Errata and Addenda

ERRATA AND ADDENDA

Note: These errata apply only to the first printing of The Alphabet That Changed the World. They were corrected in the second printing and in the ebook. To identify the printing, check the numbers at the bottom of the book’s copyright page: if the sequence begins with 1 and includes the word “UNITED,” it’s the first printing; if it begins with 2 and includes the word “VERSA,” it’s the second printing.

The Alphabet That Changed the World: Errata & Addenda (first printing only)
Front Cover:

This sculpture was produced in bronze by Martin Farren, from a design that is ©1992 Stan Tenen. This model, titled

First Hand,

is central to the theories presented in

The Alphabet That Changed the World

, and is discussed extensively throughout this book, most particularly in Chapters 2 and 6.

Ch. 2: Overview

p. 17, paragraph 1:

The pointer used to aid the chanting of the Torah in a synagogue service is typically made of silver, but can be made of any metal, or even of wood.

p. 35, paragraph 2, “In the Talmud…”:

We use Talmud here loosely, referring to the broad tradition of teachings about the Torah. The term tzimtzum is most commonly associated with Lurianic Kabbalah, although as mentioned in Ch. 2, Note 22, Aryeh Kaplan traces this concept to earlier sources.

Ch. 3: The Alphabet That Changed the World, Part 1

p. 90, Note 21:

The oral teachings which later were incorporated into the Talmud began to be recorded in writing shortly before the Common Era; the efforts to codify the Talmud(s) as such began after the destruction of the Second Temple. Rashi, the great Talmud commentator, lived from 1040 CE to 1105 CE.

Ch. 5: The Alphabet That Changed the World, Part 2

p. 100, Fig. 5.2 caption:

Note that the three layers shown in this rendering of the “alphabet Rubik’s Cube” are not the same as the three “layers” of the alphabet, which are formed by vertical slices of the same cube.

p. 122, Note 5:

The base-3 count for Final Kaf is 211, not 221 as printed.

Ch. 8: Principles of Interpretation, Part 2

p. 248, paragraph 2, line 10:

Cross-reference to Ch. 2, {{p. 12}} should be to Ch. 2, p. 27

p. 249, Fig. 8.1A:

This figure belongs with the text on pp. 264-5 discussing the two aspects of the ethical principle, rather than in its current placement.

Appendix C: The Dirac String Trick

p. 303, note 4:

This sculpture is ©1992 Stan Tenen (not 1997, as printed).

Appendix D: Breathing Out and Breathing In–The Hypersphere

p. 304, Fig. D-1:

In the Genesis 1:1 “bead-chain” autocorrelation diagram at the center of this figure, the base-3 count of the letter He should be 011 (not 001). Note: In Fig. 5.10 on page 109 (a larger rendition of this diagram), the He is correctly labeled 011.