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‘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 Ball

What’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.

Publisher Review

A spectacular journey through Shakespeare’s mathematical world. Highly recommended! — Dr Simon Smith, Associate Professor of Shakespeare and Early Modern Drama, The Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham Eastaway’s playful and engaging book is packed with a dazzling array of historical facts, and is bound to excite the appetite of all Shakespeare junkies. Even those who have no time for the Stratford Bard will applaud. — Patrick Spottiswoode, Founder, Shakespeare’s Globe Education You can count on both Rob Eastaway and Shakespeare to make mathematics entertaining, never more so than in this elegant tome which will make your Pericles tingle as you like it. — Sir Tim Rice A fascinating and hugely entertaining guide to Shakespearean mathematics. — Prof Sarah Hart, Gresham Professor of Geometry, author Once Upon A Prime Instead of cleaving maths and English in twain, Eastaway brings them together to surprise and delight the reader – and our understanding of Shakespeare’s life and works is all the richer for it. The perfect book for students and teachers of maths and English alike. — Dr Rebecca Fisher, The English Association This quirky little book will multiply the fun for any general reader interested in adding to their understanding of Shakespeare. * The Washington Post * [An] entertaining look at what really counts in the tragedies, comedies and histories. * Boston Herald *