The Golden Ratio: The Divine Beauty of Mathematics

This is a lovely book which explains and examines the Golden Ratio/Divine Proportion using clear and engaging text accompanied by a kaleidoscopic array of beautiful imagery from the worlds of art, architecture, and nature. This book is sure to be appreciated by anyone who loves math, design, or classical art, as well as by those who are merely curious about the title topic. I am one who was merely curious. I haven't studied any math since high school (eons past), but I was able to grasp (with a bit of concentration) the very basic of the mathematical concepts presented in this book. I was actually quite pleased with myself when I encountered and even remembered the Pythagorean Theorem on page 27! While most of the mathematics in the book was over my head, I nevertheless found much to like in its pages. For example, nearly 100 pages are devoted to a presentation of the appearance of the Divine Proportion in art and architecture. I thoroughly enjoyed looking at the masterworks of DaVinci, Michelango, Botticelli, and more, and seeing evidence of the Golden Ratio in these famous art pieces. I was especially drawn to a section of the book which focuses on the design and construction of the great cathedrals of Europe. Photographs (with PhiMatrix overlays) of the rose windows at Notre Dame and Chartes are impressive and, of course, very beautiful. The last part of the book takes a look at the appearance of the Divine Proportion in the natural world. Again, I am not a mathematician, but I had fun counting the plant spirals on photographs of pine cone bases, and looking for the "beauty of fives" in pictures of flowers and fruits. Overall, I enjoyed spending time in the pages of this book. It has something for everyone. And, it looks pretty impressive on my coffee table; if I were hunting a mate, I might impress a super successful STEM dude—or perhaps an artsy guy--with this book!

Beautiful Book

great book for developing engineer students

I personally have a strong interest in the Golden Ratio and Fibonacci sequence, originating with my degree in engineering and a core curriculum in liberal arts. More recently, I have taken a keen interest in Fibonacci applications in technical trading. I was originally drawn to this particular book by the artwork of Rafael Araujo, which is featured on the cover and throughout, as well as the work of Gary Meisner, whose public research available on his website I consider to be the benchmark for interest on the subject. The Golden Ratio greatly exceeded my expectations. The pictures and imagery used throughout the book are simply magnificent; absolutely stunning in areas. This book is both text book and coffee table book; the production is of the highest quality. It is comprehensive and well-written, yet not so difficult as to be rendered inaccessible to the ordinary reader. For the price, this book is an absolutely tremendous value and far and away my favorite new addition on the subject.

I got this book for the pictures, honestly. Because the the other option of Golden Ratio Coloring Book actually comes blank - you've got to color it. This one is a pretty book for sure! It (like a lot of phi write-ups) kind of makes a lot out of the specific number but provides little real insight into the driving force of logarithmic curves. But as long as you know what you're buying, you won't be too disappointed IMO. It is a geek's coffee table book for sure - and you can always fill with n-bonacci stuff if the topic ever comes up...

IF you are just curious about how nature, art and architecture (ancient and modern), graphics, balance and so much of the world around us, and how our psyches are influenced by this number/ratio/natural phenom then for gosh sakes spend the paltry sum to get this book! I would really expect such a finely illustrated, well written tome like this to be $75. - so get it before the author and publisher realize their mistake. The explanations are light enough for even a non-mathmatician to understand - (yes, you can skip the few equations and still get a very thorough understanding of the subject). If you're a math teacher - say at middle-school level and above - DO get this book, and DO teach this to your students! Hey, artists and architects learned this concept 500+ years ago! Art, architecture and engineering teachers - your students need this book and the subject it teaches! I am just floored about how good this book is on this subject, and how really beautiful it is.

What an amazing resource! Not only is it a beautiful coffee table piece, it is an amazing reference for iconic works both old and new. It even has a study on Salvator Mundi, a recent discovery within the Da Vinci world. If you are a digital designer, I recommend checking out the authors Phi Matrix software. It is an incredible tool for those who wish to design within the underlying principles outlined within this book!

I bought this book in both English and Japanese. The author is a great fan of the golden ratio and has used the technique he invented in many paintings that are both historically and artistically beautiful. I was deeply impressed by the important relationship between the golden ratio and Pythagorean theorem based on Kepler triangle. By linking this relationship with the Fibonacci sequence, I was also able to discover the equiangular spiral.

Nice hardcover book with many colorful illustrutations

Purchased as a gift for Maths teachers... something a bit different. Beautiful imagery and interesting comments throughout the book and a different lens on the world of maths.

I like this book . I am familiar with this ratio and worked it out myself years ago via a quadratic equation . I found the book very interesting and colourful , being full of many illustrations . The geometrical content brought back memories of my math's days when a student . A good and , if I may say , amusing book to read . A lighthearted look at some fundamental math's . Engineers would find it fun .

An interesting book,even if some of it seems a trifle fanciful.