This brilliantly illustrated tale of reason, insanity, love and truth recounts the story of Bertrand Russell's life. Raised by his paternal grandparents, young Russell was never told the whereabouts of his parents. Driven by a desire for knowledge of his own history, he attempted to force the world to yield to his yearnings: for truth, clarity and resolve. As he grew older, and increasingly sophisticated as a philosopher and mathematician, Russell strove to create an objective language with which to describe the world - one free of the biases and slippages of the written word. At the same time, he began courting his first wife, teasing her with riddles and leaning on her during the darker days, when his quest was bogged down by paradoxes, frustrations and the ghosts of his family's secrets. Ultimately, he found considerable success - but his career was stalled when he was outmatched by an intellectual rival: his young, strident, brilliantly original student, Ludwig Wittgenstein. An insightful and complexly layered narrative, Logicomix reveals both Russell's inner struggle and the quest for the foundations of logic. Narration by an older, wiser Russell, as well as asides from the author himself, make sense of the story's heady and powerful ideas. At its heart, Logicomix is a story about the conflict between pure reason and the persistent flaws of reality, a narrative populated by great and august thinkers, young lovers, ghosts and insanity.
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`A compelling read ... There are some terrific characters here, and seeing them in a comic shows off their quirky personalities' --BBC Focus Magazine
`Logicomix exposes the roots of Russell's need for certainty- a troubled childhood, what else? - and tracks the collateral damage it caused in his and his loved ones' lives. The book is a visual treat as well ... The authors themselves debate questions that may be a breeze compared with the ones Russell wrestled with, but they are still far from easy. Logicomix is a wonderfully persuasive answer'
--Financial Times
This is probably the best and certainly the most extraordinary graphic novel I have ever come across. -- Sunday Times
`Logicomix exposes the roots of Russell's need for certainty- a troubled childhood, what else? - and tracks the collateral damage it caused in his and his loved ones' lives. The book is a visual treat as well ... The authors themselves debate questions that may be a breeze compared with the ones Russell wrestled with, but they are still far from easy. Logicomix is a wonderfully persuasive answer'
--Financial Times
This is probably the best and certainly the most extraordinary graphic novel I have ever come across. -- Sunday Times
About the Author
Admitted to Columbia University when he was 15, Apostolos Doxiadis has studied mathematics at both undergraduate and graduate level. An internationally recognised expert on the subjects of mathematics and narrative, he has also worked in film and theatre, and is the author of the international bestseller Uncle Petros and Goldbach's Conjecture.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
27 of 27 people found the following review helpful
By Merlin
Format:Paperback
Who could have expected this jewel?
A comic book about Mathematical Logic
Created by Greek Mathematicians and artists
Structured around the life of Bertrand Russell
Starring characters include Wittgenstein, Hilbert, Peano, Cantor
Explains logic in a non-patronising, lightweight, clear way (so hard to do) - you do not need to be a specialist to understand this
Witty, flippant, and human story full of self-references to the authors
The commercial success of this book demonstrates the powerful demand for clear explanation of Science. Science does not need to be dumbed down a la BBC Science, presented by dingbats who know not of what they speak (to paraphrase Wittgenstein).
Congratulations to the authors - lets have more!
A comic book about Mathematical Logic
Created by Greek Mathematicians and artists
Structured around the life of Bertrand Russell
Starring characters include Wittgenstein, Hilbert, Peano, Cantor
Explains logic in a non-patronising, lightweight, clear way (so hard to do) - you do not need to be a specialist to understand this
Witty, flippant, and human story full of self-references to the authors
The commercial success of this book demonstrates the powerful demand for clear explanation of Science. Science does not need to be dumbed down a la BBC Science, presented by dingbats who know not of what they speak (to paraphrase Wittgenstein).
Congratulations to the authors - lets have more!
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is an astonishing book, an absolute gem. It kept me captivated from beginning to end, and reawoke a long dormant fascination with matters philosophical. A work of genius that will be enjoyed by anyone with an open mind (no prior knowledge of maths or philosophy required).
49 of 51 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I just finished reading Logicomix. At first, I was rather skeptical about whether a comic book would do justice to covering the life of Bertrand Russell and his contemporaries (including Alfred North Whitehead, Georg Cantor, Gottlob Frege, David Hilbert, Kurt Godel, Ludwig Wittgenstein, et al.) as they sought to discover more rigorous foundations for mathematics via logic -- their epic search for truth. I'm happy to report that this comic book does an excellent job of doing that and more. The two main co-authors of this book are from maths related backgrounds and they have largely succeeded in their goal of making accessible Bertrand Russell's (and others' -- particularly Wittgenstein's) life-long goal of discovering they key to attaining unshakeable knowledge of 'truths' fundamental to the workings of the universe. That they failed (thanks to Kurt Godel and Alan Turing and, to some extent, Russell and Wittgenstein themselves) in their quest -- which the book points out -- is nothing to be ashamed of since -- as the Greek authors of the book may point out (drawing upon Aristotle) -- the journey toward knowledge is rewarding in it of itself. It's also worth noting that the 'failure' of their original goals actually gave birth to the creation of an important and wholly new field of endeavor: computer science.
Please don't let my egg-headed, solemn-toned praise of this book put you off if you feel intimidated by logic, philosophy, or maths. This is one of those rare books that will give anyone -- regardless of the background knowledge one may or may not bring to it -- the sense of having been intellectually enriched and smarter after reading it.
After reading the entire book in one sitting on a Sunday evening, I can say that one of the few things I can be certain of is that everyone who takes the time to read/look over this carefully crafted -- including graphically, in the choice of words, and the thoughts and planning put into it -- will enjoy it as much as I did.
Please don't let my egg-headed, solemn-toned praise of this book put you off if you feel intimidated by logic, philosophy, or maths. This is one of those rare books that will give anyone -- regardless of the background knowledge one may or may not bring to it -- the sense of having been intellectually enriched and smarter after reading it.
After reading the entire book in one sitting on a Sunday evening, I can say that one of the few things I can be certain of is that everyone who takes the time to read/look over this carefully crafted -- including graphically, in the choice of words, and the thoughts and planning put into it -- will enjoy it as much as I did.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very imaginative
A most unusual and absorbing graphic novel, I liked the format very much and learnt a lot about Bertrand Russell .
Published 2 months ago by G. Harrop
5.0 out of 5 stars
It truly is epic.
This epic graphic novel takes you through the life of Bertrand Russel, and serves as an insightful look into the development of mathematics, philosophy and logic over the course of... Read more
Published 3 months ago by A. DIDARZADEH
4.0 out of 5 stars
Biff! Logical certainty!
Ever feel nostalgic for the comics of your youth, but when sampling them again you find them simple-minded and boring? If so, this could be the comic for you. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Ian Brawn
5.0 out of 5 stars
Really interesting graphic novel
This is a really inventive and unique graphic novel. The story is compelling on a social level as well as a logical level. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Mr. A. J. Mann
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fun and Detailed
This is a great graphic novel about Russell with extracts of the life of Frege, Wittgenstein, Moore and others. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Michelle
4.0 out of 5 stars
The most philosophical of comics...
An interesting attempt at explaining the history of mathematics as a philosophy, a way of thinking and ultimately the basis for understanding all of the sciences and life itself. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Ciravegna Luciano
5.0 out of 5 stars
What's not to like?
A comic book. About Bertrand Russell & mathematics. What's not to like? Fascinating subject matter, and told in a very accessible manner, so whether you're a fan of graphic novels... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Mike N
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant idea
I had already read Uncle Petros and the Goldback conjecture the author of which was a contributor to this book. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Biro
5.0 out of 5 stars
A perfect Christmas present for your kid
This is an exceptionally useful way of approaching mathematics by showing the science from its philosophical angle. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Mizi
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great work of philosophy
Usually, I read philosophy in the form of a traditional book or essay, as most people do. But after reading this novel I have become convinced that more books and stories should be... Read more
Published 20 months ago by H. A. Hilvers
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