Much Ado About Numbers

'A spectacular journey... Highly recommended!' Dr Simon Smith, The Shakespeare Institute 'A fascinating and hugely entertaining guide to Shakespearean mathematics.' Prof Sarah Hart, author of Once Upon A Prime'The Bard by Numbers, brilliantly accounted for by Rob Eastaway.' Johnny BallWhat's the connection between Shakespeare and maths? A lot, as it turns out!- Why was it hazardous to play with dice?- How did audiences get to the theatre on time?- Why was 'nothing' so significant to the Tudors?- What could Falstaff buy with a groat?- Were cryptic messages hidden in the First Folio?- And why did Shakespeare never end a line with the word orange?Shakespeare grew up in a time of remarkable mathematical innovation. From astronomy to probability, new mathematical ideas were taking off. In this highly engaging book, Rob Eastaway uncovers the many surprising ways that maths and numbers shaped Shakespeare's plays.

Rob Eastaway is an author, speaker and mathematician whose books include the bestselling Maths on The Back of An Envelope and Why Do Buses Come In Threes?. He is regularly to be heard on BBC Radio talking about the maths of everyday life, and has appeared numerous times on the popular programme More Or Less. He has given talks across the world for almost every age group, at venues ranging from The Royal Institution in London to the Mercantile Bar in Dublin. Like everyone else, he had to study Shakespeare at school, but it took a visit to Stratford-upon-Avon to revive his interest.