M. C. Escher ® Kaleidocycles [Paperback]

Doris Schattschneider (Creator), Maurits Cornelis Escher (Author), Wallace Walker (Designer)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1987

A Kaliedocycle is a three-dimensional ring made from a chain of solid figures enclosed or bonded by four triangles. These kaleidocycles are adaptations of Escher's two-dimensional images of fish, angels, flowers, people, etc., transformed into uniform, interlocking, three-dimensional objects whose patters wrap endlessly. Kaleidocycles contains a 48-page book with over 80 reproductions and diagrams, assembly instructions, and a fascinating discussion of the geometric principles and artistic challenges underlying Escher's designs and their transformation to three-dimensional models; and seventeen die-cut, scored, three-dimensional models (11 kaleidocycles and 6 geometric solids) Cigar box-style packaging, size: 9 1/2 x 12 1/4 x 1 1/2".

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Pomegranate Communications; Revised edition (December 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0876542089
• ISBN-13: 978-0876542088
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,116,834 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This marvelous book will keep you engrossed!, January 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: M. C. Escher ® Kaleidocycles (Paperback)

Escher's cunningly planned magic in geometric expression is fully explained and clarified in this mesmerising book. It is a must for the skilled mathmetician or graphic designer. This book includes seventeen full-color models that begin as two-dimensional designs and fold into three dimensional kaleidocycle forms.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From the Publisher, November 30, 2005

By 

Earl R. Sutton "earlsutton" (Detroit, MI, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: M. C. Escher ® Kaleidocycles (Paperback)

"A kaleidocycle is a closed chain of tetrahedra that can cycle endlessly through a center hole. ? Best known for his strangely realistic depictions of things that defy the laws of physics, Maurits Cornelis Escher became interested in problems of repetition and symmetry after traveling to the Alhambra, a 14th century Moorish castle in Granada, Spain. Fascinated by the periodic (i.e. regularly recurrent) designs of the castle's mosaics, he began to pursue the idea that a plane can be divided into uniform, interlocking figures, forming a pattern that repeats itself at set intervals, theoretically to infinity. Instead of simply combining abstract shapes to produce a pattern, however, Escher decided to use more meaningful figures--shells and starfish, angels and devils, for example--images that could be connected not just graphically but also conceptually. Kaleidocycles, created by mathematician Doris Schattschneider and graphic designer Wallace Walker, explores the three-dimensional implications of Escher's two-dimensional periodic designs. With a little glue, you can easily assemble the enclosed models--all printed with repeating patterns derived from the artist's original drawings--into various kaleidocycles and geometric solids. In doing so, you will transform Escher's beautiful designs into true examples of infinite repetition: the interlocking images will wrap endlessly over the surfaces of the three-dimensional objects. ? Kaleidocycles contains a 48-page book with over 80 reproductions and diagrams, assembly instructions, and a fascinating discussion of the geometric principles and artistic challenges underlying Escher's designs and their transformation to three-dimensional models; and seventeen die-cut, scored, three-dimensional models (11 kaleidocycles and 6 geometric solids) Cigar box-style packaging, size: 9-1/2 x 12-1/4 x 1-1/2". [Refers to revised edition:] ISBN: 0-7649-3110-5

KALEIDOCYCLES 3-D MODELS ONLY
"Purchase an extra set of the 17 models for each additional participant. Assembly instructions are not included. ISBN: 0-7649-3207-1."--? Pomegranate

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun and educational, January 15, 2007

By 

Economist - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: M. C. Escher ® Kaleidocycles: An Illustrated Book and 17 Fun-to-Assemble Three-Dimensional Models (Paperback)

My 9-year-old son and I had tremendous fun assembling the models in this kit. Each of the models in the kit contains an adaptation of Escher's periodic design in a way that the geometric solid is continously covered with it. Through a unique personal experience, my son learned what tetrahedron, octahedron, dodecahedron, cuboctahedron and kaleidocycle look like. This is the best project we ever worked on.