Folding the Universe: Origami From Angelfish to Zen [Paperback]

Peter Engel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 18, 1989

Brief history, basic techniques, and step-by-step instructions for 24 projects: hummingbird, giraffe, butterfly, kangaroo, more.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 323 pages
• Publisher: Vintage; 1 edition (June 18, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394757513
• ISBN-13: 978-0394757513
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,135,554 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

The origami designs of Peter Engel are known to paperfolding enthusiasts worldwide. The author of Folding the Universe and its re-issued edition, Origami from Angelfish to Zen, Engel has exhibited his origami artwork and sculpture at Gettysburg College Art Gallery, the Asian Art Museum and the de Young Museum in San Francisco, the Carpenter Center for Visual Arts at Harvard University, and Seian University of Art and Design in Japan. Engel is an architect in Berkeley, California with a practice specializing in sustainable design, schools, museums, and affordable housing.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book...for the right person, March 28, 2004

By 

David Rysdam (Milford, NH United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Origami from Angelfish to Zen (Dover Origami Papercraft) (Paperback)

The first half of the book is mostly text and reminds me of Godel, Escher, Bach (by Douglas Hofstadter) but for origami. I would like to see this half expanded out into a full book.

The second half is beautiful, intricate models such as the hummingbird, the octopus and the reindeer. I've been folding for about 6 months and I could tell just looking at the folding instructions that the later models like the crab were too hard. What I didn't realize was that even the relatively simple hummingbird is difficult.

At first I thought the folding instructions were unclear (and the hummingbird does have a typo, you should start with the butterfly fish instructions, not the angelfish ones). But after I puzzled my way through each step, I realized that these instructions are simply meant for a more proficient folder. All the information is there but the handholding is not.

If you are looking for some challenging models and thought-provoking text on creativity and origami, this is the book. If you are just starting out you could still buy it as a goal to work towards if that fits your personality. If that would be discouraging, I recommend "The Origami Handbook" as a simpler place to start.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Natural Origami, November 26, 2000

By 

Sam Redlark (Southend-on-Sea, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Origami from Angelfish to Zen (Dover Origami Papercraft) (Paperback)

Peter Engel has succeeded in adding a dynamic element to his origami which is by far the most lifelike that i have seen. The various animals and creatures in this book look as though they have been caught in mid-movement. I particularly liked the tiger, which could actually pass for any of the big cats, and looks as though it is running down its next meal. The Yawning alligator, the butterfly with its proboscis extended and the Octopus with its beautiful oval body and realisticly posed tentacles are my favourites. Models in other books look strangely static by comparison

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Greatest, June 2, 2000

By 

Robert Drutel - See all my reviews

This review is from: Origami from Angelfish to Zen (Dover Origami Papercraft) (Paperback)

This is the best book that has ever been published. The models go from intermediate to extremely difficult.The hardest models in the book are the deer, the two crabs, the knight on horseback (one sheet), the octopus (has eyes), the squid (has eyes), and the butterfly (has eyes). These are the models that get so small that you have to start out with a newspaper in order to even contemplate finishing them. I have made a few of these models like the knight on horseback and the two crabs, but I am still working on the butterfly because that one is simply amazing. This is a good book but it is definately not for beginners or people with patience that runs out after an hour or the tenth sheet.