Buy new:
$11.89$11.89
Arrives:
Wednesday, Sep 6
Ships from: Amazon.com Sold by: Amazon.com
Buy used: $5.98
Other Sellers on Amazon
+ $10.54 shipping
33% positive over last 12 months
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. Learn more
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Follow the Author
OK
The Curves of Life (Dover Books Explaining Science)
| Price | New from | Used from |
Purchase options and add-ons
The open-ended curve of the spiral gives a sensation of continuous motion — of life, in fact. In The Curves of Life, Sir Theodore A. Cook (1867–1928), English author and editor, finds that the spiral or helix may lie at the core of life's first principle — that of growth. The spiral is fundamental to the structure of plants, shells, and the human body; to the periodicity of atomic elements and to an animal's horns; to microscopic DNA (the double helix) and to the Andromeda nebula.
The Curves of Life portrays the significance of the spiral in 426 illustrations, from a Narwhal's tusk to Dürer's plan for a cylindrical helix. From the spiral in nature, science, and art, the author suggests ideas on the essence of beauty and man's response to it. "One of the chief beauties of the spiral as an imaginative conception is that it is always growing, yet never covering the same ground, so that it is not merely an explanation of the past, but is also a prophecy of the future."
Martin Gardner, mathematician and author, said of The Curves of Life, "This is the classic reference on how the golden ratio applies to spirals and helices in nature."
- Print length528 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherDover Publications
- Publication dateFebruary 1, 1979
- Dimensions5.4 x 0.99 x 8.51 inches
- ISBN-10048623701X
- ISBN-13978-0486237015
Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed
Product details
- Publisher : Dover Publications (February 1, 1979)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 528 pages
- ISBN-10 : 048623701X
- ISBN-13 : 978-0486237015
- Item Weight : 1.23 pounds
- Dimensions : 5.4 x 0.99 x 8.51 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #2,073,261 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #29 in Biomathematics
- #174 in Seashells (Books)
- #11,378 in Art History (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
Important information
To report an issue with this product, click here.
About the author

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon-
Top reviews



