Art of the Snowflake
A Photographic Album
Published on 15. October 2007
156 pages
978-1-61673-124-3 (ISBN)
Description
The perfect geometry and exquisite beauty of nature is nowhere so clear to us as in the snowflake. But how have we been able to appreciate this infinitesimal wonder in all its crystalline glory? This book, as much a work of art as a testament to science, reveals how one of the snowflake's most inspired photographers came to such intimate knowledge of his craft and its fleeting focus. Beautiful pictures illustrate Kenneth Libbrecht's story of the microphotography of snow crystals, from the pioneering work of Wilson Bentley in the 1890s right up to Ken's own innovations in our age of digital images. A breathtaking look at the works of art that melt in an instant, this is a book to page through and savor, season after season.
Reviews / Votes
American Institute of Physics (www.aip.org)/Inside Science NewsServiceDec. 18, 2007"Exquisite photographs of the white ice crystals ... Libbrecht reveals images of stunning beauty that fall to earth mostly unnoticed every winter."
BOOK NEWS Inc,December 2007
"Libbrecht, a physicist at Caltech and has written on crystal growth, demonstrates his expertise in microphotography in this volume. Reproduced in color plats, some of them full-page, the photos depict individual snowflakes in all tier exquisite beauty."
Ski Canada, November 2007
"From soft and delicate to sinister and gothic individual snowflakes are shown in the coffee-table book as truly wonderful creations of nature - especially when they're photographed under the microscope by a certain physics professor from California who has a passion for them. This is the fourth and most artistic book on the subject by the author. And no matter what page you open it to, Libbrecht will have you mesmerized by the muster of such complex and symmetrical shapes that we all rely on as skiers." Minneapolis Star Tribune, Nov. 25, 2007
"Libbrecht, a name synonymous with snow crystal photography, again shows his mastery in this gorgeous book, proving many times over the old grade-school dictum that 'no two snowflakes are ever alike.' They're certainly not, and here's the beautiful proof."
Bookwormsez syndicated column, December 2007
"The gorgeous book is the latest in the 'Snowflake' series of books that show the beauty of those microscopic little flakes of ice and the inadvertent art that nature gives each of them. This is a great book for anyone of any age." www.theweatherdoctor.com, November 2007
"This is a visual book about art, art flowing out of nature and a scientist's eye to enhance that raw beauty. This WOW! Book straddles the worlds of art and science and should be on the shelves of everyone even remotely interested in the beauty of nature and of weather. With the holiday season fast approaching, I wholeheartedly recommend The Art of the Snowflake as a great gift that fits the season but lasts all year."
www.forherinformation.com, November 2007
"This perfect cold-weather book showcases the beauty and grace of winter's most fanciful decoration."
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Publishing group
Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc
Illustrations
484 color photos
File size
56,80 MB
ISBN-13
978-1-61673-124-3 (9781616731243)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
10/2007
Voyageur Press
€43.51
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Person
Kenneth Libbrecht is a professor of physics at Caltech, where he studies the molecular dynamics of crystal growth, especially how ice crystals grow from water vapor, which is essentially the physics of snowflakes. He has authored several books on this topic, including The Snowflake: Winter's Secret Beauty, The Snowflake: Winter's Frozen Artistry, The Art of the Snowflake, and Field Guide to Snowflakes. Dr. Libbrecht served as science consultant on the Disney film Frozen. He lives in Pasadena with his wife, Rachel Wing. They have two children.
