Ian Alexander's Reviews and Recommendations of Books on Patterns in Nature and Art

Reviews and Recommendations
Books on Natural Patterns

Books on Patterns Search Classic Nature Books

Natural Art Forms: Karl Blossfeldt, Dover, 1998 A professional photographer's view of the chiaroscuro, harmony, pattern, and surprise in plants. Copying is permitted! Buy it from Amazon.com Buy it from Amazon.co.uk	Art Forms in Nature: Ernst Haeckel, Dover, 1974 An extraordinary tour of symmetry, colour and pattern through the eyes of the famous pioneering zoologist Ernst Haeckel. Buy it from Amazon.com Buy it from Amazon.co.uk	Art Forms in Nature: Ernst Haeckel and Melanie Klier A miniature but delightful tour in full colour through the artwork of Nature, based on the work of the famous pioneering zoologist Ernst Haeckel. Buy it from Amazon.com Buy it from Amazon.co.uk
Patterns in Nature, Peter S. Stevens, Penguin Books, 1974. An inspiring tour de force balancing art and science. Buy it from Amazon.com Buy it from Amazon.co.uk	The Self-made Tapestry: Pattern formation in nature, by Philip Ball, Oxford University Press, 2001. Buy it from Amazon.com Buy it from Amazon.co.uk	Nature's Chaos, Eliot Porter and James Gleick, Viking, 1990. Porter's glorious colour photographs combine with Gleick's knowledgeable writing. Buy it from Amazon.com Buy it from Amazon.co.uk
Natural Surfaces, Visual Research for Artists, Architects and Designers: Judy A. Juracek, Thames and Hudson, 2002 (with CD-ROM) A fascinating book full of textures and patterns from Nature. Buy it from Amazon.com Buy it from Amazon.co.uk	Patterns of the Earth, Bernard Edmaier, Phaidon, 2007. 240 pages. A compact book of fine aerial photographs chosen to emphasize earth's varied patterns. Each photograph is labelled and described. Buy it from Amazon.com Buy it from Amazon.co.uk	Living Jewels 2: The Magical Design of Beetles, Poul Beckman and Ruth Kaspin, 2007. 111 pages. The astonishing diversity of colour, form and structure is beautifully displayed in this little book. Buy it from Amazon.com Buy it from Amazon.co.uk
On Growth and Form by D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson, 1917, reprinted 1992. A pioneering classic by a great man. 1116 pages! Buy it from Amazon.com Buy it from Amazon.co.uk	The Curves of Life: Being an Account of Spiral Formations and Their Application to Growth in Nature, to Science, and to Art, Theodore Andrea Cook, Dover 1979. 512 pages Buy it from Amazon.com Buy it from Amazon.co.uk	The Divine Proportion: A Study in Mathematical Beauty, H. E. Huntley, Dover 1970. 186 pages Buy it from Amazon.com Buy it from Amazon.co.uk
Surfaces and Textures: A Visual Sourcebook, Polly O'Neill, Black 2008 160 pages A splendidly rich book full of photographs to bring inspiration from nature. The author spent ten years collecting images from different countries, and organizing them into themes. Wonderful. Buy it from Amazon.com Buy it from Amazon.co.uk	The Geometry of Art and Life, Matila Ghyka, 1978. A geometrical exploration of the patterns of nature. The book does contain equations but the patterns can be understood quite easily from the many illustrations. Buy it from Amazon.com Buy it from Amazon.co.uk	Pattern, Colour and Form: Creative Approaches by Artists, Carolyn Genders, Black 2009 160 pages A beautiful and stimulating book both of the patterns that exist in nature and of how to make use of them. Black seem to be publishers to watch. Buy it from Amazon.com Buy it from Amazon.co.uk