Episode · People I (Mostly) Admire · 2023-04-29
Steve Levitt & Sarah Hart: books mentioned on People I (Mostly) Admire #104
104. The Joy of Math With Sarah Hart
Steve is on a mission to reform math education, and Sarah Hart is ready to join the cause. In her return visit to the show, Sarah explains how patterns are everywhere, constraints make us more creative, and literature is surprisingly mathematical.
Sarah Hart discussed The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton and others, La Disparition by Georges Perec, A Void by Georges Perec, Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll and others, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling, and Moby Dick by Herman Melville. Steve Levitt discussed Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll and Once upon a Prime by Sarah Hart.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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The Luminaries
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton is a sprawling, critically acclaimed historical novel set in New Zealand during the 1866 Gold Rush, a work that famously earned the author the prestigious Booker Prize in 2013.
Discussed“I'll give you an example of a book there's a book called The Luminaries by Eleanor catton uh won the book of prize in 2013 and that book has a mathematical structure underneath it”
Where to get it
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La Disparition
Discussed“but the most famous One probably is George pereck who wrote a whole novel called la disparicion which doesn't contain a single letter e”
Where to get it
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A Void
A Void by Georges Perec is an extraordinary, innovative novel written entirely without using the letter 'e', serving as a brilliant masterclass in literary constraint.
Discussed“whereas for X book called ladies on The Disappearance and in English it's called avoid which is both clever titles”
Where to get it
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Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll is a beloved 19th-century children's fantasy novel about a young girl who falls down a rabbit hole into a bizarre underground world governed by absurd logic.
Discussed“and with Lewis Carroll being of course the most famous mathematician author of all time he must have used math in his stories like Alice in Wonderland”
Where to get it
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Through the Looking-Glass
Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll is a classic children's fantasy novel and the sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, featuring famous scenes like Alice and the Red Queen running to stay in place.
Discussed“he hides it in some of the patterns in Alice in Wonderland and in through the Looking Glass and then games Alice in Wonderland is based on cards there's the queen of hearts and those things Through the Looking Glass the sequel is based on chess”
Where to get it
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Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K.
Discussed“the giant spiders that are in Harry Potter for instance as a mathematician yes I concur that there must be magic going on”
Where to get it
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Once upon a Prime
Once Upon a Prime is an engaging exploration of the magical overlaps between literature and mathematics written by Sarah Hart.
Discussed“your book once upon a prime is so joyful”
Where to get it
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Moby Dick
Moby Dick by Herman Melville is a classic 19th-century novel exploring the obsessions of Captain Ahab and the dramatic whaling voyage of the Pequod.
Discussed“I'm getting there. I wrote an academic paper actually about the mathematics in Moby Dick, and that came out in 2021.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (3) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“a brand new book is called once upon a prime and it dives into the magical overlap between literature and Mathematics”
“can I make a confession I believe that the only two books that I have read of all the ones you mentioned are the Harry Potter books and Alice in Wonderland”
“can I make a confession I believe that the only two books that I have read of all the ones you mentioned are the Harry Potter books and Alice in Wonderland”