Awards

• Commended for PROSE Award in Popular Science & Popular Mathematics, Association of American Publishers 2015

Overview

If you've ever thought that mathematics and art don't mix, this stunning visual history of geometry will change your mind. As much a work of art as a book about mathematics, Beautiful Geometry presents more than sixty exquisite color plates illustrating a wide range of geometric patterns and theorems, accompanied by brief accounts of the fascinating history and people behind each. With artwork by Swiss artist Eugen Jost and text by math historian Eli Maor, this unique celebration of geometry covers numerous subjects, from straightedge-and-compass constructions to intriguing configurations involving infinity. The result is a delightful and informative illustrated tour through the 2,500-year-old history of one of the most important branches of mathematics.

Full Product Details

9780691175881

Table of Contents

Reviews

Honorable Mention for the 2015 PROSE Award in Popular Science & Popular Mathematics, Association of American Publishers A book that stimulates the mind as well as the eye. --Scientific American The combination of art and exposition was quite effective. The writing is accessible to most reasonably well-educated laypeople, and I imagine that many such people would derive considerable pleasure dipping into this attractive and interesting book. --Mark Hunacek, MAA Reviews Eli Maor's lively writing benefits in equal parts from the geometry of ancient Greece and the eye-popping images conjured by artist Eugen Jost. --Bill Cannon, Scientist's Bookshelf Graphic illustrations serve as both beautiful abstract art and helpful explanations in this overview of geometric theorems and patterns. --Science News [Beautiful Geometry] achieves its aim to demonstrate that there is visual beauty in Mathematics. I heartily recommend it. --LSE Review of Books The explanations are clear, and cover the background to the paintings in a manner that will be appreciated by readers whatever their level of mathematical knowledge... Anyone with any interest in visual mathematics will love this book. --Times Higher Education A good-looking, large-format book suitable for the coffee table, but with lots of mathematical ideas packed in among the colorful illustrations... [A] handsome book for browsing and for some deep thought, and would be a superb gift for anyone (especially a young person) who has interest in mathematics. --Rob Hardy, Columbus Dispatch It is a handsome book for browsing and for some deep thought, and would be a superb gift for anyone (especially a young person) who has interest in mathematics. --Rob Hardy, Dispatch The book by Maor and Jost should be given to everyone--young or old--embarking on the study of mathematics or anyone teaching mathematics. The book will act as a source of inspiration and as a reminder of why it is that mathematics has fascinated the human race for millennia. --Henrik Jeldtoft Jensen, LMS Newsletter The content is accessible to anyone with even a high school course in geometry. The writing is very clear. --Choice Clear and lively... The mathematics in this book is first-rate, but the real surprise is how well the art reflects and illuminates the topic at hand... All of it is lovely to look at... [Beautiful Geometry] rises to the level of a coffee-table art book, only with a lot more depth. --Mathematical Reviews [E]erily captivating book... Maor's style of writing is conversational, and the writing is engaging. --Annalisa Crannell, Journal of Mathematics and the Arts At a very reasonable price, this is a book which would grace the coffee-table of any mathematics department, and many of the ideas in it will stimulate valuable discussions in the classroom. --Gerry Leversha, Mathematical Gazette It presents as a coffee-table book for mathematicians and would be a good addition to a classroom library, available for students of all ages to explore. --Susan Mielechowsky, Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School Visually stunning... [Beautiful Geometry] raises fundamental questions, answered thousands of years later and evidencing the progress made... This is an engaging book of broad appeal and a colourful approach to the history of geometry. --Mathematics Today

Honorable Mention for the 2015 PROSE Award in Popular Science & Popular Mathematics, Association of American Publishers Mathematicians sometimes compare well-constructed equations to works of art. To them, patterns in numbers hold a beauty at least equal to that found in any sonnet or sculpture. In this book, Maor, a math historian, teams with Jost, an artist, to reveal some of that mathematical majesty using jewel-like visualizations of classic geometric theorems... The result is a book that stimulates the mind as well as the eye. --Lee Billings, Scientific American The combination of art and exposition was quite effective. The writing is accessible to most reasonably well-educated laypeople, and I imagine that many such people would derive considerable pleasure dipping into this attractive and interesting book. --Mark Hunacek, MAA Reviews Eli Maor's lively writing benefits in equal parts from the geometry of ancient Greece and the eye-popping images conjured by artist Eugen Jost. --Bill Cannon, Scientist's Bookshelf Graphic illustrations serve as both beautiful abstract art and helpful explanations in this overview of geometric theorems and patterns. --Science News [The book] achieves its aim to demonstrate that there is visual beauty in Mathematics. I heartily recommend it for anyone to at least page it through, and for anyone interested in geometry to read, especially mathematics students who want to broaden their horizons and teachers of mathematics at school level. --Konrad Swanepoel, LSE Review of Books [A] book where art and mathematics are in perfect harmony... [A]nyone with any interest in visual mathematics will love this book, which, given the quality of the reproductions, is very attractively priced. It will inspire interest in a wide variety of mathematics, and should be a compulsory purchase for sixth-form libraries. --Tony Mann, Times Higher Education A good-looking, large-format book suitable for the coffee table, but with lots of mathematical ideas packed in among the colorful illustrations... [A] handsome book for browsing and for some deep thought, and would be a superb gift for anyone (especially a young person) who has interest in mathematics. --Rob Hardy, Columbus Dispatch It is a handsome book for browsing and for some deep thought, and would be a superb gift for anyone (especially a young person) who has interest in mathematics. --Rob Hardy, Dispatch The book by Maor and Jost should be given to everyone--young or old--embarking on the study of mathematics or anyone teaching mathematics. The book will act as a source of inspiration and as a reminder of why it is that mathematics has fascinated the human race for millennia. --Henrik Jeldtoft Jensen, LMS Newsletter The content is accessible to anyone with even a high school course in geometry. The writing is very clear. --Choice The text is easily readable--accessible to a bright high-school student--but is good for anyone with an interest in the subject and who wants a visual approach. The book rises to the level of a coffee-table art book, only with a lot more depth. --Mary Long, Mathematical Reviews [E]erily captivating book... Maor's style of writing is conversational, and the writing is engaging. --Annalisa Crannell, Journal of Mathematics and the Arts At a very reasonable price, this is a book which would grace the coffee-table of any mathematics department, and many of the ideas in it will stimulate valuable discussions in the classroom. --Gerry Leversha, Mathematical Gazette It presents as a coffee-table book for mathematicians and would be a good addition to a classroom library, available for students of all ages to explore. --Susan Mielechowsky, Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School This is an engaging book of broad appeal and colourful approach to the history of geometry. --Wallace A Ferguson, Mathematics Today

Author Information

Eli Maor is the author of To Infinity and Beyond, e: The Story of a Number, Trigonometric Delights, Venus in Transit, and The Pythagorean Theorem: A 4,000-Year History (all Princeton) and has taught the history of mathematics at Loyola University Chicago. Eugen Jost is a well-known Swiss artist whose work is strongly influenced by mathematics.

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