Everything and More: A Compact History of Infinity

by David Foster Wallace, Neal Stephenson (Introduction)

Overview

"A gripping guide to the modern taming of the infinite."—The New York Times. With a new introduction by Neal Stephenson.

Is infinity a valid mathematical property or a meaningless abstraction? David Foster Wallace brings his intellectual ambition and characteristic bravura style to the story of how mathematicians have struggled to understand the infinite, from the ancient Greeks to the nineteenth-century mathematical genius Georg Cantor's counterintuitive discovery that there was more than one kind of infinity. Smart, challenging, and thoroughly rewarding, Wallace's tour de force brings immediate and high-profile recognition to the bizarre and fascinating world of higher mathematics.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780393241990
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	08/26/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	261,961
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

David Foster Wallace (1962-2008) is the author of Infinite Jest, Girl with Curious Hair, Everything and More, The Broom of the System, and other fiction and nonfiction. Among his honors, he received a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, a Lannan Literary Award, and a Whiting Writers' Award.

Date of Birth:

February 21, 1962

Date of Death:

September 12, 2008

Place of Birth:

Ithaca, NY

Place of Death:

Claremont, CA

Education:

B.A. in English & Philosophy, Amherst College, 1985;MFA, University of Arizona, 1987

Editorial Reviews

The subject of infinity would probably strike most readers familiar with Wallace as perfectly suited to his recursive style, and this book is as weird and wonderful as you'd expect. There are footnotes galore, frequently prefaced by the acronym IYI ("If You're Interested"), which can signal either pure digression or the first hint of an idea more fully developed in later chapters. Among other textual idiosyncrasies is the constant use of the lemniscate instead of the word "infinity," emphasizing that this is "not just an incredibly, unbelievably enormous number" but an abstraction beyond what we normally conceive of when we contemplate numbers. Abstraction is one of Wallace's main themes, particularly how the mathematics of infinity goes squarely against our instinct to avoid abstract thought. The ancient Greeks couldn't handle infinity, he points out, because they loathed abstraction. Later mathematicians fared better, and though the emphasis is on Georg Cantor, all the milestones are treated in turn. Wallace appreciates that infinity can be a "skullclutcher," and though the book isn't exactly easy going, he guides readers through the math gently, including emergency glossaries when necessary. He has an obvious enthusiasm for the subject, inspired by a high school teacher whose presence is felt at irregular intervals. Had he not pursued a career in literary fiction, it's not difficult to imagine Wallace as a historian of science, producing quirky and challenging volumes such as this every few years. (Oct.) FYI: This title, along with Sherwin Nuland's The Doctor's Plague, is launching James Atlas's Great Discoveries series for Norton. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Wallace's writing about math isn't new-his novel Infinite Jest (1996) and some of his essays include a more than superficial treatment of the subject. Here, however, he digs as deeply into it as is possible for a nonprofessional math geek faced with a page limit, and the result is classic DFW: engaging, self-conscious, playful, and often breathless. This second installment in the "Great Discoveries" series traces the history of infinity from the Greeks to the calculus, culminating in a discussion of Georg Cantor's (1845-1918) groundbreaking work with transfinite numbers. Unfortunately, context requires Wallace to bulldoze heroically through a couple thousand years of logic, geometry, and number theory, which, even with "emergency glossaries" and frequent cross-referencing tips, can make for some teeth-grindingly dense passages. In one of the 400-plus footnotes, he writes, "It's true that it would be nice if you've had some college math, but please rest assured that considerable pains have been taken and infelicities permitted to make sure it's not required." For devout Wallace fans, it won't matter either way. Readers looking to soak up some pure abstraction, however, may just need to read the book twice. Luckily, they couldn't have been blessed with a more talented or stimulating guide. Enthusiastically recommended for all libraries. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 6/15/03.]-Christopher Tinney, Brooklyn, NY Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

A gripping guide to the modern taming of the infinite.

New York Times Book Review

[Wallace] brings to his task a refreshingly conversational style as well as a surprisingly authoritative command of mathematics....A success.

John Allen Paulos - The American Scholar

Shockingly readable....A brilliant antidote both to boring math textbooks and to pop-culture math books that emphasize the discoverer over the discovery.

Booklist

Everything and More is, in nearly every way, a gift. It's a thoughtful and witty 300-page testimonial to the qualities I never fully understood that mathematics possessed: Math is astonishing and full of 'shadowlands,' and—ultimately—stunning beauty.”

Anthony Doerr

Everything and More is, in nearly every way, a gift. It's a thoughtful and witty 300-page testimonial to the qualities I never fully understood that mathematics possessed: Math is astonishing and full of 'shadowlands,' and-ultimately-stunning beauty.— Anthony Doerr

Boston Globe

Wallace is the perfect parachute buddy for a free fall into the mathematical and metaphysical abyss that is infinity.— Dennis Lim

Village Voice

[Wallace] brings to his task a refreshingly conversational style as well as a surprisingly authoritative command of mathematics. . . . A success.— John Allen Paulos

American Scholar

Everything and More is, in nearly every way, a gift. It's a thoughtful and witty 300-page testimonial to the qualities I never fully understood that mathematics possessed: Math is astonishing and full of 'shadowlands,' and-ultimately-stunning beauty.”

Anthony Doerr - Boston Globe

Wallace is the perfect parachute buddy for a free fall into the mathematical and metaphysical abyss that is infinity.

Dennis Lim - Village Voice

[Wallace] brings to his task a refreshingly conversational style as well as a surprisingly authoritative command of mathematics. . . . A success.

John Allen Paulos - American Scholar