Sacred Number: The Secret Quality of Quantities

Wooden Books

by Miranda Lundy

Numbers permeate every aspect of our lives; very little happens without a basic ability to manipulate the simple whole numbers we all take for granted. Beautifully illustrated with old engravings as well as contemporary imagery, Sacred Number introduces basic counting systems; significant numbers from major religious texts; the importance of astronomy, geometry, and music to number quality; how numbers affect architecture. Lundy explains why the ideas of Pythagoras still resonate, and she profiles each number from one to ten to show its distinct qualities: why, for example, the golden section is associated with five, and seven with the Virgin Mary.

Genres: Mathematics, Science, Art

64 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2005

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautifully illustrated book which describes the quality of numbers. It is more of an introduction that the reader may use as the basis for further research and investigation. I did learn many new things and it has rekindled my interest in numbers and their pattern.

[Brianna Privett]

Sacred Number by Miranda Lundy (2006)

[Goldi Tewari · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick and engaging read that draws you into the fascinating world of numbers. The author skillfully connects numerical concepts to nature and cultural symbolism, giving them tangible and relatable meanings. The vivid metaphors she employs linger in the reader's mind, making abstract ideas memorable. This book is a heartfelt tribute to the beauty of numbers and a commendable effort to ignite a passion for them.
My favourite lines from the book are:
It is perhaps appropriate that our zero takes the form of a circle, itself a symbol of one, and that our one takes the form of a short line between two points. As acknowledged in gematria, each number already contains the seed of its successor within it, and the symbols for zero and one strangely combine to create the golden symbol , a fitting thought with which to end this book.

When the ancient Greeks proved that the diagonals of squares could not be expressed as fractions, it is said to have caused a crisis in their ranks, a little like the terror still experienced today by many people faced with a square root symbol.

[The Contented · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super interesting, but only just enough to whet your appetite. The ‘abjad’ number of ‘Haq’ [Truth] is 108.

18 and 19 are sun-moon marriage numbers: eclipses repeat after 18 years and full moon dates repeat after 19 years.


Venus draws a five-fold pattern around Earth every eight years…in those 8 years, there are almost exactly 99 full moons, nine elevens, the number of names or [attributes, I would say - not reflections] of Allah in Islam.

[Melissa Riley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very short book; feels more like a preview of a longer, more informative book. There were some interesting tid-bits, especially about 0, and the author is clearly knowledgeable, but there wasn't enough in here to really do much for me.

[Ivan Loginov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chybí číslo 420 :(

[Alex Stuart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Paging through an entry in the Wooden Books series, and pondering the contents, is an enjoyable way to spend an evening. This book includes snapshots of various numbers and why those numbers are meaningful in math, science, religion, history, etc.

It's a small book, so they don't cover all of the numbers.

[Stargazer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too brief

[Jules · Rating 2 out of 5]

This work is far too short. It barely covers any ground concerning number symbolism.