Beautiful Geometry

Honorable Mention for the 2015 PROSE Award in Popular Science & Popular Mathematics, Association of American Publishers Mathematicians sometimes compare well-constructed equations to works of art. To them, patterns in numbers hold a beauty at least equal to that found in any sonnet or sculpture. In this book, Maor, a math historian, teams with Jost, an artist, to reveal some of that mathematical majesty using jewel-like visualizations of classic geometric theorems... The result is a book that stimulates the mind as well as the eye. --Lee Billings, Scientific American The combination of art and exposition was quite effective. The writing is accessible to most reasonably well-educated laypeople, and I imagine that many such people would derive considerable pleasure dipping into this attractive and interesting book. --Mark Hunacek, MAA Reviews Eli Maor's lively writing benefits in equal parts from the geometry of ancient Greece and the eye-popping images conjured by artist Eugen Jost. --Bill Cannon, Scientist's Bookshelf Graphic illustrations serve as both beautiful abstract art and helpful explanations in this overview of geometric theorems and patterns. --Science News [The book] achieves its aim to demonstrate that there is visual beauty in Mathematics. I heartily recommend it for anyone to at least page it through, and for anyone interested in geometry to read, especially mathematics students who want to broaden their horizons and teachers of mathematics at school level. --Konrad Swanepoel, LSE Review of Books [A] book where art and mathematics are in perfect harmony... [A]nyone with any interest in visual mathematics will love this book, which, given the quality of the reproductions, is very attractively priced. It will inspire interest in a wide variety of mathematics, and should be a compulsory purchase for sixth-form libraries. --Tony Mann, Times Higher Education A good-looking, large-format book suitable for the coffee table, but with lots of mathematical ideas packed in among the colorful illustrations... [A] handsome book for browsing and for some deep thought, and would be a superb gift for anyone (especially a young person) who has interest in mathematics. --Rob Hardy, Columbus Dispatch It is a handsome book for browsing and for some deep thought, and would be a superb gift for anyone (especially a young person) who has interest in mathematics. --Rob Hardy, Dispatch The book by Maor and Jost should be given to everyone--young or old--embarking on the study of mathematics or anyone teaching mathematics. The book will act as a source of inspiration and as a reminder of why it is that mathematics has fascinated the human race for millennia. --Henrik Jeldtoft Jensen, LMS Newsletter The content is accessible to anyone with even a high school course in geometry. The writing is very clear. --Choice The text is easily readable--accessible to a bright high-school student--but is good for anyone with an interest in the subject and who wants a visual approach. The book rises to the level of a coffee-table art book, only with a lot more depth. --Mary Long, Mathematical Reviews [E]erily captivating book... Maor's style of writing is conversational, and the writing is engaging. --Annalisa Crannell, Journal of Mathematics and the Arts At a very reasonable price, this is a book which would grace the coffee-table of any mathematics department, and many of the ideas in it will stimulate valuable discussions in the classroom. --Gerry Leversha, Mathematical Gazette It presents as a coffee-table book for mathematicians and would be a good addition to a classroom library, available for students of all ages to explore. --Susan Mielechowsky, Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School This is an engaging book of broad appeal and colourful approach to the history of geometry. --Wallace A Ferguson, Mathematics Today