--- product_id: 124665290 title: "Mathematics and Humor" price: "€ 45.05" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 7 url: https://www.desertcart.at/products/124665290-mathematics-and-humor store_origin: AT region: Austria --- # Mathematics and Humor **Price:** € 45.05 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Mathematics and Humor - **How much does it cost?** € 45.05 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.at](https://www.desertcart.at/products/124665290-mathematics-and-humor) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description John Allen Paulos cleverly scrutinizes the mathematical structures of jokes, puns, paradoxes, spoonerisms, riddles, and other forms of humor, drawing examples from such sources as Rabelais, Shakespeare, James Beattie, René Thom, Lewis Carroll, Arthur Koestler, W. C. Fields, and Woody Allen. "Jokes, paradoxes, riddles, and the art of non-sequitur are revealed with great perception and insight in this illuminating account of the relationship between humor and mathematics."—Joseph Williams, New York Times "'Leave your mind alone,' said a Thurber cartoon, and a really complete and convincing analysis of what humour is might spoil all jokes forever. This book avoids that danger. What it does. . .is describe broadly several kinds of mathematical theory and apply them to throw sidelights on how many kinds of jokes work."— New Scientist "Many scholars nowadays write seriously about the ludicrous. Some merely manage to be dull. A few—like Paulos—are brilliant in an odd endeavor."— Los Angeles Times Book Review Review: Well-written, deep, interesting - I thought it was an excellent, the style is concise and the book a pleasure to read. The following are true, despite the fact that they are generally contradictory: the ideas expressed are non-trivial, the mathematics the author refers to are advanced, the exposition is clear enough (I never studied catastrophe theory), and the comparisons (humor and math) are really not far-fetched. A really enjoyable and memorable read. Review: Interesting take on two subjects - One thing that most people will appreciate in this book is a better understanding of their mathematics professor's strange sense of humor. I agree with the author that most mathematicians do show a certain, recognizable style of humor. He goes on to explain the ways that mathematical reasoning resembles, and therefore illuminates humor. This book provides an entertaining introduction to mathematical concepts and theory. I'm not sure that I would recommend it as highly on the other side--to comedians. This is more of a philosopher's approach to humor. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #1,480,555 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #84 in Humor Literary Criticism (Books) #98 in Theories of Humor #1,072 in Puns & Wordplay | | Customer Reviews | 4.2 out of 5 stars 22 Reviews | ## Images ![Mathematics and Humor - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81Ydu8lHgnL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Well-written, deep, interesting *by G***R on September 12, 2013* I thought it was an excellent, the style is concise and the book a pleasure to read. The following are true, despite the fact that they are generally contradictory: the ideas expressed are non-trivial, the mathematics the author refers to are advanced, the exposition is clear enough (I never studied catastrophe theory), and the comparisons (humor and math) are really not far-fetched. A really enjoyable and memorable read. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Interesting take on two subjects *by E***Y on November 13, 2001* One thing that most people will appreciate in this book is a better understanding of their mathematics professor's strange sense of humor. I agree with the author that most mathematicians do show a certain, recognizable style of humor. He goes on to explain the ways that mathematical reasoning resembles, and therefore illuminates humor. This book provides an entertaining introduction to mathematical concepts and theory. I'm not sure that I would recommend it as highly on the other side--to comedians. This is more of a philosopher's approach to humor. ### ⭐⭐⭐ Why Did The Equation Cross The Road? *by D***2 on July 1, 2012* John Allen Paulos has written a number of books on Mathematics, and "Mathematics and Humor" was his first, published originally in 1980. It is a short book, at just a little over 100 pages, and that is with plenty of drawings and graphs. I had high hopes going into it of an interesting read, but it just didn't deliver. Paulos has some interesting thoughts and ideas, but the writing was a detriment to the communication of his points to the reader. In the introduction, Paulos looks at various definitions of humor from history, which usually involves a formula (non-mathematical formulas or ingredients for what is considered humorous). He then moves to look at some examples of mathematical proofs which are clever, and involve ingenuity, before looking at what he considers to be "a bridge between humor and mathematics" which is "brain teasers", trick problems, riddles, etc. The next few chapters deal with looking at mathematical concepts and then looking at what types of humor fit into those categories. This includes applications of axioms and iteration, self-reference and paradox, grammar and philosophy. While some of those don't specifically sound like mathematical concepts, Paulos does demonstrate how they do relate to mathematical areas. Paulos then introduces talks about a "Catastrophe Theory Model of Jokes and Humor", and this is the longest chapter in the book. Paulos discusses how humor, similar to the behavior of an animal, depends on how the situation is presented to the subject. Just as a animal might respond with fear or rage, depending on the circumstances surrounding an event, a person might find something humorous depending on the same. Paulos finishes with a short wrap-up of the subject, and I think that this book is going to face its own Catastrophe Theory, in that how it is perceived by the reader is going to be based on the circumstances surrounding the event of reading it. I think it will depend largely on the background of the reader on whether they enjoy the book, or find it not very interesting. Paulos has failed to find a way to level-set the subject for the reader so that it delivers a consistent response to the book. I believe he has solved this problem, given the success of his later works. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.at/products/124665290-mathematics-and-humor](https://www.desertcart.at/products/124665290-mathematics-and-humor) --- *Product available on Desertcart Austria* *Store origin: AT* *Last updated: 2026-07-20*