The Man Who Counted: A Collection of Mathematical Adventures

by Malba Tahan, Leslie Clark (Translator), Alastair Reid (Translator), Patricia Reid Baquero (Illustrator)

Overview

“A great storyteller.”—Paulo Coelho, author of The Alchemist

Malba Tahan is the creation of a celebrated Brazilian mathematician looking for a way to bring some of the mysteries and pleasures of mathematics to a wider public. The adventures of Beremiz Samir, The Man Who Counted, take the reader on a journey in which, time and again, Samir summons his extraordinary mathematical powers to settle disputes, give wise advice, overcome dangerous enemies, and win for himself fame, fortune, and rich rewards. We learn of previous mathematicians and come to admire Samir’s wisdom and patience. In the grace of Tahan’s telling, these stories hold unusual delights for the reader.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780393254310
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	01/29/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	557,389
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

Júlio César de Mello e Souza, a Brazilian mathematician, published more than one hundred books under the name Malba Tahan. Even after his identity was exposed, he wrote as Tahan until his death in 1974.
Poet and translator Alastair Reid lives in New York City.

Editorial Reviews

Puzzle books can be tedious (unless you like that sort of thing), but not this one. First published in Brazil in 1949 by the mathematician Julio de Melo e Sousa (Tahan is the imaginary Arab author he claimed to have translated), it is a series of delightful ``Arabian nights''-style tales, with each story built around a classic mathematical puzzle. The puzzles fit into the stories so naturally that they are a necessary part of the fantasy. The hero is a Persian mathematician and mystic named Beremiz who uses his powers of calculation like a magic wand to amaze and entertain people, settle disputes, find justice and, finally, win the heart of a beautiful princess. Reading the stories is as much fun as trying to solve the puzzles. For adults and children.-- Amy Brunvand, Fort Lewis Coll. Lib., Durango, Col.

Library Journal

This small book is a joy. Tahan is a fictional author created (it is not revealed when) by a Brazilian mathematician to share, through stories set in Baghdad when that city served as a scientific and mathematical center for the world, his math puzzles and curiosities. One line from one of the tales sums up the greatest factor in this collection's appeal: "Good stories well told are a pleasure to listen to, and I am always eager to hear them." Not only is this book full of stories told of the narrator's adventures with a shepherd and mainly self-educated genius of numbers, but it is peopled by those who can appreciate a good story and who have a passion for the learning a well-told tale brings. These are beautifully expressive tales that find mathematical puzzles and numerical intrigue in human situations and speak not just of solving the problems but of the needs we all have for friendship, love, and beauty. This book truly counts, and, as the math is neither too technical nor too difficult, is recommended for every library that wants books that help inflame the desire to think and learn.

Angus Trimnell

"I love The Man Who Counted. The book transports you into a magical world of Bedouins, viziers, sheiks, princes, and kings, rich in references to Islamic traditions and locations in the Middle East. The math is gentle, accessible, and drives the stories."

Alex Bellos