Patterns in Nature: Why the Natural World Looks the Way It Does

Excellent explanations matched with fascinating images. I bought this book with the expectation that many natural patterns would be revealed. The book exceeded expectations. I’m a retired technical writer with a growing digital photography hobby. Having literally sailed around the world in a lengthy military career I am fascinated by the shapes and patterns in nature. In my other career, as a conveyor of facts and technical explanations, I was pleased with the author’s scientific and mathematical details. The images are worth the book’s cost. The theory and science are “added value”. If you’re a photographer of any genre, especially one who appreciates closeup or macro images, you will loiter over many beautiful images in this book. The photography is superb. The history of scientific efforts to explain nature’s patterns is enlightening.

Beautiful photos and detailed explanations of how patterns occur in nature. Very interesting to see which things are considered fractals. Also, wonderful to find out that a pineapple and a pinecone have something in common besides starting with a P.

Lots of beautiful pictures in the book. Not as much content as I was hoping for. He goes pretty on depth on a few subjects but leaves you wanting more but then some chapters seem a bit vague. Overall great book just not as much content as I was hoping for.

wow very cool interesting book there isn't much books about patterns in nature subject! The photos are beautiful! I bought this book for my 3rd grader. I think this book is suitable for ages 9 and up. i highly recommend this book!

Well worth the read as it is an excellent compilation of patterns and forms with a worthy argument as to how they may be created, that allows for diversity as well as complementarity. Nothing simplistic and plenty left to wonder about.

I got this book from the library to see if I wanted to purchase it. After reading through it, my decision is not to purchase it. While the photos in the book are generally of high quality, and nicely organized into the different types of patterns that occur in nature, the explanations of how such patterns form are pretty basic, and the vast majority of the photos can be easily found on the internet, from Shutterstock or Getty Images. As a nature photographer, I was hoping it would be for more original and new photographs, with explanations of how each was taken. Typically in a book like this, there is an appendix with photo credits organized by page. In this book, though, the photo credits are listed by the name or organization that took the photo. So if you want to know where a specific photo came from, you have to read through the entire list of photo credits until you find the one you want.

This is a beautiful AND informative book & am very pleased to have it in my library. The photography is GREAT, very professional, and the text is very readable and fascinating!!

This is a fascinating, beautifully done. What a traat.

This is a well curated book. You can dive in each pic and dive deeper in clear descriptions for each sections. Loved it because it answered my curiousness towards patterns in nature. The thick hardbound, photographic papers and the complete feel of the book is like a treasure in your hand.

The book in its commanding space is pictorial. You view in page after page, after page magnificent patterns gloriously colored and you are amazed at the beauty and creativity of nature. The text is lean, but elegant and insightful and describes the mathematical underpinnings of nature's patterns. Behind the appearance of an overwhelming diversity and complexity in the natural world there is an underlying order. Natural patterns are formed spontaneously from the forces that act on the natural world and can be described using the same mathematical and physical principles. This is the reason that very often the same types of pattern recur in places that seem to have nothing in common, as when the patterns of vein in leaves are similar to that of our blood vessels and more distantly when the stripes of a zebra resemble the ripples in sand dunes. A gem of a book, very strongly recommended.

…zum Abschalten, Nachdenken. Ich bekomme daraus viele Denkanstöße und genieße wirklich die wunderschönen Bilder. In den Quellen gibt der Autor auch Hinweise, wo man mehr über Muster in der Natur (klassischen Werke) erfahren kann. Die Sprache (englisch) ist manchmal ein bisschen kompliziert.

Es muy interesante además de estético, ... recomiendo su lectura. Se puede aprender

I was looking for inspiration for textile art and nature provides it I. So many forms. Fantastic photography and informative text