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VOLTAIRE'S RIDDLE: MICROMÉGAS AND THE MEASURE OF ALL THINGS by Andrew Simoson Cambridge University Press (Mamematical Association of America), 2010 396 pp., ISBN: 978-0-88385-345-0
A giant from a planet near Sirius comes upon a group of scientists who are attempting to verify Newton's assertion that the Earth is flattened at its poles. After speaking with the scientists, the visitor presents them with a book that supposedly contains all the answers to the universe; however, the book turns out to be blank. This is a synopsis of Voltaire's story, "Micromégas," and the beginning of Andrew Simoson's book Voltaire's Riddle.
Using this story as a springboard, Simoson develops a series of vignettes that provide insight into the influences on Voltaire's writings in general and the story of Micromégas in...