Customer Reviews (3)

Excellent
This book is excellent.I used it in a college level art project and it helped a lot.The pictures are big and the detail is wonderful.Plus since it is written by Escher, the comments are great for understanding the contextualist side of each of his works.I would recommend this book to anyone.

Nice selection of some of Escher's most famous works.
Nearly everyone will have seen some of the work of Dutch graphic artist Maurits Cornelis Escher (1898-1970). His woodcuts and lithographs are largely based in mathematics and geometry, and provide endless fascination. Many of the two dimensional images Escher created simply could not exist in the three dimenional world, yet on paper they LOOK entirely plausible at first glance (for instance, "Ascending and Descending" and "Belvedere"), and this alone gives the mind of the viewer plenty to ponder. Escher also incorporated tessellations - images composed of repeating, interlocking shapes - into many of his pieces (such as in "Reptiles" or "Fish"), and he played with the idea of having different figures in the same composition existing on different planes, despite sharing the same space. For instance, a surface which is the floor for one figure may be a wall for another (see "Relativity").

This particular book is a very nice collection of some of Escher's most well-known pieces, and is very afordable. There are certainly more detailed books on Escher's life and work available, such as J.L. Locker's 200-page "The Magic of M.C. Escher," but "29 Master Prints" is a great alternative for those who simply want something visually stimulating to put on their coffee table, without too much text. Each print covers a full page (and these are large pages - approximately 14.5 x 10.5 inches), and is accompanied by a small amount of text on the facing page, giving the piece's title, date of completion, medium, dimensions, and a short blurb offering insights about the print, written by either Escher himself or one of several other authors. The explanations written by the artist are often delightfully witty. At the beginning of the book there is a short essay by Escher, "On Being a Graphic Artist."

One disappointment I found was that the print of "Metamorphosis III" is broken up into pieces to fit it all on one page, so you can't see it end-to-end. I would rather have seen this done as some sort of fold-out. Also, unfortunately, this book does not appear to be available in hardcover, so it is slightly less durable. Nevertheless, I would certainly recommend "29 Master Prints" to any fan of Escher's work.

Following is a list of the particular twenty-nine prints included:

"Rind" - on front cover
"Other World"
"Smaller and Smaller"
"Circle Limit III"
"Knots"
"Hand with Reflecting Sphere (Self-Portrait in Spherical Mirror)"
"Balcony"
"Circle Limit IV (Heaven and Hell)"
"Ascending and Descending"
"Day and Night"
"Regular Division of the Plane III"
"Sky and Water I"
"Cycle"
"Metamorphosis III"
"Belvedere"
"Reptiles"
"Relativity"
"Fish" - 1942 woodcut
"Mobius Strip II (Red Ants)"
"Snakes"
"Fish" - 1941 woodcut
"Drawing Hands"
"Three Spheres I"
"Stars"
"Waterfall"
"Double Planetoid (Double Planet)"
"Dream (Mantis Religiosa)"
"Concentric Rinds (Concentric Space Filling / Regular Sphere Division)"
"Dragon"

Excellent Escher
This is a great "coffee table" picture book - full page prints of 29 of M.C. Escher's works. Not much text. The main drawback is that it is a paperback, so you can't use it too well as a "lap table" forother projects. And hey, the price is right, now! Just under 15 bucks, wow!We got our copy 15-20 years ago when the price was quite a bit higher! Youcan count on Amazon.Com to deliverit fast and cheap. Great book... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

an explanation
this book contains notes and unheard lectures that escher had prepared, in which he explains the method of making his tesselations and patterns. after reading this book, i felt the mystery dissipated, but also inspired to try out some of the concepts (for example, for creating gradations from one figure to the next). i found it really interesting that he so openly acknowledged that he didn't understand much of the theory and text on crystallography, but found new directions in his own work after looking at some imagery from that field. i did find myself glossing over the text of the second half of the book, though, since some of the same thoughts he said were re-iterated, as well as the theme of loneliness in his life.

Tiny pictures.
I think I was under the impression that this was a bigger book or something, but I wish it had bigger, better pictures.This is a paperback with lots more writing than pictures.Small pictures and not a ton of them.Decent book from what I've skimmed.

Escher in his own words
Maurits Escher, as an artist, needs no introduction. As a writer, however, he is not nearly well known enough. This short book collects some of his early writings from rather obscure journals, and presents a lecture that was never actually given.

Escher is well known for his precise renderings, and we are blessed with writing in the same precise style. He wrote out the script for his lecture in full, before it was to be given. That means that, when a medical emergency forced its cancellation, the lecture was preserved in its entirety. Like his geometric woodcuts and his precise lithographs, the calm of the text belies the passion that lay behind it. Escher spent decades in poverty before his well-earned fame, and pursued visions for which he had no good words and certainly no companions. That same drive was what pushed his skill as a woodblock artist down to the limits of his hands and his materials, below the limit of his unaided eye.

Although not trained in math or the hard sciences, he puts a human face on subtle mathematical concepts. The infinite and unbounded is a common idea, the finite and bounded is part of everyday life. These aren't his words, but he pursued the finite and unbounded, in tiled patterns on the surface of a sphere. He also sought out the infinite and bounded, and found it in the Cirle Limit pieces and other works.

This book is the only inexpensive and easily accesible source of Escher's own thoughts on his work. It's not a catalog of his work - most of the reproductions so small that they only suggest the piece depicted, or remind a viewer already familiar with the work. It's not a biography, although it has a few biographical details. People with the wrong expectations are sure to be disappointed in this.

I'm happy with it. It is a very enjoyable look at his cool manner of presentation. Like his Three Worlds litho, it presents a surface of meaning, but shows reflections of distant ideas and hints at his hidden depths.

//wiredweird

Not as interesting as one would expect
I feel that this book seems, at first glance, to be much better than it really is. That is, when one picks up the book for the first time in a book store and flips through the pages, one gets the impression that it will actually be interesting to read, and will help in understanding Escher's genius.But really, the works themselves are the only things this book offers, the text is basically useless, shallow and uninteresting.

Casual Fan Book
This is a nice collection of Esher work for the casual fan not looking to spend a lot of dead presidents.THe book also has biographical information,ect ... Read more

Book Description
A Kaliedocycle is a three-dimensional ring made from a chainof solid figures enclosed or bonded by four triangles.These kaleidocyclesare adaptations of Escher's two-dimensional images of fish, angels,flowers, people, etc., transformed into uniform, interlocking,three-dimensional objects whose patters wrap endlessly.Kaleidocyclescontains a 48-page book with over 80 reproductions and diagrams, assemblyinstructions, and a fascinating discussion of the geometric principles andartistic challenges underlying Escher's designs and their transformation tothree-dimensional models; and seventeen die-cut, scored, three-dimensionalmodels (11 kaleidocycles and 6 geometric solids) Cigar box-style packaging,size: 9 1/2 x 12 1/4 x 1 1/2". ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Fun and educational
My 9-year-old son and I had tremendous fun assembling the models in this kit. Each of the models in the kit contains an adaptation of Escher's periodic design in a way that the geometric solid is continously covered with it. Though a unique personal experience, my son learned what tetrahedron, octahedron, dodecahedron, cuboctahedron and kaleidocycle look like. This is the best project we ever worked on.

Teachers Alert! Parents Alert!
Want to get your kids or students interested in math?Let them put together a geometric solid covered with interlocking trolls or other tesselated designs, then hang them from the playroom ceiling! Your kids will never get over it!

Beautifully colored, easily put together. and very, very neat...

best kaleidocycles
This is the bet presentation and best manufactured kaleidocycles that I had bought. Sent in a very good and fast way.

Adds a whole new dimension to the wonders of M.C.Escher

If you are as fascinated with the graphics of Escher as I am; you'll be entertained,amazed and engrossed with this 'kit' which allows you to assemble and hold these wonderful models of intrigueing mathematics , coupled with the graphic art and figures of the master himself; M.C.Escher.
It is one thing to look at Escher's magnificient work in 2-dimension; but it is another experience entirely, to hold these 3-dimensional models and view the figures and patterns as you turn as fold these models on themselves,
One of the other reviewers talked about creating additional models; and that is obviously possible ,because there is all the information needed to do that; right here in the book.
I have had this kit for some time ; but hadn't actually constructed any of the models. I recently was told about a man who constructed ball and stick models. I contacted him,and visited him to see his models. I brought along with me a book ,
"Polyhedron Models" by Magnus Wenninger .This is an outstanding book covering the subject as well as 119 models. The man I was visiting ,had the book and even knew its author. This book deals with models whose surfaces are flat and made of cardboard or if desired ,other materials. To see what these fascinating models look like, look them up on the net under "Magnus Wenninger".
The man I visited constructs similar models;but uses only wooden balls and sticks. Think of those chemistry models of compounds,and you can imagine how beautiful and interesting they can be. All models begin with one of the known uniform polyhedra and from them the stellated models are formed. The variations are in the many millions.
Anyone who has much interest in this sort of stuff will find an excellent chapter ,Polyhedra,in "Mathematical Recreations and Essays" by W.W. Rouse Ball,a real classic in the subject of Mathematical Recreations.
The man I went to visit has been working on these models for many,many years. He has created his own techniques and even an intrigueing appratus to make the holes in the balls. The exactness is so critical,that making them by hand would be terribly difficult. To date he has made about 500 0f these ball and stick models.
So, after my visit,it was a real joy to cit down and construct some models.

From the Publisher
"A kaleidocycle is a closed chain of tetrahedra that can cycle endlessly through a center hole. ? Best known for his strangely realistic depictions of things that defy the laws of physics, Maurits Cornelis Escher became interested in problems of repetition and symmetry after traveling to the Alhambra, a 14th century Moorish castle in Granada, Spain. Fascinated by the periodic (i.e. regularly recurrent) designs of the castle's mosaics, he began to pursue the idea that a plane can be divided into uniform, interlocking figures, forming a pattern that repeats itself at set intervals, theoretically to infinity. Instead of simply combining abstract shapes to produce a pattern, however, Escher decided to use more meaningful figures--shells and starfish, angels and devils, for example--images that could be connected not just graphically but also conceptually. Kaleidocycles, created by mathematician Doris Schattschneider and graphic designer Wallace Walker, explores the three-dimensional implications of Escher's two-dimensional periodic designs. With a little glue, you can easily assemble the enclosed models--all printed with repeating patterns derived from the artist's original drawings--into various kaleidocycles and geometric solids. In doing so, you will transform Escher's beautiful designs into true examples of infinite repetition: the interlocking images will wrap endlessly over the surfaces of the three-dimensional objects. ? Kaleidocycles contains a 48-page book with over 80 reproductions and diagrams, assembly instructions, and a fascinating discussion of the geometric principles and artistic challenges underlying Escher's designs and their transformation to three-dimensional models; and seventeen die-cut, scored, three-dimensional models (11 kaleidocycles and 6 geometric solids) Cigar box-style packaging, size: 9-1/2 x 12-1/4 x 1-1/2". [Refers to revised edition:] ISBN: 0-7649-3110-5

KALEIDOCYCLES 3-D MODELS ONLY
"Purchase an extra set of the 17 models for each additional participant. Assembly instructions are not included. ISBN: 0-7649-3207-1."--? Pomegranate ... Read more

Book Description
Renowned artist M.C. Escher is not a surrealist drawing us into his dream world, but an architect of perfectly impossible worlds who presents the structurally unthinkable as though it were a law of nature. Weird, beautiful, finely detailed illusions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Not What I Thought It Was
I thought I was buying a wall calendar, and instead received this engagement book.However, it is a very nice item.It is spiral bound, with sturdy, cardboard type pages.It contains both weekly pages and monthly pages.The monthly pages have squares too small to write anything in except a word or two.The weekly pages have enough room to write down projects, assignments or reminders.I am not educated in art - the only thing I know of M.C. Escher is optical illusions, but this book contains drawings, wood engravings, watercolors, etc.The pictures are spectacular and Escher has a new fan. I bought this as a gift, and thought of returning it, but I think the teen artist I bought it for will like it more than a wall calendar.

The unusual world of M.C Escher
Many words come to mind when attempting to describe the work of Dutch artist M.C Escher: surreal, haunting, mysterious, dream-like.
Escher is best known for his exploration of the boundaries between art and reality ("Drawing Hands", "Reptiles", "Print Gallery"), and for his distortion of everday objects and mathematical experimentation with geometric shapes, patterns and perspectives (too many of his paintings to number). His best and most characteristic works, including "Depth" (1955), "Stars" (1948), and (naturally), "Other World" (1946) are highly imaginative, creating a fantastic and indescribable dream-universe all their own, one which must ultimately be experienced in order to be fully appreciated.

Just gives us what we need, and that's good
M.C. Escher is one of those artists that editors and art critics can't help but spew nonsense about. Taschen's collection of Escher's work is remarkably sparse on editorializing and allows the works to do what they have always done best: draw the viewer into the magical and hypnotic realm of M.C. Escher. The prints are extremely crisp and thoughtfully arranged, unlike other collections that throw works together in a hodge-podge fashion.

No other artist of the 20th century has had such wide approval and acclaim as M.C. Escher, and this slim volume perfectly expresses why that is so without resorting to pages upon pages of discussions on deconstruction, reality vs. illusion or image vs. icon, and all the other blah-blah-blah that you'll find in other collections. This collection just allows you to turn the pages and enjoy, which I did and you will too.

Eschers Graphic Work
Just as the title suggests this book contains The Graphic Work of M.C. Escher.In the beginning of the book there are short descriptional insights about each of the pieces.The rest is filled with Eschers work.If you're an artist and need inspiration or like Eschers work this is a great book.Out of about 90 pages, 70 contain full page prints of Eschers work.

Escher Is the World's Greatest
The copies of the prints in this calendar are magnificent.The detail and artistry that escher puts into his works is the most beautiful I have ever seen.Escher is the greatest artist of all time.I recommend this to everyone. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

From the Publisher
"Maurits Cornelis Escher (Dutch, 1898-1972) took great delight in confusing two and three dimensions, altering planes and spaces in unexpected ways, and poking fun at gravity. His art forces us to consider a reality in which fish scales are made up of fish, and walls and floors change places with apparent logical ease. This address book presents forty splendid examples of Escher's woodcuts and lithographs along with his incredible drawings. Introduction by Escher's son George excerpted from a 1985 exhibition catalog. Images include: 'Castrovalva,' 'Delft: Roofs, Tower of Babel,' along with the familiar favorites: 'Drawing Hands,' 'Mobius Strip II,' etc.

"Pomegranate's deluxe address books are hardbound with decorated endpapers and a hidden spiral binding that allows them to lie absolutely flat. Forty full color reproductions complement information pages with room for 480 names, addresses, home and business telephone numbers, cell/pager, and e-mail addresses. ISBN: 0-87654-120-1; size: 7 x 8 1/4"."--© Pomegranate ... Read more

Product Description
New concise NAL edition, with texts by M. C. Escher and J. L. Locher. This book includes the most important of Escher's prints. ... Read more

Book Description
"A woman once rang me up and said, 'Mr. Escher, I am absolutely crazy about your work. In your print Reptiles you have given such a striking illustration of reincarnation.' I replied, 'Madame, if that's the way you see it, so be it, '" An engagingly sly comment by the renowned Dutch graphic artist Maurits Cornelis Escher (1898-1972)--the complex ambiguities of whose work leave hasty or single-minded interpretations far behind. Long before the first computer-generated 3-D images were thrilling the public, Escher was a master of the third dimension. His lithograph "Magic Mirror" dates as far back as 1946. In taking that title for this book, mathematician Bruno Ernst is stressing the magic spell Escher's work invariably casts on those who see it. Ernst visited Escher every week for a year, systematically talking through his entire oeuvre with him. Their discussions resulted in a friendship that gave Ernst intimate access to the life and conceptual world of Escher. Ernst's account was meticulously scrutinized and made accurate by the artist himself. Escher's work refuses to be pigeonholed. Scientific, psychological, or aesthetic criteria alone cannot do it justice. The questions remain. Why did he create the pictures? How did he construct them? What preliminary studies were necessary before he could arrive at the final version? And how are the various images Escher created interrelated? This book, complete with biographical data, 250 illustrations, and explications of mathematical problems, offers answers to these and many other questions, and is an authentic source text of the first order. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Be carefulthis is NOT a new Escher book. !

I just picked this book up thinking that there has been a "NEW" book published on M.C.Escher's work.When I got it home ,I checked it against other Escher books and was disappointed to find it is the same book published several times before and by different publishers.
As you can see the ,publication date of this edition is shown as April 6,2007.Therefore, the reviewers here must have been looking at a previous publication,possibly the one also listed here as a paperback in 1987.The copy I had was even earlier,published by Ballantine in 1976.
The quality of this Taschen Edition is very good, in fact, superior to the paperback editions I have seen; and will be enjoyed by anyone who likes M.C. Esher's work ;but the material included has not changed.
I believe this is an excellent book ,and agree with the reviews already written on other editions.
I guess what we have here is A 25 Year Celebration of its first publication.
This is an excellent chance to obtain this book and will be enjoyed,particularly by people new to Escher's work.The fact that this edition has now come out speaks volumes about what a great book this was,and it's great to see it available again.

Magic beyond understanding
The work of Escher has captured the imagination of many people and in this book Bruno Ernst (a personal friend of Escher) expands our understanding of the artist.After a brief but concise biography, the author throughly analyses the most important facets of Escher's artistic output: theillusion in drawing, the use of perspective, the creation of impossiblerealities, simultaneous and contrasting realities, crystals, and theinfinite.Escher was an artist who was unique in in his work, he stands byhimself, and this book is a helping tool in understanding and appreciatingthe unparalleled magic of his work.

This is the best book on Escher's work that I have seen.
The greatness of this book on the work of M.C. Escher is that it shows how he worked up his ideasfor various pieces.It also gives a thorough explanation of his thought and design process.It is truely a shame thatthis book has gone out of print.I sincerely hope that the publisherbrings it back.

Ernst gives a thorough, concise overview of Escher's work.
In The Magic Mirror of M.C. Escher, Bruno Ernst, an acquaintance of Escher's until Escher's death in 1972, presents a thorough summary of the life and work of Escher.Ernst devotes a chapter to the life of Escher,and uses the rest of the book to describe his amazing work.He includesthe different themes and styles that Escher used, and devotes a good amountof space to each work discussed.The book is extremely thorough andincludes large clear illustrations of the works themselves and also ofearlier drafts of the works and mathematical descriptions to assist thereader.This is the most concise book of Escher and his work I have everseen, and Ernst has done a fabulous job on it. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

From the Publisher
"Based on the designs of M.C. Escher®. ¶ Click on either picture for a larger view. Size: 5 x 7". Genuine navy leather embossed slip jacket and removable journal insert with full-color laminated covers and colorful designs throughout. 144 lined pages with ribbon marker and lay-flat binding. ISBN: 0-7649-1808-7. $30.00

"M.C. Escher®: Symmetry Journal Insert Refill. Replacement insert for 5 X 7" M.C. Escher®: Symmetry leather journal. 144 lined pages with ribbon marker. ISBN: 0-7649-1809-5. $10.95"--© Pomegranate ... Read more

Product Description
Exhibition catalogue for the auction held Saturday, February 16, 1980. Many black & white illustrations, 5 color illustrations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Some of the most amazing images ever created
To me, Escher's work is incredible. Every time I look at one of his convoluted drawings, I see something new. It is amazing how he was able to alter the perspective so that it appears that the steps are simultaneously going up and down. Animals are slowly transformed from one type into another. Different kinds of birds are bound together to tile a surface. Topologists will recognize many of their concepts, for example there is the single file of ants traversing a Mobius strip. Escher was a true artistic genius, taking simple ideas and expressing them in ways that sometimes cause you to lose track of where you are in the figure. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

From the Publisher
"Based on the designs of M.C. Escher®. ¶ Click on either pictures for a larger view. Size: 6 X 8 1/2". Genuine black leather embossed slip jacket and removable journal insert with full-color laminated covers and colorful designs throughout. 144 pages with ribbon marker and lay-flat binding. ISBN: 0-7649-1806-0. $35.00

"M.C. Escher®: Metamorphosis Journal Insert Refill. Replacement insert for 6 X 8 1/2" M.C. Escher®: Metamorphosis leather journal. 144 lined pages with ribbon marker. ISBN: 0-7649-1807-9. $12.95"--© Pomegranate ... Read more

Book Description
Imaginary worlds, impossible stairways, paradoxical hallways, enigmatic patterns, and mind-boggling graphics are the trademarks of M.C. Escher's artwork. His two-dimensional drawings bring to life a fourth dimension where the surfaces of things come together like a Mobius strip. The profoundly original work of Escher has inspired countless artists, designers, and filmmakers and can be considered a genre in itself. This guide provides a mind-bending introduction to the great master's work. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

a collection of Escher prints
A several-page introduction by Locher, then an essay by Escher, and then 184 illustrations (one, two, or three to a page), eight in color, the rest black & white.Some you've seen in popular reproductions.The rest flesh out what Escher was all about. ... Read more