Customer Reviews

Art Forms From The Ocean: The Radiolarian Atlas Of 1862

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Radiolarians are a total blank to the majority of people, yet these remarkable builders of glass houses (microscopic to be sure) abound in the world's oceans. Ernst Haeckel, the Nineteenth Century German biologist and supporter of Darwin, wrote the most comprehensive monograph on the group in his Radiolarian Atlas of 1862, which is still in use today. The illustrations have never been surpassed and so it is certainly a boon for microscopists that the plates have now been republished in all their glory as "Art Forms from the Ocean: The Radiolarian Atlas of 1862". In many ways I wish that the text would have included descriptions of the radiolarians illustrated and their distributions, but that probably would have been of little interest to the general public. Instead there is a discussion of Haeckel's life and work, especially of his involvement with radiolarians and other microscopic marine life.

Still, for the price this is a real bargain, and I thus recommend this book just for the plates to any amateur or professional biologist who is interested in the micro planktonic organisms of the ocean.

As an artist I am always trying to enlarge my "visual vocabulary." The symmetry and unlimited variation in sea forms are exquisite in their perfection. This volume has beautiful illustrations.

This is the second book I have purcahsed by Ernst and I am not disappointed. Being a sculptural artist, this is being used as a reference book for me. Only nature could create such stunning objects and only a very talented artist, could recreate this for us all to enjoy. A valued book in my art collection.

This book is very lovely. I bought it for my boyfriend's birthday and he loved it. The book features colored illustrations, that are so soft and detailed. There is first an introduction about the author, and the rest of the book is filled with beautiful drawings, identified by scientific names. I would highly recommend this book to aspiring biologists, and those intrigued by marine life.

I expected color illustrations, and they are black line drawings. However, they are beautiful, it's just color would have been much better.

E.H. is such an inspiration for me. His work is great to have as a coffee book, text book, or to spark creativity in an art room as well.