One of the most popular artists of the 20th century, M. C. Escher, leaves a rich legacy. The centennial celebration of his birth, held in Rome and Ravello in 1998, gave testimony to the keen interest and new insight into his work, and showcased a number of contemporary artists and scientists whose work is directly inspired by that of Escher.This book contains 40 of their articles, richly illustrated with original art works in addition to well-known and little-known works by Escher. A CD-ROM complements the articles, containing color illustrations of work by contemporary artists, movies, animations, and other demonstrations.
From the reviews of the hardcover edition:
"... Is there an Escher print that captures this book? Not just one. Just as the editors of the book drew upon multiple authors' perspectives, so too multiple Escher prints would be required to characterise this book graphically. In many ways reading it was like reading Metamorphose II from left to right (as in the Emmer video clip on the CD-ROM). Each article is connected to the previous one, sometimes in surprising ways that force one to stop and think, but at the same time the articles are as different as birds and buildings. ...
A very important element of the book is the CD-ROM. It inclused articles, sets of illustrations, video clips, and software; indeed the CD-ROM should be read in parallel with the book. The images on the CD-ROM provide a much richer complement to the texts than the figures in the book can. ...
Not everything in this book will interest everyone, but there is a great deal here for anyone who has ever been struck by an Escher print, and been provoked to think about it afterwards."
Reviewed by David Reid, Nexus Network Journal, vol. 5 no. 2, Autumn 2003, for complete review see http://www.nexusjournal.com/reviews_v5n2-Reid.html
" ... The centennial celebration of his birth, held in Rome and Ravello, Italy, in June of 1998, gave a good testimony to the multi-disciplinary interest in his work and produced this book, where there are presented forty of their papers. A wonderful CD-ROM complements the papers, containing beautiful color illustrations, movies and animations.
The authors are well known scientists and specialists in Escher's work. ..."
Reviewed by Vera W. de Spinadel, President of the International Mathematics & Design Association, Journal of Mathematics & Design, Vol. 3, No. 1, 2003
"... This conference [an international congress held in June of 1998 in Rome and Ravello, Italy, to celebrate the centennial of the birth of Escher] resulted in an immensely interesting collection of articles presented in the book M.C.Escher's Legacy, A Centennial Celebration". ... Although Escher himself is no longer among us, M.C.Escher's Legacy, like a garden of continually blooming flowers, allows us to appreciate his heritage anew."
Reviewed by Reza Sarhangi, Notices of the AMS, April 2003 (for complete review see http://www.ams.org/notices/200304/fea-escher.pdf)
"... It is a handsome volume, and contains articles from 41 people, which cover a wide range of artistic and analytical endeavour. ... A quick dip into each section produces small gems. ... there is enough here to provide rich pickings for any interested party, no matter what their particular discipline is. Embedded in the various articles are even snippets which illuminate Escher's intentions, and his relationships with his mathematician friends (Coxeter, Penrose, Ernst et al). Even though short, these are rewarding to read.
If you are an educator in any of the fields mentioned in the paragraph below, this book is immediately worth a look... If I was a librarian of an institution which encompassed any two of fine arts, mathematics philosophy, physical science, psychology, I would definitely demand its purchase: if as many as three of them, demand it loudly! ... the CD-ROM ... is an excellent addition to the book, and contains much more material, including "video" excerpts from some of the lectures.)"
Reviewed by Warren Brisley, Australian Mathematical Society GAZETTE, Voume 30, Number 2, May 2003
"... This book contains 40 of their articles, richly illustrated with original art works in addition to well-known and little-known works by Escher. ..."
Zentralblatt für Didaktik der Mathematik 1/2003
"... Das Buch bietet all denen, die nicht nur ein Hochglanz-Bilderbuch durchblättern, sondern sich eingehender mit Eschers Werk auseinandersetzen wollen, willkommene Hintergrundinformationen."
Reviewed by George Szpiro, Neue Züricher Zeitung, 1.1.2004 (for complete review see )
"... Alle Artikel sind in liebenswürdiger Weise formuliert, manchmal auch für Außenstehende verständlich, und seien es nur die 85 Abbildungen von Escher und die vielen seiner Nachfolger, sowie die 40 Farbdrucke, die den Betrachter faszinieren. Es ist auch eine CD-ROM mit vielen prachtvollen auf Escher beruhenden Farbbildern und Informationen über die Jahrhundertkonferenz beigegeben. ... Den Herausgebern D.Schattschneider und M.Emmer kann für dieses herrliche Buch nicht genug gedankt werden, und wir können nur in den Leitsatz von A.Clebsch einstimmen: Es ist die Freude an der Gestalt in einem höheren Sinn, die den Geometer ausmacht!"
W.Jank, IMN - Internationale Mathematische Nachrichten 57 (2003), Issue 193
