Much Ado About Numbers

"A spectacular journey... Highly recommended!" Dr Simon Smith

"A playful and engaging book ... bound to excite the appetite of all Shakespeare junkies." Patrick Spottiswoode, The Globe

A fascinating new take on the world of Shakespeare.

What's the connection between Shakespeare and maths? A lot, as it turns out!

Shakespeare grew up in a time of remarkable mathematical innovation. From astronomy to probability, music to multiplication, new mathematical ideas were taking off - and much of this was reflected in his work. In this highly engaging book, award-winning author Rob Eastaway explores the surprising and entertaining ways that maths and numbers crop up in Shakespeare's plays.

Find out how Tudors multiplied, why Shakespeare never ended a line with the word orange, and why dice-playing was a serious hazard for the unwary. With historical asides about games, optics, astronomy, music and magic, you will never think about maths, history or Shakespeare the same way again.