Customer Reviews

The Complete Book of Origami: Step-by Step Instructions in Over 1000 Diagrams (Dover Origami Papercraft)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The book starts off so well with great written instructions and clear diagrams. However, the author too quickly abandons the beginner by shortening the written directions and cutting out parts of the diagrams which we've supposedly already learned. Also, he states in the beginning that the shaded sides of the diagram will indicate which side of the paper you're looking at (most paper is white on one side and colored on the other) but only in the first diagram and in a few other advanced ones does he do this. Plus, I believe that he starts a few off wrongly by telling the wrong side of the paper to start with.

On the good side, the structures quickly build off of the folds of the previous one so you can master various folds and apply them to the next. The beginner form, the mouse, is really cute. Not a bad book on origami but I believe I'll need to add another book to my collection in order to get further along.

This is a great book-but only if you are already familair with origami. You cannot simply look at the diagrams, as Lang has made the text descriptions almost more important than the visual descriptions. The cuckoo clock is by far one of the most advanced models I've ever seen in a book-but there are some easier models as well. Most people will be able to find SOMEthing to make, but I would only suggest this book for a NON-beginner.

The models in this book are among those that most impress my friends when I make them. Nobody else has a full grand piano, with moving pianist. Certainly it requires a piece of paper of unusual dimensions, but Lang still holds true to the artifice of Western origami: no cuts.

The models in this book certainly cannot be considered for beginners, but the cuckoo clock alone is worth the price of the book. Be prepared to use some tweezers, though. :-)

The author of "The Complete Book of Origami" has become notorious for producing some of the most advanced origami models in the literature and this book contains a range of models which cannot be considered anything but difficult. Most of the pieces will not be possible from ordinary paper but will require either foil or very thin bank weight paper to work well. Wet folding would also be suitable for some of the models though the diagrams for the elephant sail into a patch of fog when making its behind!

Be prepared to spend some hours making each piece and you may well find yourself starting over again several times until a series of folding procedures becomes clear.

That said the book contains some excellent models - I have always liked the Cuckoo Clock and the Viking Ship, and can confirm that the action pieces really do work.

The diagrams are hand drawn rather than computerised which may explain the level of verbal instruction; however some of the sets of folds are very complex and the verbal instructions provide that much needed extra to understand what is going on.

This is a book for the seasoned folder and most paper folders who have reached the high intermediate to advanced skill level will enjoy it.

This book is pretty good with lots of models. Only a couple of things I dislike are some of the models do not start from squares ( so you have to do some cutting) and after finishing the introductory folds section it moves quickly to advanced to nearly impossible folds...

It starts off pretty good, then abandon's the beginner to the frustartion of vague instructions. I had to try some of the models several times nefore the directions made sense.

I agree with several of the reviewers here. As a "purist" I object to models that don't start with a square, of which there are many here. I am also bothered by measurements that do not arise from the creases themselves (eg "fold into thirds".) Finally, Lang jumps from very easy to very advanced, with virtually nothing in-between (and uses harder folding sequences than neccessary IMO, Montroll achieves similar complexity in his finished models with far less difficulty.)
If you are willing to look past these objections, the finished models themselves are frequently amazing.

Robert J. Lang is probably the most famous origami artist alive. His approach to origami transcends the simple craft aspect and has helped elevate it to a true fine art. This book was his first publication and it came at a time when the art of diagramming was still coming of age. Thus the diagrams can be a bit difficult to follow. In addition, it is only recently that Dr. Lang has devoted most of his time to the simple square so many of these models are produced from very odd rectangles which must be painstakingly measured and cut.
This book might be a good choice for the collector or fairly advanced folder, but certainly not for the beginner.

This book has some of the most original models I've seen among origami books (including a particularly impressive clock). However, many of the instructions are vague or extremely difficult to fold as described. Some of the more advanced models will take lots of experimentation to figure out what the intended fold is.

For full disclosure, I like my origami with square paper and symmetrical folding...this is not that kind of book. Most of the models in this book started with odd-shaped paper like a triangle or a rectangle with weird dimensions like 1:1.414 or really long skinny sheets. I don't even know if the size of paper required for some of the advanced models is readily available even if you were to cut it to size. Other models require folding the paper into 1/5's or 1/12's in the first step...I don't like to use a ruler and calculator to get those folds right. I know all this may seem a little picky, but that's just me. Even the ones starting with perfect squares looked too simple and I wouldn't bother folding.

The author, Lang, co-wrote a book with John Montroll (who adheres to my strict requirements), so I thought this book might be worth a shot. That was a mistake so now I keep this book as a reminder not to buy anything not written by Montroll...My origami hero.

But if you can get past that, take your chances