added within it's self to give you 9! For example..
9x5 = 45---- 4 + 5=9!
9x3 = 27 --- 2 + 7 = 9!
9X10 = 90 ---- 9 + 0 = 9!
One of the few examples I can find to the contrary is 11 x 9 = 99.
This kind of stuff in conjunction with a history of civilizations and religions and the significance of numbers to them is what this book is about. It is not a pseudo-sceince book by any means, claiming any diety or aline race is certainly behind numerical mysticism. This book is a wonderful book written by a scholar from Harvard who very sadly just passed away. I was going to send her an emial and congradualte her on the book but, I was just a little too late.
Do yourself a favor and make sure you read this "1."
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