Cohen’s strengths are myriad. His prose can be amazing, at times his dense wordiness achieving a certain magic all its own. He commands his subject matter, from tech to religion, from history to art. But for every passage that dazzles the reader, there is one that seems like a pointless slog. There will almost certainly be a Cohen book to recommend wholeheartedly to all readers. But for all its intelligence and insight into our tech-dominated lives, Book of Numbers isn’t it.

What a hodgepodge of confusion. The description of this book held so much promise - what a disappointment - barely made it to page 50 & finally gave up.