Customer Reviews

In Pursuit of Elegance: Why the Best Ideas Have Something Missing (Library Edition)

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I fail to see what is so great about this book. The idea of elegant solutions is nothing new. The author's definition of elegance is anything but elegant. Consider this definition of elegant instead - "simple, intuitive and powerful."

The book did a lot of rambling. It could be cut by at least a third without loss. I found many of the examples to be contrived, like the California fast food joint with the small menu and an additional secret menu. Does this strike you as elegant?

The one thing that I have praise for is the presentation of the concept of symmetry. The author showed how mathematicians came up with a definition for a term that many may initially feel is undefinable. The mathematical definition of symmetry is a good example of elegance. I disagree, however, with the insistence that elegant solutions must always be symmetric.

First of all, I have well over 2000 biz books in my library and this is one of my favorite books. It takes a very difficult subject, elegance, and does a credible job explaining what it is and what it isn't.

This is not a step by step book to creating elegant solutions or products. Rather, it presents a compelling argument on why subtraction can lead to elegance. Why doing nothing is so difficult for humans and organizations but is many times the right thing "to do". Why in-action or restraining your brain from wanting to add can lead to breakthroughs in elegant design.

The author works hard to give examples from a wide range of disciplines. Because of this broad stroke of the brush, the only complaint would be that he does not delve deep enough into some of these examples. But by leaving some space, it made me want to dig deeper into some of the examples. Engaging a readers curiosity to seek more is exactly what elegance is all about. And I think the author balanced this perfectly.

Do yourself a favor...ignore the negative reviews on here. Under no circumstance does this book deserve less than 4 stars. It is easy to read and engages your brain in a provocative way...what more can you ask from a book?

There is a core of good observation lost in a kerfluffle of inelegance in this book. An illuminating presentation would be watching a good editor go over In Pursuit of Elegance in pursuit of some elegance, demonstrating how an excess of adverbs weakens, how sloppy use of adjectives obscures, how whipping up a froth of examples demonstrates the absence of the elegance praised. We would end up with a pamphlet of richness and evocation, but not with this book. What is before us is of publishable book length, I suppose, but is an unintentionally comical example of the opposite of what it extols.

The reviews of this book seem to be bipolar. You either love it or not. I'm with the latter. I had to force myself to keep reading it. I kept stumbling over historical examples that were then force-fit into the author's categories and I found it nearly impossible to take away anything from each chapter. For me, the best reading was the chapter on Laws of Subtraction and even that left me feeling empty. I have to agree with others that that the author rambles and doesn't even follow his own principals in attempting to write the book in an elegant manner. The best example is the chapter on Seeking Symmetry. He attempts to conclude the chapter with "There are a few valuable points to take away..." and then goes on to ramble for another 6-7 pages with more trivia. The book drove me nuts. If you're looking for a book with practical takeaways, this is not it.

To say that his book is about lean would be a disservice. It's much more than that. The stories and analyses record Matt's search for creative ideas and innovative solutions to problems in a surprisingly wide range of fields, from Jackson Pollack to the Sopranos, from traffic circles in Europe to video rental stores, from sudoku to corporate HR policies. I don't buy into all of his examples, but the overall force of his argument is compelling and very, very thought-provoking. Certainly, I won't look at a product boasting a "New & Improved!" sticker in the same way again.

Matt proposes that truly "elegant" solutions have a wonderful -- and elusive -- combination of simplicity and power. We don't have to lard up a product with new features to solve customer problems any more than we need a 175-page employee manual to tell workers what we expect them to do.

What I love about the book -- and what I'm still thinking about two weeks after reading it -- is the challenge of creating elegant solutions to the ongoing information management problems I see everyday.

The topic is incredibly interesting and hmmm "Elegant". Good old less-is-more combined with symmetry, visual seduction and sustainability is the consistency of elegance according to Mathew May. I'm convinced.

Length:: 1:57 Mins

I am Phil Simon and have written three books. I read quite a bit and many books suffer from "me too" complexes. Not this one.

An amazing read with applications to so many areas of life. May proves that, in fact, less may be more. Strongly recommended.

I have an interest in urban design. The discussion of the Monderman intersection and why it works so well in handling traffic and preventing accidents is worth the price of the book all by itself. (This is a roundabout-style intersection paved with a textured surface, lacking a traffic light.) Since I read this book, I can hardly pass an intersection without thinking how much better it would work as a Monderman intersection, and how easy and cheap the conversion would be. Maybe you're not interested in traffic flow, but May puts in enough off-the-wall examples to get nearly anyone thinking. Recommended.

I loved "In Pursuit Of Elegance" by Matthew E. May. This book will provide a basis for a whole new kind of thinking. I can not think of an audience that would not benefit from reading this book because it can apply to business, art, home-life, and many other ventures.

One thing I found brilliant about the book is that it doesn't offer specific steps to follow. This is not a "go and do" kind of book. What is NOT in the book is what makes this powerful (and elegant). May provides many case examples with different perspectives of elegant thinking without telling the reader what to make of them. After reading chapters, I found myself applying the thinking to my own situations. Powerful stuff started popping in my head based on the principles I learned about in the book. This is a highly interactive book if you plan to daydream a little bit after you read it.

I am a big fan of his last book "The Elegant Solution" and noticed a lot of similar ideas and concepts from that book. What the author did was shake loose the Lean/Toyota anchor and make this new book more open and accessible for a wider audience. There is a lot of freedom from that decision that will make this a better book for non-Lean practitioners while still providing relevant thoughts for those who are on the Lean journey.

This book is difficult to explain the highlights because most of them came from my personal application once I understood the concepts explained.

What great ideas will come to you while you read the book?

In Pursuit of Elegance: Why the Best Ideas Have Something Missing delves into the concept of ideas, solutions, and how 'elegant solutions' are devised to problems. The subject is achieving the maximum impact with the minimum input: chapters show differences between mainstream and 'elegant' solutions and offer keys to thinking that involve accomplishing more, not less. All business libraries need this!