Modular Origami Polyhedra (Origami) (Paperback)
# Paperback: 64 pages
# Publisher: Dover Publications; Rev Enl edition (January 29, 1999)
# Language: English
# ISBN-10: 0486404765
# ISBN-13: 978-0486404769
# Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.2 x 0.3 inches
# Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
Editorial Reviews
Book Description
Step-by-step instructions and clearly detailed diagrams enable origamists to build over 35 different polyhedra from origami units. Fascinating models range from relatively simple modular cubes to more advanced two-piece modules, a gyroscope, and a 14-sided cuboctahedron. Subjects will challenge devotees of the craft, and can demonstrate geometric principles in the classroom.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Knifty models confusingly presented, October 9, 2000
By A Customer
That rating is really 3 1/2 stars, because the book is better than just average. It may look slim, but it’s chock-full of several models in each of many families of modules. Not hours, but weeks of fun (not to mention a lot of paper squares).
The problem is the presentation. Many models are hard to follow, especially when trying to put them together; more than once, I had to refer to another book to figure out what to do. Some diagrams are confusing, if not outright wrong (3-dimensional pictures are especially prone to this). Occasionally instructions are alluded to (e.g., in captions) that aren’t there. There’s a complete absence of cross-references between illustrative photos and instructions for folding them.
In short, a frustrating book. If the good parts weren’t so good, it wouldn’t be quite so frustrating.
I have been doing origami for about 10 years, and have had great success with modular origami (mostly from “Unit Origami” by Tomoko Fuse). This book has diagrams that are hard to understand, the colored side of the paper is not even marked so it’s very difficult to know if you are folding correctly. There are no written instructions, only the bad diagrams and I could not make a single model from this book. Even the few photos of the completed models were in black and white and not very good photos at all. I would recommend Fuse’s book or another modular origami book with better diagrams. For those that have had success with models from this book, congratulations, but even with my usual vast amount of patience it did not take long for me to throw this book across the room in frustration. However, I will say that the models are very unique and beatiful and if you can do them, they should be very satisfying. I am copying this same review for “3-d Geometric Origami” by Gurkewitz and Arnstein, for I felt the same was true of that book.