The Curves of Life

by Theodore Andrea Cook

Book Overview

The open-ended curve of the spiral gives a sensation of continuous motion -- of life, in fact. In The Curves of Life, Sir Theodore A. Cook (1867-1928), English author and editor, finds that the spiral or helix may lie at the core of life's first principle -- that of growth. The spiral is fundamental to the structure of plants, shells, and the human body; to the periodicity of atomic elements and to an animal's horns; to microscopic DNA (the double helix) and to the Andromeda nebula.
The Curves of Life portrays the significance of the spiral in 426 illustrations, from a Narwhal's tusk to D?rer's plan for a cylindrical helix. From the spiral in nature, science, and art, the author suggests ideas on the essence of beauty and man's response to it. "One of the chief beauties of the spiral as an imaginative conception is that it is always growing, yet never covering the same ground, so that it is not merely an explanation of the past, but is also a prophecy of the future."
Martin Gardner, mathematician and author, said of The Curves of Life, "This is the classic reference on how the golden ratio applies to spirals and helices in nature."

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 048623701X
• ISBN13: 9780486237015
• Release Date: February 1979
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Length: 528 Pages
• Weight: 1.21 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.4" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Sacred Geometry in Nature

A fascinating and comprehensive investigation into the perfect geometry of the natural world, originally published in 1914. The book studies and explores the spiral, or helix, and its mathematical expression through The Golden Ratio. The Curves of Life will excite both naturalists and mathematicians. The book should also appeal to market technicians involved with Fibonacci sequencing and Elliot Wave analysis. This is an intense read and not something most of us can pour through quickly, so while I highly recommend it to people interested in this subject, be prepared for a major commitment. Be sure to do a Look Inside to review the table of contents and verify your interest. Those who take the plunge will be well rewarded. This is a very special book.

Spirals in nature and in art

This book (originally published in 1914) is a comprehensive and extraordinary description of spiral formations. It's definitive--a must for anyone interested in art and in the way nature operates.