The Dot and the Line

By Norton Juster,

Book cover of The Dot and the Line: A Romance in Lower Mathematics

Book description

Once upon a time there was a sensible straight line who was hopelessly in love with a beautiful dot. But the dot, though perfect in every way, only had eyes for a wild and unkempt squiggle. All of the line's romantic dreams were in vain, until he discovered...angles! Now, with…

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Why read it?

1 author picked The Dot and the Line as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Picking up this short picture book, I expected a dose of Phantom Toolbooth-esque wordplay. Not at all. This five-minute love story, about a line yearning for a dot, somehow enlarges into a meditation on geometric structure itself. From such a brief book, I didn’t expect new insights about how simple geometry underlies our most intricate thinking—but then again, that’s what delightful visuals will do for you.

Want books like The Dot and the Line?

Our community of 11,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like The Dot and the Line.

Browse books like The Dot and the Line

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in math, geometry, and presidential biography?

Math 271 books
Geometry 12 books