{"product_id":"9780199887309","title":"The Unimaginable Mathematics of Borges' Library of Babel","description":"\"The Library of Babel\" is arguably Jorge Luis Borges' best known story--memorialized along with Borges on an Argentine postage stamp. Now, in \u003cem\u003eThe Unimaginable Mathematics of Borges' Library of Babel\u003c\/em\u003e, William Goldbloom Bloch takes readers on a fascinating tour of the mathematical ideas hidden within one of the classic works of modern literature.  Written in the vein of Douglas R. Hofstadter's Pulitzer Prize-winning \u003cem\u003eG?del, Escher, Bach\u003c\/em\u003e, this original and imaginative book sheds light on one of Borges' most complex, richly layered works. Bloch begins each chapter with a mathematical idea--combinatorics, topology, geometry, information theory--followed by examples and illustrations that put flesh on the theoretical bones. In this way, he provides many fascinating insights into \u003cem\u003eBorges' Library\u003c\/em\u003e. He explains, for instance, a straightforward way to calculate how many books are in the Library--an easily notated but literally unimaginable number--and also shows that, if each book were the size of a grain of sand, the entire universe could only hold a fraction of the books in the Library. Indeed, if each book were the size of a proton, our universe would still not be big enough to hold anywhere near all the books.  Given Borges' well-known affection for mathematics, this exploration of the story through the eyes of a humanistic mathematician makes a unique and important contribution to the body of Borgesian criticism. Bloch not only illuminates one of the great short stories of modern literature but also exposes the reader--including those more inclined to the literary world--to many intriguing and entrancing mathematical ideas.","brand":"Oxford University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47120154231024,"sku":"9780199887309","price":31.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780199887309_p0.jpg?v=1763673756","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780199887309","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}