Overview

*A Financial Times and Waterstones Book of the Year 2025* Many artists are unaware of the mathematics that bubble beneath their craft, while some consciously use it for inspiration. Our instincts might tell us that these two subjects are incompatible forces with nothing in common, but what if we’re wrong? Marcus du Sautoy, acclaimed mathematician and Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford, looks to art, music, design and literature to uncover the key mathematical structures that underpin both human creativity and the natural world. Blueprints takes us from the earliest stone circles to the modernist architecture of Le Corbusier, from Bach’s circular compositions to Radiohead’s disruptive soundscapes, and from Shakespeare’s hidden numerical clues to the Dada artists who embraced randomness. Instead of polar opposites we find a complementary relationship that spans a vast historical and geographic landscape. Whether we are searching for meaning in an abstract painting or deciphering poetry, there are blueprints everywhere: prime numbers, symmetry, fractals and the weirder worlds of Hamiltonian cycles and hyperbolic geometry. Nature similarly exploits these structures to achieve the wonders of our universe. In this innovative and delightfully bold exploration of creativity, Marcus explains how we make art, why a creative mindset is vital for discovering new mathematics and how a fundamental connection to the natural world intrinsically links these two subjects. ‘Blueprints is an extraordinary book which shows us how mathematics and art are connected through structures. Du Sautoy shows us how to bridge the divide of science and the humanities and proves that we can only face and solve the big challenges of the twenty-first century if we go beyond the fear of pooling knowledge’ Hans Ulrich Obrist, Artistic Director, Serpentine Galleries

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9780008685034

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Reviews

'No one could doubt Du Sautoy’s enthusiasm for his subject … In this informed and wide-ranging study, he shows that imagination is not the preserve of the artistically inclined – sometimes the so-called nerds are the cool kids with the brilliant ideas … An invigorating read' Observer 'One of the many strengths of Blueprints is that it is partly a memoir: an accomplished musician and longtime collaborator with theatrical companies, du Sautoy is exploring the harmonies and convergences within his own passions. The effect is infectious, as is to be expected from one of our most important public intellectuals. A book that will transform your appreciation of mathematics and art' New European 'Blueprints sings as a book about maths that is also grounded in art. Du Sautoy is skilled at bringing numerical concepts to life … I left it better understanding, and enjoying, the problems pondered by mathematicians, helped by the creations of artists like J.S. Bach and Jorge Luis Borges' New Scientist 'Absorbing … Constantly surprising’ Mail on Sunday 'A stunning book – filled with insights and connections that are as dazzling as they are unexpected. A thrilling read' Peter Frankopan, author of The Silk Roads 'Blueprints is an extraordinary book which shows us how mathematics and art are connected through structures. Du Sautoy shows us how to bridge the divide of science and the humanities and proves that we can only face and solve the big challenges of the twenty-first century if we go beyond the fear of pooling knowledge' Hans Ulrich Obrist 'No one can communicate complex maths to non-mathematicians better than Du Sautoy. Here he illuminates the intricate relationships between numbers, nature and the creative arts, running through key mathematical principles that have inspired painters, architects, writers and musicians, consciously or unconsciously'Financial Times, Books of the Year

'No one could doubt Du Sautoy’s enthusiasm for his subject … In this informed and wide-ranging study, he shows that imagination is not the preserve of the artistically inclined – sometimes the so-called nerds are the cool kids with the brilliant ideas … An invigorating read' Observer 'One of the many strengths of Blueprints is that it is partly a memoir: an accomplished musician and longtime collaborator with theatrical companies, du Sautoy is exploring the harmonies and convergences within his own passions. The effect is infectious, as is to be expected from one of our most important public intellectuals. A book that will transform your appreciation of mathematics and art' New European 'Blueprints sings as a book about maths that is also grounded in art. Du Sautoy is skilled at bringing numerical concepts to life … I left it better understanding, and enjoying, the problems pondered by mathematicians, helped by the creations of artists like J.S. Bach and Jorge Luis Borges' New Scientist 'Absorbing … Constantly surprising’ Mail on Sunday 'Blueprints is an extraordinary book which shows us how mathematics and art are connected through structures. Du Sautoy shows us how to bridge the divide of science and the humanities and proves that we can only face and solve the big challenges of the twenty-first century if we go beyond the fear of pooling knowledge' Hans Ulrich Obrist

Author Information

Marcus du Sautoy is Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford and a fellow of Wadham College. He has been named by the Independent on Sunday as one of the UK's leading scientists, has written extensively for the Guardian, The Times and the Daily Telegraph and has appeared on Radio 4 on numerous occasions. He is the author of ‘The Music of the Primes’ and has presented ‘Mind Games’ and ‘Music of the Primes’ on BBC television. He was the Royal Institution Christmas lecturer in 2006, broadcast on Channel 5, and is filming ‘The Story of Maths’ for the BBC. In October 2008 he was appointed to Oxford University’s prestigious professorship as the Simonyi Chair for the Public Understanding of Science, a post previously held by Richard Dawkins. He lives in London with his wife and three children.

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