Flatland
Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions is a satirical novella by Edwin Abbott Abbott, first published by Seeley & Co. in London in 1884 under the pseudonym A Square. Set in a two-dimensional world, it uses geometry to explore dimensions and to mock the rigid hierarchies of Victorian society.
- Editions tracked
- 1
- First edition
- Seeley, 1884
- First published
- Seeley & Co., London, 1884
The first edition of Flatland by Edwin Abbott Abbott was published in London by Seeley in 1884. We track 1 edition, with the points that separate the first printing from later ones.
Spot the first edition: Preliminary pages: eight roman-numbered preliminary pages (viii, 100 pp.) with no preface to the second edition; the revised edition has xvi preliminary pages including that preface (first edition rather than the 1884 revised edition) Full identification guide
Which edition do you have?
First edition
- 1st Seeley1884 Hardback Sold £1,400 · Feb 2025 I own Flatland, Seeley 1884 Log in to want this
Awards, adaptations and setting
Adaptations
- Sphereland adaptation, 1957
- Flatland animated film, 1965
- Flatterland adaptation, 2001
- Spaceland adaptation, 2002
- Flatland film, 2007
- Flatland: The Movie animated film, 2007
Setting and characters
- Characters
- A. Square
- Genre
- science fiction, mathematical fiction, satirical fiction
In print
- Editions recorded
- 585 on Open Library, 487 in English
- Wikipedia
- Articles in 33 languages
- Free to read
- Project Gutenberg (out of copyright in the US)
From Wikidata and Open Library, both CC0. A prize or a new adaptation often lifts demand for the first printing.
Pictures of the book
Freely licensed pictures of the work. They are not necessarily the edition you hold: check the points on each edition's page.
Questions about Flatland
Reviews of Flatland
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Know what you are looking at
How to Identify a First Edition
To identify a first edition, check that your copy is the first printing of the first edition. Read the copyright …
Read the guide →6 min readBook Condition Grading: Fine to Poor Explained
Book condition grading uses a six-step trade scale: Fine, Near Fine, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor. Collectors grade the …
Read the guide →7 min readDust Jackets Explained: Why the Jacket Drives a Book's Value
For most books published since the 1920s, the original dust jacket carries a large share of the value, often most …
Read the guide →Frequently asked questions
Who published the first edition of Flatland?
The first edition of Flatland by Edwin Abbott Abbott was published in London by Seeley in 1884.
How many editions of Flatland are there?
We track 1 edition of Flatland, including 1 first edition. Each has its own page with how to identify it.
Has Flatland been adapted?
Yes, including Flatland (film, 2007), Flatland: The Movie (animated film, 2007), Spaceland (adaptation, 2002), according to Wikidata.
Can I read Flatland for free?
Yes: the text is out of copyright in the United States and free to read on Project Gutenberg. Collectors still pay for the first edition, which is the physical object, not the words.
Where these facts come from
- Flatland, Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
- Wikidata Query Service, publication data for batch items, Wikidata (query.wikidata.org)
Every fact on this page was checked against the sources listed. Checked 17 October 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.