Customer Reviews

The Metamorphosis of Plants

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

 

 

I appreciated the whole experience of reading this timely, photographically illustrated, version of Goethe's Metamorphosis of Plants.

The 'Introduction', written by Gordon L Miller, is a very succinct and clear summary of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's remarkable way of coming to know, 'from within',

the true nature of plants.

Especially impressive is the way Dr Miller has used his own sumptuous photographs to illustrate Goethe's key specific observations.

Yet a further surprise and delight is to find what is a relatively inexpensive book bound in such a lovely form.

All told, the book is a pleasure to hold, smell and read!

I will certainly be recommending it to as many people as I can. It should be read by anyone who takes an interest in the natural world.

First of all, this is an exceptionally beautiful book: compact in size, but neatly designed and illustrated with many photographs of flowers and plant parts that are printed with stunning clarity and color. The text is scientific but accessible, and because it is broken into short paragraphs, it never seems heavy. Goethe's idea is simple enough: he traces the morphological sequence from the first sprouts to the stem, leaves, flowers, fruit and seed of the next cycle, showing that the same formal principle is carried forth through each stage of the plant's development. Miller's introduction is succinct and illuminating. He also took the photographs and selected the other illustrations, including sketches by Goethe himself. The result is a scholarly treatment that anybody with an interest in plants can enjoy.

Goethe was not only a brilliant writer; he was probably one of the most original men of his time. Those of you who had read Werther or Faust will now know, because of this book, another of the not-so-well facets of Goethe, which was his passion for science. In this book, which is part of a reflection he had while travelling through Italy (trying to find, among other things, love) and while looking at some flowers in an Italian garden, he had the brilliant idea that a flower is a modified leaf. This becomes part of one of his most interesting ideas about development, which is the evolution of the forms, or the idea that forms are essential to understand plant and animal development. Some of these ideas, which modern plant science has recently demonstrated, are reflected in this book, which was a much needed and serious translation from his original German assay. It is also accompanied by very descriptive and beautiful images representing those flowers he mentions in his book and is also edited in an old style which makes it very appealing. I would say it is a book that is a pleasure to read and to keep!

All publications of Goethe's scientific writings would benefit from more supplemental images. His scientific methodology was deeply empirical, sensual, and rooted in immediate observation. And nowhere would such supplements more enrich Goethe's gentle empiricism than in his 'The Metamorphosis of Plants'. M.I.T.'s recent publication of this mini-opus finds itself graphically more in tune with Goethe's own process, as well as immediately establishing itself as the definitive English version of this classic work. Miller's photography is stunning and creative in and of itself. Not only is it simply beautiful photography, but it shows such a thoughtfulness towards the subject matter. For example, when photographing the seedpod of an iris, showing the iris pod in full view, Miller opts to remove part of the husk to give us a window into the seeds of its interior. His use of black backgrounds - rather than white - in the photography is an aesthetic choice warming the hues of his plants; and, rather than obscuring the view, this seems to poetically reinforce the transcendental effort 'to see' that is inherent in all of Goethe's science. Look hard, long, and savor, dear reader. I first met Goethe's scientific writings when I was 21 and it changed the way I approached making art, which I'm still pursuing, carrying Goethe's inspiration, into my 30's. With publications like this one by M.I.T. we can be sure that Goethe's work will continue to "capture young minds". I gave it 5 stars because I don't see Goethe's work ever being published any better in English. Buy this beautiful book.

p.s. Too bad Goethe never finished his prospected book on Acoustics, I would have loved to supplement the audio for that M.I.T. publication ;)

Matt Marble
PhD candidate, Music Composition, Princeton University