Rating: 
Summary: WOW, simply WOW. A must have for all origamists.
Review: A very large and complex book, well worth the price and makes a nice coffee table attraction. Excellent in every way. The book takes many different approaches to designing, several envolving quite a bit of geometry. Even though most origami artists are not designers, they can benefit from the many unpublished diagrams, from the Song Birds to the Black Forest Cuckoo Clock. I never expected a book of this caliber to ever be published.Simply amazing.
Rating:
Summary: A work of love, art and intellect
Review: I anticipated the release of this book for some months before I received my copy - and I am very gratified. Clearly, Robert Lang wrote this work out of his passion for the art and mathematics of origami. This book celebrates the art of origami through beautiful illustrations of complex folding techniques; and elaborates the mathematics of origami through vivid discussions of the history and theory of origami design. Lang counterpoints each theoretical discourse with clear folding instructions. The extensive bibliography and mathematical appendix shows that Lang is a scholar - and the fullness with which he cites the work of others shows that he is also a gentleman.
Rating:
Summary: Insightful and Inspiring
Review: I approached this book with a beginner/intermediate appreciation of origami, having dabbled in basic and moderately difficult forms occasionally through the years. I haven't seen any of the reviews yet highlight the greatest asset of this book; that it teaches you to gain an insightful eye into how models are constructed from the elementary bases. Most importantly, it liberates the casual origami hobbyist from merely following instructions, and leaves the reader equipped with the folding methods and techniques to create his own models.The unique aspect of the book's organization is that each folding technique is taught in a "top-down" hierarchy, beginning with the sheet of paper, and highlighting how "limbs" and "extensions" evolve from the folds. The more intricate methods are then re-illustrated, in the other direction, starting with the finished form, and reverse engineering how desired traits impact the pattern of creases on the unfolded piece of paper. This approach suites people of all learning disciplines, from those who prefer to see their models evolve as they are folded, to those who begin with an image of the final creation, and work backwards. Several ingenious techniques are described for understanding the underpinning structure of a model, including an analysis of the creases made on the unfolded paper, how cutting and grafting can prove whether desired models are technically feasible, and how angles and edges limit the number of extended "limbs" that can be made. All of this is described in a straight-forward and colloquial prose, supplemented with an engaging historical account of the evolution of origami into a scientific discipline. All told, this book is a masterpiece in aesthetic/scientific literature, which truly engages and inspires the reader. I highly recommend this book for artists and engineers alike, and anyone seeking to understand how beauty and complexity emerges from simplicity.
Rating:
Summary: The key to understand Robert Lang's work
Review: If you are like me, at some point you developed an interest in Origami and your attention was caught by Robert Lang's books. I bought "Origami Insects and their Kin" and was immediately fascinated by the lifelike and ingenuity of the models. My fascination became frustration when I tried to find any model in the book that was "doable". With much patience, wasted paper and a few suicide attempts :-), I finally did one - the ant ! I kept coming back to the Praying Mantis and the Pill Bug with no luck. Then I found this magnificent book - Origami Design Secrets. By studying the methodology created by Dr. Lang, one can see the method behind his genious (or madness :-). I was stumped by a sequence in the Praying Mantis, then I understood what was behind it once I read the chapter on "splitting"... It was like a revelation! The presentation of this book, the didactics and the clarity are superb. Dr Lang created a whole new field of science to explain Origami. It also helps the creative process and the goal to eventually create your own models. I will never be a "virtuoso" like Dr. Lang, but this book opened a whole new set of doors for me. I highly recommend it!
Rating:
Summary: *** The origami Bible ***
Review: It's inspiring, complete, full of unseen diagrams (some are really hard...) and really really fun to read just to get an idea of the complex process of creation. Even the mathematical part of origami takes place in this book. I really wonder how many persons on earth can fold all the models in this book...The price can seem a little high, but it's REALLY worth it!
Rating:
Summary: This is how every instructional book should be written
Review: Just two days ago, I had a very casual interest in origami. The primary reason being that I have no patience to simply follow instructions folding paper, and not seeing where all this paper folding is leading to till the last 1-2 steps. And, even then, why the precise sequence of folds has to be followed doesn't become clearer when you have completed your figure. But, after getting this book, my entire perspective on origami has been drastically changed. For the first time, I have seen an Origami book which actually de-assembles the steps, and talks about the design in a top-down approach, focussing on the major folds/creases, and the general concepts and principles you need to create a figure of your own from scratch. Despite the intimidating size of this book, you will very quickly get a sense of what all the folds are doing, and most importantly, start creating your own origami designs. The origami designs in this book will amaze you - a heart with an arrow piercing it, a toy train, and a whole host of others which you won't believe were actually developed from a single sheet of paper without any glue or cuts. don't be intimidated by the several pages of steps to follow to make a model. The text in each chapter gives an excellent overview and you will not feel lost in the design: in fact, you will begin to see why the creases/folds are necessary, even though you may have over 70% of the steps still to do. Lastly, the chapter on the Tree Algorithm is outstanding. This chapter discusses a computational approach to develop an origami figure from scratch. By the time you reach this chapter, the author has done a marvellous job of putting all the design ingedients in place, so you will appreciate the advanced mathematical theory. (For me, this was the best part. But, then, I have a Ph.D. in mathematical optimization. Nonetheless, there is a wealth of material in the rest of book also.) I only wish that other instructional books in other subjects could be as good.
Rating:
Summary: masterpiece for the experianced folder
Review: Robert Lang has outdone himself. This book does require a lot of experience with origami, but it does a great job of breaking down the ideas of how to use an analytical approach to design. I have been waiting over a year for this book, and it has been worth every minute. Having a background in mathematics helps appreciate the connections, but it is not required to realize you are reading a true classic. I would rate it as the finest book produced on origami.
Rating:
Summary: The one book that every origami fan MUST have!
Review: Robert Lang's book is one of the most amazing origami books I have ever seen. Disregard the higher than normal price for the book, it is worth every penny.
People who are simply interested in folding models will be delighted by the awe-inspiring Black Forest Cuckoo Clock and the collection of turtles (complete with shell designs). Other models include birds, a moose, a train, a valentine heart, and many, many others...all out of one sheet of paper with no cutting.
The books real value, however, is its wonderful discussion of the origami design process. Lang breaks down many different aspects and techniques of design into understandable bites. Personally, I enjoyed the mathematical discussions throughout, especially the tree theory section.
The bottom line: (out of 10)
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Model Value:
9 (not a book entirely of models, but the models that are contained are gorgeous)
Instruction Clarity:
9 (excellent considering how complicated the models are)
Difficulty:
10 (even origami pros will be challenged by the clock and the tiling of the fish and turtle)
Enjoyment:
10 (reading the book is as gratifying as actually reproducing one of the models within it)
Overall Value (not an average):
10 (a true masterpiece)
Rating:
Summary: Review of Origami Design Secrets
Review: This is a fantastic book! I highly recommend it. I have been doing origami for 10 years, and this is the best book I've seen yet. This book is for advanced folders. It includes instructions for a tree frog, a couple turtles, an Alamo stallion, the Bull Moose, an African elephant, the black forest cuckoo clock, and more. It also explains a lot of techniques used to fold some of the things he made and how to figure out things for yourself. This book is worth every penny, and then some.
Rating:
Summary: Review of Origami Design Secrets
Review: This is a fantastic book! I highly recommend it. I have been doing origami for 10 years, and this is the best book I've seen yet. This book is for advanced folders. It includes instructions for a tree frog, a couple turtles, an Alamo stallion, the Bull Moose, an African elephant, the black forest cuckoo clock, and more. It also explains a lot of techniques used to fold some of the things he made and how to figure out things for yourself. This book is worth every penny, and then some.
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