Designa Wooden Books

Have you ever stared at patterned wallpaper and wondered how it was designed? Been captivated by some priceless Celtic art? Or boggled at a beautiful Islamic pattern? Have you ever stepped back and thought about the illusion of reality your senses create for you? Or pondered the symmetries which inform your feelings of what seems right? Is there a Golden secret, revealed by nature herself, which is common to all of the traditional arts? Packed with information and exquisite illustrations by more than twelve expert authors, Designa is the ultimate sourcebook for visual artists and designers of every kind.

Welsh Border architect David Wade has spent a lifetime gathering and organising the extraordinary families of surface patterns that nature throws up at every scale. In this book, illustrated by the author, we see branching patterns, animal spots, crack patterns and much, much more.

Across the Islamic world, illuminating Korans from Morocco to Malaysia, and adorning mosques, mausoleums and palaces, are hidden some of the most exquisite geometrical devices ever conceived by man. In this excellent little book, geometer Daud Sutton unravels the mystery of Islamic patterns, explaining where they come from, how to draw them, and hinting at the Divine messages they encode. WOODEN BOOKS are small but packed with information. "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.

Is there a secret visual language all around us? What's so special about the shape of the Great Pyramid? Why is there something so sixy about circles? How many ways can you tile the plane? Lavishly illustrated by the author, this enchanting small introduction to one of the oldest and most widely-used ancient traditions on Earth will forever change the way you look at a triangle, arch, window, fabric repeat, ceramic pattern, graphic design, painting, spiral or flower. WOODEN BOOKS are small but packed with information. "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.

The Quadrivium consists of the four Liberal Arts of Number, Geometry, Music, and Cosmology, studied from antiquity to the Renaissance as a way of glimpsing the nature of reality. They synthesize number, space, and time. Geometry is number in space, music is number in time, and the cosmos expresses number in space and time. Number, music, and geometry are metaphysical truths, good and beautiful everywhere at all times. Life across the universe investigates them. They foreshadow the physical sciences. This is the first volume to bring together the Quadrivium for many hundreds of years

"Sciencia" gathers together six individual volumes spanning the realms of mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, evolution, and astronomy. Lavishly illustrated with engravings, woodcuts, and original drawings and diagrams, it inspires readers of all ages to take an interest in the interconnected knowledge of the modern sciences.

Composed of six previously published works.