Customer Reviews

Patterns in Nature (Peregrine Books)

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There is a book which is beautifully illustrated, easy to understand and one of those rare finds that will change the way you view the natural world forever. Stevens explores the recurring patterns (e.g., spirals, cracks, meanders) in the natural world and presents the reader with the math, science and above all, excellent diagrams and photographs which illustrate the elegant simplicity underlying these patterns. If your world has lost some of its wonder, here's an excellent way to get some of it back.

Like Georg Gerster's eye opening shots of the earth from the air, "The Earth From Above", this book never should have been allowed to go out of print. If I had the money, I would reprint it myself.

Mr. Hayden W. Mathews

I want to add my voice to the chorus of disbelievers who can't comprehend how this book went out of print. Patterns in Nature is the very essence of elegance - a simple idea with incredible range and explanatory power.

Why does the fracture pattern where your windshield was struck by a pebble have the same basic structure as a tree? Stevens' answer is that there are a small number of ways that energy can propogate through space given the nature of our universe. With this principle he explores the similarity in structure between a vast array of natural phenomena.

Written clearly and illustrated beautifully, this book has something tremendous to say and it is destined to be rediscovered as interest in systems theory continues to grow.

"Patterns in Nature" is superb popular science reading and viewing. The diagrams and pictures, always illustrative, never superfluous, guarantee the reader a complete experience. This book should never have been allowed to go out of print.

I read this book when I was about 14 years old and keenly into mathematics and Physics. It opened my eyes to the nature of space and how it creates the forms and processes we see all around us. A truly inspirational book, the ideas and insights presented within have remained with me ever since. Buy it, read it, enjoy it for the rest of your life!

This is a book I read back in the early 80's and lost track of it. I've been refering to ideas I learned in it, such as why nature chooses certain types of patterns. These ideas relate to organizational design, such as the natural branching structures in companies. It's been great to re-read it and get new ideas. It's a fairly technical book, with explanations that are scientific and mathematical. It's worth the effort to get through it. It also has beautiful photos that show how certain patterns are repeated in various parts of nature.

I got this for a friend who wanted it. I guess she liked it, but I thought it was poor quality.