Book of Circles: Visualizing Spheres of Knowledge
Product ID: 42185364
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In this follow-up to his hugely popular The Book of Trees and Visual Complexity , Manuel Lima takes us on a lively tour through millennia of circular information design. Three hundred detailed and colorful illustrations from around the world cover an encyclopedic array of subjects--architecture, urban planning, fine art, design, fashion, technology, religion, cartography, biology, astronomy, and physics, all based on the circle, the universal symbol of unity, perfection, movement, and infinity. The Book of Circles juxtaposes clay trading tokens used by the ancient Sumerians with the iconic logos of twentieth-century corporations, a chart organizing seven hundred Nintendo offerings with a Victorian board game based on the travels of Nellie Bly, and a visual analysis of Stanley Kubrick's film The Shining with early celestial charts that placed the earth at the center of the universe, among a wealth of other elegant and intriguing methods for displaying information. Lima provides an authoritative history of the circle as well as a unique taxonomy of twenty-one varieties of circle diagrams, rounding out this visual feast for infographics enthusiasts. Review: Fascinating look at the circle and where it fits in human culture, it's use for diagrams. - Great book if you are a visual learner. This, along with its companion Book of Trees, could potentially be your key to winning Jeopardy, there is a huge amount of information here! All encased in circles. Review: Visually engaging, illuminating and clever - I’ve now gone through this wonderful book and enjoyed it all. I’m buying copies for 4-5 professional friends to share the goodness with them. The thoughtful taxonomy of circle designs is clever and useful, reminding readers of the ways that circles could be used. I think it is an important intellectual advance, although an occasional example seemed more beautiful than illuminating. The numerous captioned illustrations make for compelling viewing and reading, enriched by the remarkable historical depth and international breadth -- a cultural grand tour.
| Best Sellers Rank | #1,174,721 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #287 in Conceptual Arts (Books) #516 in Design History & Criticism #1,209 in Communication Reference (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 238 Reviews |
P**L
Fascinating look at the circle and where it fits in human culture, it's use for diagrams.
Great book if you are a visual learner. This, along with its companion Book of Trees, could potentially be your key to winning Jeopardy, there is a huge amount of information here! All encased in circles.
B**N
Visually engaging, illuminating and clever
I’ve now gone through this wonderful book and enjoyed it all. I’m buying copies for 4-5 professional friends to share the goodness with them. The thoughtful taxonomy of circle designs is clever and useful, reminding readers of the ways that circles could be used. I think it is an important intellectual advance, although an occasional example seemed more beautiful than illuminating. The numerous captioned illustrations make for compelling viewing and reading, enriched by the remarkable historical depth and international breadth -- a cultural grand tour.
C**R
Impressive and beautiful reference tool
Circles are important in my quilting and collage work, and this book has become a new essential in that work. It combines symbolic, scientific, mathematical, historical information in page after page of a visually stunning collection of circles. A favorite for browsing and research!
A**R
Beautiful book with lots of intriguing info-circles
Beautiful book with lots of intriguing info-circles. Excellent resource for art educators and artists interested in visual literacy or formating graphic information.
_**_
Beautiful book
Like it's predecessor (The Book of Trees), this is a beautiful book -- wonderfully crafted, beautiful color photos, high-quality paper. [What I wonder though, is why the publisher chose to make it physically taller and wider than The Book of Trees. Since the covers are clearly matching designs, why wouldn't they be the same size, as part of a set?] The content is marvelous, with innumerable examples. However, there is less explication and commentary than in The Book of Trees -- and at times, with some of the more bizarre visualizations, I wish things were explained in detail. Overall, a great addition to your data-science, visualization, or design/art library.
O**H
Good book
Bought the kindle version. Could not read it but was interested. This resulted in me buying the hard copy.
T**E
Very reliable seller
The two large, hard bound books arrived in a well-packed box, in excellent condition. Thank you!
A**X
Five Stars
very interesting and visually satisfying look at the ways information is conveyed through color and form
A**A
Excelente como o book of trees!
A mesma qualidade de conteúdo, forma e material do book of trees e o complementa. Essencial para que trabalha com dados e divulgação
R**L
No es nuevo como dice la descripción
El libro venia abierto y con una página pisada, si estuviera vendiendose como usado seria entendible, pero la descripción dice nuevo
M**E
Severely damaged product
The book itself has great content but arrived with severe damage. Extremely disappointed as it was purchased as a gift.
S**H
Great author
Bought for a friend who absolutely loves it. I have other books by this author & love his books
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