M.C. Escher: Visions of Symmetry (New Edition) (Hardcover)

by Doris Schattschneider (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Doris Schattschneider's classic M. C. Escher: Visions of Symmetry (1990) is the most penetrating study of Escher's work in existence, and the one most admired by mathematicians and scientists. It deals with one powerful obsession that preoccupied Escher: what he called "the regular division of the plane," the puzzle-like interlocking of birds, fish, lizards, and other natural forms in continuous patterns. Schattschneider asks, "How did he do it?" She answers the question by meticulously analyzing Escher's notebooks, and the New Scientist described the result as "a collection of detective stories whose plots are brilliantly organized patterns."

Like the first edition of the book, this new volume includes many of Escher's masterworks, as well as hundreds of lesser-known examples of his work. It also features an illustrated epilogue by the author that reveals new information about Escher's inspiration and shows how his ideas of symmetry have influenced mathematicians, computer scientists, and contemporary artists. Visions of Symmetry is a trip into the mind of a creator who continues to captivate the world.

About the Author
Doris Schattschneider received her Ph.D. in mathematics from Yale University and taught at Moravian College, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, for 34 years. She is the author of the best-selling model kit M. C. Escher Kaleidocycles and co-editor of the book and CD-ROM M.C. Escher's Legacy: A Centennial Celebration. She has served as editor-in-chief of Mathematics Magazine and in 1993 she received the national MAA Award for Distinguished Teaching of College or University Mathematics. Douglas R. Hofstadter is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid. A mathematician, physicist, and computer scientist, he is professor of computer science and cognitive science at Indiana University. Recently, Wired magazine called him "the most remarkable researcher in artificial intelligence today."

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams; 2 edition (May 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810943085
• ISBN-13: 978-0810943087
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 9.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #413,867 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Most Comprehensive Study of M. C. Escher's Works., June 29, 2005

By	Noshir M. Khambatta (DURHAM, NC, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It is most gratifying to note that at large, it is a professor of Mathematics who was inspired to collect the materials and compile this most penetrating study on the works of M. C. Escher. That professor is Dr. Doris Schattschneider and her latest publication "M. C. Escher : Visions of Symmetry" is a life's labour of love at collecting, classifying and indexing the works of M. C. Escher in a single volume. The book opens with a stunning photograph of M. C. Escher and a penetrating one-page foreword by Douglas R. Hofstadter.

Who then is M. C. Escher and what is his global appeal? Maurits Cornelis Escher (1898-1972) was a Dutch graphic and wood-cut artist, who for decades working in isolation, single handedly produced the most haunting, fascinating and intriguing works of tesselation, the kind, the world had not seen before. His obsession with visual patterns built by the intricate interlocking of shapes that repeat and repeat forever, filling every crack in the regular plane, made it almost into a visual poetry. What is remarkable is that an artist single handedly learned by himself, the mathematical laws of the plane symmetry group including all it's isometries (i.e. translations, rotations, reflections and glide reflections) as he produced year after year patterns with interlocking shapes of unmatched beauty and provocation. He saw symmetry and beauty where others saw only a senseless repetiton. One can spend hours describing the various feelings brought out by a single image, suffice to say it would require a multi volume encyclopedia to describe in detail all that is collected in this single tome. I am flabbergasted that this book sells on the internet for as low as US $11.00. It is worth it's weight in precious diamonds. Thanks a million Doris, for doing such amicable justice to a great artist, and for providing us such a timeless treasure.

16 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not for the casual Escher fan., February 3, 2006

By	Tsee Lee "Imagine Reason" (Ridgewood, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Make no mistake. This isn't a comprehensive book for the Escher fan who wants to look at all his pretty pictures. It is a highly academic (no problem there, unless you're looking for, like I said, pretty pictures) book that focuses on basic patterns. It doesn't have many of the drawings that introduced me to his work in the first place. It's not the coffee-table book I was looking for, but that's my problem. It does have volumes of text for the so-inclined.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting book, very complete collection of work, January 26, 2009

By	A Used Book Addict (US) - See all my reviews

I bought this book for a college math course. This book would be equally good for math or art students. It is full of historical, chronological information and also covers how the artist's methods are in use today and are being further explored and appreciated. This is also a 100% complete collection of the artist's (very extensive) work.