Book Description
Doris Schattschneider's classic M. C. Escher: Visions of Symmetry (1990) is the most penetrating study of Escher's work in existence, and the one most admired by mathematicians and scientists. It deals with one powerful obsession that preoccupied Escher: what he called "the regular division of the plane," the puzzle-like interlocking of birds, fish, lizards, and other natural forms in continuous patterns. Schattschneider asks, "How did he do it?" She answers the question by meticulously analyzing Escher's notebooks, and the New Scientist described the result as "a collection of detective stories whose plots are brilliantly organized patterns." Like the first edition of the book, this new volume includes many of Escher's masterworks, as well as hundreds of lesser-known examples of his work. It also features an illustrated epilogue by the author that reveals new information about Escher's inspiration and shows how his ideas of symmetry have influenced mathematicians, computer scientists, and contemporary artists. Visions of Symmetry is a trip into the mind of a creator who continues to captivate the world.

About the Author
Doris Schattschneider received her Ph.D. in mathematics from Yale University and taught at Moravian College, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, for 34 years. She is the author of the best-selling model kit M. C. Escher Kaleidocycles and co-editor of the book and CD-ROM M.C. Escher's Legacy: A Centennial Celebration. She has served as editor-in-chief of Mathematics Magazine and in 1993 she received the national MAA Award for Distinguished Teaching of College or University Mathematics. Douglas R. Hofstadter is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid. A mathematician, physicist, and computer scientist, he is professor of computer science and cognitive science at Indiana University. Recently, Wired magazine called him "the most remarkable researcher in artificial intelligence today."

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Doris Schattschneider's classic Visions of Symmetry is the most penetrating study of Escher's work in existence, and the one most admired by mathematicians and scientists. It deals with one powerful obsession that preoccupied Escher: what he called "the regular division of the plane," the puzzlelike interlocking of birds, fish, lizards, and other natural forms in continuous patterns. Schattschneider asks, "How did he do it?" She answers the question by meticulously analyzing Escher's notebooks, and the New Scientist described the result as "a collection of detective stories whose plots are brilliantly organized patterns."