The Pattern Book: Fractals, Art, and Nature (Hardcover)

by Clifford A. Pickover (Editor) "Art and science will eventually be seen to be as closely connected as arms to the body..." (more)
Key Phrases: isogonal decagons, seeded points, locked links, New York, Scientific American, Sea Horse Valley (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Scientific American
"Artists, scientists, and computer enthusiasts will be delighted by this inspiring collection of visually striking patterns with accompanying explanations and references."

From The New Yorker
"The Pattern Book: Fractals, Art, & Nature - fascinating! A feast for both the eyes and mind! ... This book helps us gain insights on how patterns are created and their scientific connections, while letting us enjoy the impact of their visual beauty. A must for those interested in science, nature, or art."

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 427 pages
• Publisher: World Scientific Publishing Company (July 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 981021426X
• ISBN-13: 978-9810214265
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #300,444 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A natural first book for one interested in fractals, December 31, 2003

By	Charles Ashbacher "([e-mail])" (Marion, Iowa United States([e-mail])) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

Fractals can be found everywhere, and Clifford Pickover has done a good job in selecting some of the best. The range of the collection is considerable, from "Wood Pattern" to "Trajectories of a Neural Network Quantizer in Rhythm Space." All possess a simplistic beauty that justifies the presence of the word art in the title.
Such creations, possessing enormous complexity from very simple origins, truly forces us to stretch our imaginations. All of the generation processes are very easy to understand, and some modifications for additional exploration are obvious.
One more in the collection of works devoted to fractals, this book ranks among the easiest to understand. A natural first book for those interested in fractals as objects of mathematical study or art.

Published in Journal of Recreational Mathematics, reprinted with permission.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Better for Mathematicians, February 17, 2007

By	A Painter (Ct. USA) - See all my reviews

As an artist, I had hoped this book would have presented, on equal footing, mathematics and natural/artistic elements. I ordered it based upon a review that reflected such, but was a bit disappointed to find it was definitely more formulaic based. However, that having been said, there were a few good things I extracted from this book, just not as much as I would have liked based upon the review. Would I recommend this book to a fellow artist? Likely not. To a math/science colleague...definitely. I think Gombrich is a better bet for the artist.