Origami Design Secrets: Mathematical Methods for an Ancient Art, Second Edition (AK Peters/CRC Recreational Mathematics Series)

Excellent book for anyone who has intermediate to advanced experience with origami. Don't get this book if you are a beginner; it will go over your head quite easily. A good benchmark to determine whether or not you'll understand this book is whether or not you can understand the entire folding process and structure of the original Kawasaki rose (not the insanely complicated "new" one). If you can fold one and know exactly what crease does what, and where each flap and corner ends up, you're good to go.What I love most about the book is that Lang explains things in a clear, methodical, and complete way. He doesn't force the reader to have an "origami mindset" to understand, but doesn't spoonfeed information endlessly, without leaving anything for the reader to consider or determine.The book does include instructions to what's displayed on the cover, and much much more. Models range from extensions/different applications of traditional bases, to complicated advanced bases, requiring personal artistic skill in shaping the base to the final model. Most of the models in the latter half of the book will require large paper, sometimes rectangles in specific dimensions; small squares less than a foot on each side just won't cut it.Lang does a good job at stimulating the reader to actually read his writing, and try things out. For example, the koi fish model in the book (one on the cover) only provides instructions to make the model without scales; to add them, you have to go back into the chapter just before and read about tiling, where he provides pieces of the crease pattern in parts. It's a good thing for novice-intermediate folders (of which I am one), because it allows him to explain the tiling process and logic, which allows him to simplify the crease pattern to just show where one needs to repeat this pattern, rather than outlining it all out. May not make a difference to the experienced folder, though.Also, if you're a mathematician looking for origami mathematics, this book isn't for you despite the title. The focus is more on design than mathematics, though the latter does show up more than a few times in the text.Overall: Book is only for intermediate to advanced folders who want to understand the logic behind origami better. Contains lots of great models with instructions (some contained within the chapter itself), but you'll need to procure large paper to fold most of them. You're unlikely to find an origami book with as much depth and breadth as this one anywhere else.

This is definitely the most expensive book I have ever paid for but, it is worth it!My boyfriend loves origami and wanted to really push his creative limits but couldn't find anything "challenging."And let me tell you, I searched high and low for this baby. This book sat in my virtual cart for two weeks, i'm surprised it didn't get dusty haha. I'm not a big spender so this was something I thought long and hard about because I wanted it to be worth it, not just for him but for me too! I wasnt exactly sure what his origami lvl was or if this would suffice! I have anxiety okay XDAnyway this book is great and it gets pretty complicated! Its really mathematical (Not my thing) but he loves it and he has made some incredible things. He's made me a couple basic turtles in the past, but his new creations? Absolutely awesome. I saw the passion in his eyes and that's what makes this book priceless. PS. It shows you how to make a dragon!!!!

This book is about design of figures, i you need to buy a book of origami, this one is the most complete book. We have a lot origami books in market, the most have origami instructions to fold a lot of animals, etc. But here you have some figures like 30 or more, and a lot focus on disign.I recomend this book for all people who want to know the state of art of origami, also for begginers. If you have no money make a effort and put money in a saving account and then buy only one book of origami: Origami Design Secrets. It's the most complete book until now in the history of origami. If you like origami you MUST have this book.The const is some people feel bad with geometry or mathematics, both of them are necessary to do complex origami figures. The autor in this edition eliminate one mathematics chapter, i think because some people don't like one chapter and then they feel bad and starting to think is to complex for them the whole book, i have the first edition an this one and i can said is not hard to understand, but is long and complete and you will discover a lot of think(you can download this chapter for free in the Robert Lang web page).The concepts are clear and mathematics and geometry is easy to understand. The book is the most complet book of origami until now. i have read the first edition, i think the second edition is better, the images are more clear an have more colors and we have like 150 new pages for the same price.

I got this for a present for my son who loves math and also loves folding more complicated origami stuff. His favorite right now is Jo Nakashima's dragon or eagles. He's really interested in levelling up his origami game. I haven't given it to him yet, but I want to pull it out and shove it into his hands every time I think about it, since I read through it when it arrived to make sure it was a good fit. It isn't just a "here's your instructions" book. It really teaches the math side and I love it for that.

It is FANTASTIC book.I'm not a big fan of 'recipe' books where one is given a set of instructions to follow without any explanations of inner workings. In this book Dr. Lang gives you a real insight on design. You just have to work on it, learn from it and enjoy it.What I love about this book: Dr. Lang considers his reader an intelligent human being with motivation to learn. Every topic is discussed in general first, exercises are suggested and independent thinking is encouraged. This is followed by diagrams and instructions for several models. Models are complex, difficult for beginners, but if one perseveres, it is a great delight to fold.What I don't like - have to find something yet.May be one thing - at times I wish I had Dr. Land at my side to help me through a particularly challenging place on diagram. I think I'll want it even if I successfully make all the models from the book, just because it'll be great in any case. And even more so if I grow up and start designing my own models.Thank you, Dr. Lang!!!!!!!

This book is incredible. The author is brilliant, but writes in a clearly organized and accessible style. Take an artist and a physicist and a mathematician and an exceptionally good writer and roll them into one and you get this once in a lifetime book. It’s worth every single penny.

I like Origami and wanted to get more in-depth or something. I didn't really check how much would be in the book, just heard that it is very good, so I was agape when I saw that it is one heck of a tome. Like it makes sense just looking at the price I know, but I just didn't connect the dots. I will be occupied and fascinated by this one for a long while. Very awesome.

El libro es bastante extenso y permite entender el origami desde otra perspectiva. Creo que si se tiene paciencia se puede aprender mucho de este libro

Really good book with a lot of really intresting and usefull information to create your own origami

Bonjour,J'avais déjà la première édition, celle ci en encore plus massive et recentrée sur le pliage il n'y a plus les nombreuses pages sur les mathématiques du pliage qui sont disons le très très ardues.Merci et vive amzon.