Origami Design Secrets- Mathematical Methods for an Ancient Art Description:

Origami Design Secrets: Mathematical Methods for an Ancient Art review:
5 stars (The one book that every origami fan MUST have!) - Robert Lang's book is one of the most amazing origami books I have ever seen. Disregard the higher than normal price for the book, it is worth every penny.



People who are simply interested in folding models will be delighted by the awe-inspiring Black Forest Cuckoo Clock and the collection of turtles (complete with shell designs). Other models include birds, a moose, a train, a valentine heart, and many, many others...all out of one sheet of paper with no cutting.



The books real value, however, is its wonderful discussion of the origami design process. Lang breaks down many different aspects and techniques of design into understandable bites. Personally, I enjoyed the mathematical discussions throughout, especially the tree theory section.



The bottom line: (out of 10)

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Model Value:

9 (not a book entirely of models, but the models that are contained are gorgeous)

Instruction Clarity:

9 (excellent considering how complicated the models are)

Difficulty:

10 (even origami pros will be challenged by the clock and the tiling of the fish and turtle)

Enjoyment:

10 (reading the book is as gratifying as actually reproducing one of the models within it)

Overall Value (not an average):

10 (a true masterpiece)
5 stars (The key to understand Robert Lang's work) - If you are like me, at some point you developed an interest in Origami and your attention was caught by Robert Lang's books. I bought "Origami Insects and their Kin" and was immediately fascinated by the lifelike and ingenuity of the models. My fascination became frustration when I tried to find any model in the book that was "doable". With much patience, wasted paper and a few suicide attempts :-), I finally did one - the ant ! I kept coming back to the Praying Mantis and the Pill Bug with no luck. Then I found this magnificent book - Origami Design Secrets. By studying the methodology created by Dr. Lang, one can see the method behind his genious (or madness :-). I was stumped by a sequence in the Praying Mantis, then I understood what was behind it once I read the chapter on "splitting"... It was like a revelation! The presentation of this book, the didactics and the clarity are superb. Dr Lang created a whole new field of science to explain Origami. It also helps the creative process and the goal to eventually create your own models. I will never be a "virtuoso" like Dr. Lang, but this book opened a whole new set of doors for me. I highly recommend it!
5 stars (*** The origami Bible ***) - It's inspiring, complete, full of unseen diagrams (some are really hard...) and really really fun to read just to get an idea of the complex process of creation. Even the mathematical part of origami takes place in this book. I really wonder how many persons on earth can fold all the models in this book...The price can seem a little high, but it's REALLY worth it!