Buckminster Fuller's Universe: His Life and Work (Paperback)

~ Lloyd Sieden (Author), (Author) "Bucky Fuller was born on July 12, 1895 in Milton..." (more)
Key Phrases: jet stilts, synergetic geometry, octet truss, United States, Dymaxion Vehicle, Dymaxion Map (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Inventor of the geodesic dome and the phrase "spaceship earth," Fuller reportedly once had an out-of-body experience in which a voice told him: "You do not belong to you. You belong to the Universe." The cocky, self-assured architect-engineer-poet-futurist, expelled twice from Harvard, who went on to shake the world with his technological innovations and vision of global unity, is brought down to earth in this absorbing biographical study. A lecturer-consultant specializing in Fuller's philosophy, Sieden here attempts to translate Fuller's ideas from the tech-guru's convoluted, jargon-laden style into accessible language. Though many of Fuller's major projects were commercial failures, Sieden succeeds in demonstrating how his search for Nature's underlying rules of harmony and efficiency is relevant to fields ranging from aviation and manufacturing technology to environmentalism, housing, parapsychology and extraterrestrial anthropology. Photos.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Buckminster Fuller's Universe is a vivid, personal and revealing work which brings Fuller home to today’s people." -- Barbara Marx Hubbard, futurist & author

"Everybody concerned about the planet should read this book. It fully illustrates that a great man walked among us." -- Larry King, talk show host & author

"Sieden probes beyond Fuller's famous inventions to offer a unique psychological perspective on the roots of his successes and failures." -- Amory B. Lovins, Director of Research, Rocky Mountain Institute

"Sieden's biography is a tribute to a great man." -- Marilyn Ferguson, author The Aquarian Conspiracy

"This is a very necessary and useful book. It is not written in Fuller's language. You will understand it." -- John Cage

...lays out the saga of one of the great minds of the 20th century... his complicated ideas come into focus. -- Timothy Willard, Former Editor, The Futurist

Fuller is brought down to earth in this absorbing biographical study. -- Publisher's Weekly

“Sieden has done a magnificent job of simplifying and restating Fuller’s comprehensive view.” -- Rev. Peggy Bassett, D.D., Former President United Church of Religious Science Worldwide

“Sieden has succeeded in bringing Fuller back as vibrant and thought provoking as ever, in a way we can understand.” -- Allan Ray Putnam, Former Director, American Society for Metals

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Product Details

• Paperback: 511 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books (August 11, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738203793
• ISBN-13: 978-0738203799
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #131,574 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New ideas on every page..., April 24, 2001

By	John P. Stamper "A Searcher" (Central Florida) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I love to read books that I don't completely understand the first time through. This is certainly one of those books.

Part biography, part scientific dissertation, the author enlightens us on the wonderful and extraordinary life of R. Buckminster Fuller, a true renaissance man.

Many people have never even heard of Buckminster Fuller... but his ideas, inventions and philosophy have touched the lives of everyone on here on 'Spaceship Earth' as he liked to call it.

Just take a trip down to Epcot in Orlando, FL and see a geodesic sphere in real life, one that engineers and construction types said would not stand... its been standing there for almost 20 years now. Or, look down the street to the Contemporary Resort at the Magic Kingdom. Built entirely with modular construction and finished in record time.. a la "Bucky" Fuller.

Certainly this man was a great innovator... but what I was most impressed with was his 'comprensivist' point of view. He always strove to see the big picture of what is happening on Earth as well as the entire Universe around us.

Get this book if you want to open you mind to new ideas and paradigms. It has changed the way I look at many different things now.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Introduction for a Non-Technical Reader, September 17, 2005

By	D. Buxman "A Seeker of Truth" (Pueblo, CO United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I've tried to dive into some of the books actually written by Buckminster Fuller without success. His ideas have always intrigued me, but I found his writing style to be rambling and confusing. This book, however, is an excellent introduction to Fuller's life and ideas, without the confusing detritus. I don't have a strong math or science background, so I appreciated the fact that the author was able to explain Fuller's ideas without resorting to complex equations or formulas. The biographical aspects of this book are also quite interesting. It is chronologically arranged so that the reader can track the evolution of Fuller's thoughts as he progressed through life.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent source for Bucky's life, January 17, 2002

By	Leif Thor... (USA) - See all my reviews

This was the first book I read about Buckminster Fuller. It was a great introduction to the man because a lot of people go right to his written works which can be hard to digest at first because he's just a very intense human being.

Reading this book first enabled me to understand Bucky so when I did move on the Critical Path and Synergetics I knew what I was getting in to. And boy if your ready to go through the mirror to see the truth, you're in for the ride of your life!

Enjoy!