Logicomix
An Epic Search for Truth
By Apostolos Doxiadis and Christos Papadimitriou
October 2009
$22.95
352 pp
6.75 x 9.375 in
Paperback with Flaps
By Apostolos Doxiadis and Christos Papadimitriou
An innovative, dramatic graphic novel about the treacherous pursuit of the foundations of mathematics.
Logicomix is #1 on The New York Times Graphic Novel Bestseller List!
Visit the Logicomix website! www.logicomix.com
Reviews for Logicomix:
"Well, this is unexpected — a comic book about the quest for logical certainty in mathematics. The story spans the decades from the late 19th century to World War II, a period when the nature of mathematical truth was being furiously debated. The stellar cast, headed up by Bertrand Russell, includes the greatest philosophers, logicians and mathematicians of[ ... ]—Jim Holt, NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW. Read full review.
"The authors of this warm homage achieve the miraculous: popularizing the abstruse by way of vivid, vigorous coloring, a sweet, engaging subplot about their crafting of the book, and the humanizing of these mighty thinkers. Many of these geniuses were flawed, including the largely sympathetic Russell, but Apostolos Doxiadis and Christos Papadimitriou effectively contextualize them, making this a spirited exercise in the history of ideas. Reading "Logicomix'' is like stumbling upon the best college class you never expected and settling down for enlightenment."—Carlo Wolff, Boston Globe. Read full review.
Another nice piece in the Boston Globe.
"Of the most celebrated graphic novels recently published.Logicomix is surely the most fun.What Logicomix niftily demonstrates is how well the graphic novel form is suited to mounting sprightly explanations of abstract concepts.Logicomix succeeds at something far more rare, which is to coax, beguile and amuse the reader into thinking about the most momentous of questions with a light heart." —Laura Miller, Salon.com. See article.
Time magazine's Lev Grossman features Logicomix in his top 10 books for the year!
TIME magazine's "Must List".
"The English philosopher Bertrand Russell was so dogged in his pursuit of mathematical logic, he co-wrote a book that took 362 pages to prove 1 + 1= 2. But this improbably entertaining graphic novel argues that his work had its roots in logic's dark inverse: madness."—TIME
Of all the graphic novels out there about dead white male logicians, there is one you must read. Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth (Bloomsbury; $22.95) is like no other book of its kind. It's a wonderfully imaginative, funny and gripping exploration not just of Bertrand Russell's long and eventful life (orphan, scholar, renowned pacifist, four-time husband), but also, in accessible and fascinating fashion, of the complex philosophical ideas that Russell struggled with - often opposite a fiery Ludwig Wittgenstein.—John McMurtrie, San Francisco Chronicle. Read more.
"A clever framing story, set in Athens and starring the authors themselves, clarifies the more complicated ideas for the lay reader, as the writers helpfully explain the philosophical issues to their bewildered artists. LOGICOMIX is an engaging, energetic work that makes big ideas accessible without dumbing them down."—Washington Post.Read full review.
"Bertrand Russell's struggle to reconcile philosophy and pacifism through the purity of numbers proves a surprisingly lively tale as told by writers Apostolos Doxiadis and Christos H. Papadimitriou in Logicomix (Bloomsbury, 352 pp., $22.95). Artist Alecos Papadatos uses changing fashions and technological updates to propel the English mathematician's bio from rigid Victorian upbringing through tortured personal relationships to his enduring humanistic legacy."—Village Voice's list of best graphic novels of the year.
"This amazing and rewarding book presents a portrait of Bertrand Russell -- of all people -- and his quest for meaning in logic and romance. The book's creative team also appears as characters in their resonant and interesting evocation, using of the graphic format in an imaginative and engaging way."—Miami Herald. Read full review.
"LOGICOMIX isn't just a book. It's a graphic novel, basically a long-form comic book, that actually makes this "Epic Search for Truth" (the subtitle) come alive like a mystery thriller with all sorts of battling egos, infidelity, madness, horror and the twisting turns that make any narrative a page-turner."—SeattlePI.com. Read through piece.
"With an ingenious meta-narrative (the authors make regular appearances throughout to express reservations about their project), precise artwork and a highly technical glossary, it manages to locate something in Russell's story that perhaps only a graphic novel could: the unmistakable stylishness of his work, which was as thrilling as its substance."—New Statesman Read full review.
"An ingenious graphic novel about higher mathematics."—New York Magazine
"This is probably the best and certainly the most extraordinary graphic novel I have ever come across.—Bryan Appleyard, The Sunday Times. Read full review.
Spectacular Toronto Globe and Mail review of LOGICOMIX.
“Academics as accessible entertainment? LOGICOMIX proves it can be done, and done very well.”—Bookgasm. Read column.
"I was immediately drawn into the fun little world of Logicomix. If it doesn't take history too seriously, it certainly does mind its Ps and Qs when it comes to science. And if you thought a comic could never teach you just what the incredible world of logic holds for you, think again. You'll be drawn in too."—Graphic Novel Reporter Read full review.
Charles Petzold is a very big name in the computer world, one of the world's most powerful programmers and authors of techie books. He also maintains a very popular blog, PETZOLD Book Blog. He really likes Logicomix.
Just out in the UK, here’s a great review "an extraordinary piece of work” in the Independent.
Also in the UK, author Apostolos Doxiadis was on the BBC recently. Listen.
LOGICOMIX has been included in Publishers Weekly's list of the Best Books of 2009. See list
“An ambitious full-color exploration of the life and ideas of philosopher and mathematician Bertrand Russell, the book meticulously interconnects Russell's life, the timelessness of his ideas and the process of creating the book. While a comic about the "quest for the foundations of mathematics" may seem arduous, it is engrossing on many levels; the story moves, despite heavy philosophical and technical information, as the images, dialogue and narration play off each other. Russell's story is framed within a speech he gave on the brink of America's entry into WWII, in which he expounds his life and philosophical journey. —Publishers Weekly, starred review
"This biography of the troubled and driven Bertrand Russell packs in a surprisingly entertaining introduction to academia's Big Ideas of Truth and Meaning by focusing on the thinkers and their passions. Fascinating and charming, with deft color art."—Library Journal Read review.
"Both informative and engrossing, this full-color comics-bio tells the story of mathematician and philosopher Bertrand Russell's messy personal life while documenting his maniacal pursuit of the philosophical foundations of modern mathematics."—Publishers Weekly
“From the 1880s to the 1930s, mathematicians and logicians were hot to settle the foundations of mathematics. In the thick of the great quest was Bertrand Russell, who is at the center of mathematician-novelist Doxiadis and confreres’ dramatic graphic novel…Alecos Papadatos contributes exemplary clean-line-style cartooning (that is, in the European mode apotheosized by Hergé’s Tintin stories), and Annie Di Donna adds gratifying color…[A] graphic-novel masterpiece.” —Ray Olson, Booklist, starred review
"Novelist Apostolos Doxiadis and computer scientist/novelist Christos Papadimitriou team up with artists Alecos Papadatos and Annie Di Donna to create LOGICOMIX: An Epic Search for Truth (Bloomsbury, October), a graphic novel about an unlikely superhero: Bertrand Russell. Both a biographical portrait and an introduction to the twentieth century's most pressing philosophical quandaries, the book explores Russell's search for the infallible logical foundation of mathematics, a quest to rival that of any caped crusader."—Bookforum (Fall), "Pub Dates".
"Principles of philosophy and existence are colored and questioned in Logicomix, a graphic novel of depth and perception. Britain’s rara avis, Bertrand Russell, serves as the epic’s real-life philosopher/hero seeking the foundations of mathematics via logic during the first half of the 20th century. The vibrant journey traverses Russell’s troubled life, with bouts of madness, awkward romances, two world wars and a philosophical revolution. The illustrations—exquisitely drawn with eye-catching detail by Alecos Papadatos—are enjoyable enough, but the sophisticated yet accessible plot structure developed by Apostolos Doxiadis (Uncle Petros and Goldblach’s Conjecture, 2000, etc.) and Christos Papadimitriou (Turing: A Novel About Computation, 2003, etc.) transports this graphic novel into unexplored territory. “We used the medium for its full potential,” say the creators. “But we also tried to do new things with it, to focus it on the kinds of abstract ideas and intellectual characters that it does not usually deal with.” The result is a far-reaching yet realistic portrayal of the precarious search for truth, with eccentric logicians Ludwig Wittgenstein and Gottlob Frege, and, in a self-referential twist, the Logicomix team all drawn together for a vivid look at life and logic."—Kirkus Reviews
