Bøger i Wooden Books serien

What are stone circles? When were they built, and why? How come so many of them egg-shaped, or geometrically flattened? What do they have to do with the landscape, Sun, Moon and stars? In this beautifully illustrated book, megalithomaniac Hugh Newman takes us on a fascinating journey around the world, examining these mysterious monuments of the megalithic culture from Wessex to Scotland, France to Poland, North America to Africa and India to Japan. "e;Fascinating"e; FINANCIAL TIMES. "e;Beautiful"e; LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS. "e;Rich and Artful"e; THE LANCET. "e;Genuinely mind-expanding"e; FORTEAN TIMES. "e;Excellent"e; NEW SCIENTIST. "e;Stunning"e; NEW YORK TIMES. Small books, big ideas.

What is the difference between an amulet and a charm? When would be the right time to make a talisman? And, if you absolutely had to, how would you cast a spell? In this unique little book, scholar Marian Green unravels the complex web of associations and correspondences which form the backbone of the Western magical arts. Packed with rare illustrations and useful tables, there is no better volume for the modern travelling magician. "e;Fascinating"e; FINANCIAL TIMES. "e;Beautiful"e; LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS. "e;Rich and Artful"e; THE LANCET. "e;Genuinely mind-expanding"e; FORTEAN TIMES. "e;Excellent"e; NEW SCIENTIST. "e;Stunning"e; NEW YORK TIMES. Small books, big ideas.

How did the Oracle of Delphi obtain her prophecies? Can you access information just by holding an object? Are itches actually messages? Is it really possible to read the future in the bottom of a teacup? In this condensed book, experienced seer Jewels Rocka outlines the theory and practice of divination, using illuminating examples from all over the world. Packed with useful information and miniturised reference tables, this is the essential pocket volume for the travelling prophet. "e;Fascinating"e; FINANCIAL TIMES. "e;Beautiful"e; LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS. "e;Rich and Artful"e; THE LANCET. "e;Genuinely mind-expanding"e; FORTEAN TIMES. "e;Excellent"e; NEW SCIENTIST. "e;Stunning"e; NEW YORK TIMES. Small books, big ideas.

What's the difference between a cast shadow and a form shadow? Why do shadows become increasingly important in Western art? Can we only ever see shadows, not objects themselves, as Plato claimed? In this beautiful little book, printmaker and History of Art Professor William Vaughan presents the history of shadows, from their emergence in the visuals arts to their association with death and the subconscious. Get ready! You may never look at the world the same way again! "e;Fascinating"e; FINANCIAL TIMES. "e;Beautiful"e; LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS. "e;Rich and Artful"e; THE LANCET. "e;Genuinely mind-expanding"e; FORTEAN TIMES. "e;Excellent"e; NEW SCIENTIST. "e;Stunning"e; NEW YORK TIMES. Small books, big ideas.

What is the difference between a ghost and a ghoul? How do you tell a good Jinn from a bad one? Where would you find a chimera or a manticore? What did Herodotus have to say about werewolves? In this enchanting little book, television producer and mythozoologist Tam OMalley explores the rich world of mythological animals, from banshees to harpies, griffins to vampires. These ancient beasties still intrigue us today, filling popular novels, screens and imaginations. "e;Fascinating"e; FINANCIAL TIMES. "e;Beautiful"e; LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS. "e;Rich and Artful"e; THE LANCET. "e;Genuinely mind-expanding"e; FORTEAN TIMES. "e;Excellent"e; NEW SCIENTIST. "e;Stunning"e; NEW YORK TIMES. Small books, big ideas.

In this beautifully illustrated book, Hugh Newman takes us on a fascinating journey around the world, examining mysterious stone circles of the megalithic culture.Stone circles conjure up a lost world of mysterious ceremonies, druid astronomers and pagan dances. How such mighty rings were constructed has long baffled archaeologists and antiquarians. The most famous stone circle is Stonehenge in England, but expert Hugh Newman shows that these incredible architectural monuments can be found around the world, with more than a thousand of them appearing on the British Island alone. In this guide, he explores how they were made, what they meant, and how their construction aligns with the landscape, sun, moon, and stars. For Wooden Book fans everywhere, Stone Circles is the quintessential little book about fascinating ancient architecture.

Following the success of Quadrivium and Sciencia, a compendium of six titles on art and design in the acclaimed Wooden Books series appears here in one volume. From the geometric patterns of Islamic art and design to the swirling floral motifs of Celtic art, Designa brings together six elegant and insightful short volumes from the Wooden Books series on art and design including Islamic Design, Celtic Pattern, Curves, The Golden Section, Symmetry, and Perspective. Lavishly illustrated with engravings, woodcuts, and original drawings and diagrams, Designa will inspire readers of all ages to take an interest in the interconnected knowledge of art and design from different cultures throughout the world.Wooden Books was founded in 1999 by designer John Martineau near Hay-on-Wye. The aim was to produce a beautiful series of recycled books based on the classical philosophies, arts and sciences. Using the Beatrix Potter formula of text facing picture pages, and old-styles fonts, along with hand-drawn illustrations and 19th century engravings, the books are designed not to date. Small but stuffed with information. Eco friendly and educational. Big ideas in a tiny space. There are over 1,000,000 Wooden Books now in print worldwide and growing.

A unique new guide to the chaos of the natural world and the mathematics of fractals for anyone who has ever wanted to understand the patterns in leaves or the creation of snowflakes.2,000 years ago Euclid of Alexandria devised a strategy for measuring and mapping the world using spheres, cones, circles, and straight lines. His modeling allowed for the invention of geometry and the theories of Isaac Newton and influenced subjects as varied as economics and ethics. But Euclid's neat solutions belied much of natural reality, and as technologies like satellite navigation were developed, scientists needed to find a more precise way to measure forms that didn't follow straight lines or easily measured curves. The solution, discovered in 1982, was fractals.In this beautifully illustrated book, fractal-hunter Oliver Linton takes us on a fascinating journey into the mathematics of fractals, diving into everything from coastlines to carpets to reveal some of the most recently discovered and intriguing patterns in science and nature.

The quadrivium-the classical curriculum-comprises the four liberal arts of number, geometry, music, and cosmology. It was studied from antiquity to the Renaissance as a way of glimpsing the nature of reality. Geometry is number in space; music is number in time; and cosmology expresses number in space and time. Number, music, and geometry are metaphysical truths: life across the universe investigates them; they foreshadow the physical sciences. Quadrivium is the first volume to bring together these four subjects in many hundreds of years. Composed of six successful titles in the Wooden Books series-Sacred Geometry, Sacred Number, Harmonograph, The Elements of Music, Platonic & Archimedean Solids, and A Little Book of Coincidence-it makes ancient wisdom and its astonishing interconnectedness accessible to us today.Beautifully produced in six different colors of ink, Quadrivium will appeal to anyone interested in mathematics, music, astronomy, and how the universe works.Wooden Books was founded in 1999 by designer John Martineau near Hay-on-Wye. The aim was to produce a beautiful series of recycled books based on the classical philosophies, arts and sciences. Using the Beatrix Potter formula of text facing picture pages, and old-styles fonts, along with hand-drawn illustrations and 19th century engravings, the books are designed not to date. Small but stuffed with information. Eco friendly and educational. Big ideas in a tiny space. There are over 1,000,000 Wooden Books now in print worldwide and growing.

From the practical fundamentals to the more demanding, this pocket-sized book introduces the origins and basic principles of geometric constructions using ruler and compass, before going on to cover dozens of geometric constructions!Since the earliest times mankind has employed the simple geometric forms of straight line and circle. Originally marked out by eye and later using a stretched cord, in time these came to be made with the simple tools of ruler and compass. This small book introduces the origins and basic principles of geometric constructions using ruler and compass, before going on to cover dozens of geometric constructions, from the practical fundamentals to the more demanding.- Constructions for more than thirty regular polygons- Introduces geometric construction using compasses alone and using rulers alone- Explains why trisecting an angle is impossible using classical rules and how to trisect an angle anyway- Highlights the relationship of geometric construction with many fundamental developments throughout the history of mathematicsWooden Books was founded in 1999 by designer John Martineau near Hay-on-Wye. The aim was to produce a beautiful series of recycled books based on the classical philosophies, arts and sciences. Using the Beatrix Potter formula of text facing picture pages, and old-styles fonts, along with hand-drawn illustrations and 19th century engravings, the books are designed not to date. Small but stuffed with information. Eco friendly and educational. Big ideas in a tiny space. There are over 1,000,000 Wooden Books now in print worldwide and growing.

The Ultimate Pocket Guide!

This groundbreaking book presents the elements of music in a way that is pedagogically clear and comprehensible, by building upon simple principles of proportion and relationship. These in turn are corresponded to language as musical metaphor. This, in combination with novel graphics and symbols, carries the reader to a basic understanding of melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic principles, as well as Western musical notation. A great primer on music theory for the novice or professional, as well as an invaluable resource for composers and students, it includes the following:- A rich unfolding of metaphors and illustrations to elucidate a notoriously impenetrable and abstract subject.- The properties of the overtone series and how it influences harmonic and melodic thought.- A discussion of epigrams and dialectics exploring how meaning is carried through time.- Rhythm and meter as the marking of time and the organization of it into self-similar structures.- From the circle of fifths to intervals, triads, and later seventh chords and extensions.- How major/minor key tonality and modulation occur, and how they differ from music based upon drones or other types of scales.- How form and structure reflect the relationship of humans to time and emotional states.- A wealth of scales, rhythmic patterns, and notation references in the appendices.

Throughout their long history the craft traditions of the Islamic world evolved a multitude of styles applied to a great variety of media but always with unifying factors that make them instantly recognizable. Harmony is central. There are two key aspects to the visual structure of Islamic design, calligraphy using Arabic script-one of the world's great calligraphic traditions-and abstract ornamentation using a varied but remarkably integrated visual language. This art of pure ornament revolves around two central themes; crystalline geometric patterns, the harmonic and symmetrical subdivision of the plane giving rise to intricately interwoven designs that speak of infinity and the omnipresent center; and idealized plant form, spiraling tendrils, leaves, buds and flowers embodying organic life and rhythm.1. WIDE APPEAL: Anyone interested in science, mathematics, design, architecture, and the natural world.2. AUTHORITATIVE: A compelling blend of scholarship and visual presentation, packs an enormous amount of information into a short space.3. BEAUTIFUL PACKAGE: A bargain at $10.00. Winner of First Prize for Nonfiction at the New York Book Show4. SERIES PURPOSE: All are aimed at bringing ancient wisdom forward into the 21st century.5. INSPIRING: The perfect entrée into a challenging topic; will inspire other reading.

A beautiful and useful handbook on the Golden Section--also known as the Golden Ratio and Golden Mean--a perfect gift book.The Golden Section is a line segment divided into two parts, such that the ratio of the short portion to the longer portion is equal to the ratio of the longer portion to the whole. It is one of the most elegant and beautiful ratios of the mathematical universe because of its combination of elegance and simplicity-hence the divine nature of its name. Drawing on art, architecture, philosophy, nature, mathematics, geometry, and music-and beautifully illustrated in the Wooden Books fashion with all manner of images-The Golden Section will tell the story of this remarkable construct and its wide ranging impact on civilization and the natural world.Wooden Books was founded in 1999 by designer John Martineau near Hay-on-Wye. The aim was to produce a beautiful series of recycled books based on the classical philosophies, arts and sciences. Using the Beatrix Potter formula of text facing picture pages, and old-styles fonts, along with hand-drawn illustrations and 19th century engravings, the books are designed not to date. Small but stuffed with information. Eco friendly and educational. Big ideas in a tiny space. There are over 1,000,000 Wooden Books now in print worldwide and growing.

Symmetry underlies almost every aspect of nature and our experience of the world, from the subatomic realms of quantum mechanics to the equations of physics, in art, architecture and our concepts of morality and justice. In this little book Welsh writer and artist David Wade paints a picture of one of the most elusive and pervasive concepts known to man.

Numbers permeate every aspect of our lives; very little happens without a basic ability to manipulate the simple whole numbers we all take for granted. Beautifully illustrated with old engravings as well as contemporary imagery, Sacred Number introduces basic counting systems; significant numbers from major religious texts; the importance of astronomy, geometry, and music to number quality; how numbers affect architecture. Lundy explains why the ideas of Pythagoras still resonate, and she profiles each number from one to ten to show its distinct qualities: why, for example, the golden section is associated with five, and seven with the Virgin Mary.

An acclaimed geometer explores the fundamental connections between space, time, and life that have not yet been fully understood.A most unusual guide to the solar system, A Little Book of Coincidence suggests that there may be fundamental relationships between space, time, and life that have not yet been fully understood. From the observations of Ptolemy and Kepler to the Harmony of the Spheres and the hidden structure of the solar system, John Martineau reveals the exquisite orbital patterns of the planets and the mathematical relationships that govern them. A table shows the relative measurements of each planet in eighteen categories, and three pages show the beautiful dance patterns of thirty six pairs of planets and moons.Wooden Books was founded in 1999 by designer John Martineau near Hay-on-Wye. The aim was to produce a beautiful series of recycled books based on the classical philosophies, arts and sciences. Using the Beatrix Potter formula of text facing picture pages, and old-styles fonts, along with hand-drawn illustrations and 19th century engravings, the books are designed not to date. Small but stuffed with information. Eco friendly and educational. Big ideas in a tiny space. There are over 1,000,000 Wooden Books now in print worldwide and growing.

The Earth Mysteries Compendium

The Trivium are the three Liberal Arts pertaining to language: Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric, studied from antiquity to the Renaissance as a way of perfecting a speaker and their speech. Also included in this compendium of seven Wooden Books are studies of Euphonics, Poetic Meter and Form, Ethics, and Proverbs.

What is a good life, and how is it related to a happy one? What are virtues, and how do they affect the nature of friendships? Ethicists Gregory Beabout and Mike Hannis describe various approaches, ancient and modern, to those timeless questions: "What kind of person am I?" and "What should I do?"

Following the success of Quadrivium, Sciencia, and Designa in the acclaimed Wooden Books series, Trivium is a compendium of writings on the classical subjects at the heart of a liberal education, bringing the wisdom of the past into the twenty-first century.

A charming pocket guide to the most majestic of Earth's life forms.