The Secret Lives of Numbers

Apr 27, 2025 11:45 PM

Author:Michael Millar

This is a book for the observant and the curious. A book for people who take in their surroundings and wonder at the smallest detail: why? Above all, it's a book about numbers - those that surround us every day, and the intriguing stories behind them.

From the 7-day week to 24-carat gold, Chanel No. 5 to five-star luxury, The Secret Lives of Numbers figures out the mysterious background to the numbers we encounter on a daily basis. Revealing the facts behind those figures, author Michael Millar outlines where to spot each digit, what it means and how it came to be in meticulously researched and entertaining entries, creating an absorbing and intelligent book that's perfect for any numbers fan. It's as easy as 1, 2, 3...

Entries include: sports shirt numbers, firearms calibres, TV ratings, football rankings, poker scores, suncream factors, A4 paper, and more.

Reviews

Perfect for anyone who struggles to understand Shakespeare... hilarious and informative, they really bring Shakespeare to life

—— Reality's a Bore

What finer way to mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death than a series of witty modern reworkings...Shakespeare reduced to 100 pages of pithy pentameter with smart side notes.

—— Evening Standard

Witty, fresh takes on Shakespeare

—— The Times

Hilarious - and all the better for those of us who know our Shakespeare back to front

—— Harriet Walter

Shrewd interpretations of the Bard; funny footnotes too.

—— Hugh Bonneville

Hilarious – and all the better for those of us who know our Shakespeare back to front.

—— Harriet Walter

Shrewd interpretations of the Bard; funny footnotes too.

—— Hugh Bonneville

Perfect for anyone who struggles to understand Shakespeare... hilarious and informative, they really bring Shakespeare to life

—— Reality's a Bore

I simply love @manwhohasitall. Nothing points up the absurdity and inequality of debates about care and career as effectivly as simply putting the shoe on the other foot. Follow him on Twitter and read this book!

—— Anne-Marie Slaughter, President and CEO, New America

Hilarious and eye-opening.

—— Huffington Post

Playfully subversive and long overdue, this book takes those ubiquitous gender stereotypes and grinds them to dust. Very funny indeed.

—— Rebecca Front

Making everyone giggle.

—— New York Post

Perfect satire.

—— Upworthy

If you love satire, you'll love this.

—— Viv Groskop on Woman's Hour

Terrific!

—— Joanne Harris

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