Reviews from Amazon

Reviews elsewhere on the web:

Nigel Lesmoir-Gordon,Will Rood and Ralph Edney

INTRODUCING Fractal Geometry

I was a bit doubtful when I picked up INTRODUCING Fractal Geometry as to whether such a book could contain anything of use. Its quirky pictures make it look more like a comic strip than a book on mathematics. But surprisingly the format seems to work very well. Much of the useful information about a subject can be summarised in short pieces of text, but on its own such text would be excessively terse. The pictures in the book help to make a book that is easy to skim through, but still gives the reader a helpful introduction to the subject.

The book looks at the history of the subject, showing how many mathematicians came up with examples of fractals, but it took Benoit Mandelbrot to bring the subject together. There are then plenty of real-world examples of fractals, from mountains and blood circulation to stock market graphs and image compression. In fact I feel that maybe there were too many examples, some of which seemed only tenuously connected to the subject. But if you want a quick introduction to fractals then this book is ideal - and there's a list of further reading for those who want to go deeper into the subject

Amazon.com info

Paperback 176 pages
ISBN: 1840467134
Salesrank: 571257
Weight:0.57 lbs

Published: 2006 Totem Books

Amazon price $11.01

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Amazon.co.uk info

Paperback 176 pages
ISBN: 1840467134
Salesrank: 204193
Weight:0.57 lbs

Published: 2006 Icon Books Ltd

Amazon price £6.49

Marketplace:New from £3.06:Used from £3.39

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Amazon.ca info

Paperback 176 pages
ISBN: 1840467134
Salesrank: 170355
Weight:0.57 lbs

Published: 2006 Icon Books

Amazon price CDN$ 12.41

Marketplace:New from CDN$ 5.99:Used from CDN$ 6.84

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Product Description
Fractal geometry is the geometry of the natural world. It mirrors the uneven but real shapes of nature, the world as we actually experience it. Introducing Fractal Geometry traces the development of this revolutionary new discipline.

Product Description

Fractal geometry is the geometry of the natural world. It mirrors the uneven but real shapes of nature, the world as we actually experience it. Introducing Fractal Geometry traces the development of this revolutionary new discipline.

loved it *****
Want to learn what fractal geometry is? Get this book, you'll know enough to be able to join in conversations on the topic.

loved it *****

Want to learn what fractal geometry is? Get this book, you'll know enough to be able to join in conversations on the topic.

What? **
I like the format of these books, but the problem for me is that this one does not fulfil its brief, which is presumably to be, as its title implies, an introduction to a difficult subject for those not well-versed in science. I am an interested member of the latter consituency, but I found this book presupposed far too much background knowledge - especially of terminology. Not enough is explained for those of us reformed Luddites who need to be hand-held in these matters. I shall try elsewhere. (Luckily, the field of `popular science` writing is a rich and fertile one these days.)

What? **

I like the format of these books, but the problem for me is that this one does not fulfil its brief, which is presumably to be, as its title implies, an introduction to a difficult subject for those not well-versed in science.
I am an interested member of the latter consituency, but I found this book presupposed far too much background knowledge - especially of terminology. Not enough is explained for those of us reformed Luddites who need to be hand-held in these matters. I shall try elsewhere. (Luckily, the field of `popular science` writing is a rich and fertile one these days.)

This Book is Ok. ****
I liked this book. I believe it will have value to someone already knowledgeable about math and/or systems and looking for a quick and easy survey of the ideas they will encounter as they start learning about fractal geometry. This book will NOT make them an expert on the subject. I've read other, more technical books on fractal geometry and chaos, so nothing here was brand new to me. As for an introduction for the layman...well, that's a tall order if you hope to go beyond the "gee whiz!" phase with pretty pictures. For that, this book is probably as good as you can reasonably expect.

This Book is Ok. ****

I liked this book.

I believe it will have value to someone already knowledgeable about math and/or systems and looking for a quick and easy survey of the ideas they will encounter as they start learning about fractal geometry. This book will NOT make them an expert on the subject.

I've read other, more technical books on fractal geometry and chaos, so nothing here was brand new to me.

As for an introduction for the layman...well, that's a tall order if you hope to go beyond the "gee whiz!" phase with pretty pictures. For that, this book is probably as good as you can reasonably expect.

Glitzy graphics, Disappointing text, Broad coverage ***
Was this a Power Point presentation... gone missing? First, it's important to realize that this book is part of a series of "Introducing..." books from a UK publisher. So good authors were probably forced to follow a bad format. That format apparently required glitzy graphics which overpowered the book. Each small page seemed to be on a separate topic... much like a Power Point slide presentation. There was disappointingly little coverage of the math side of the material. OK, there really was next to none. The saving grace was the coverage of where fractals were being used in practical applications. Let me tell you a little more on these graphics. They were (professionally done) hand drawn cartoons. Mostly of famous mathematicians having quirky things to say about the subject, on an 8th grade level. Overall, I think the authors did a fair job of trying to jamb an excellent subject into a stupid book format. The problem lies most likely at the feet of the publisher. This format makes sense for some of their other 8th grade books: "Introducing Feminism"... Freud... Jung... Marx... Einstein, etc. How they were able to pull off "Introducing Math" in one of these small books is probably a story in and of itself. They even have an "Introducing a Post-Feminism" book, if the first one was not enough. This book was not a complete zero for me, as I did learn many new things. It was a fast read, but I think I have yet to find the best introductory book on Fractals. If you buy this book, you'll never have to pick up a pencil and solve a problem, or even use a calculator. It's just all... a quick read. John Dunbar

Glitzy graphics, Disappointing text, Broad coverage ***

Was this a Power Point presentation... gone missing?

First, it's important to realize that this book is part of a series of "Introducing..." books from a UK publisher. So good authors were probably forced to follow a bad format.

That format apparently required glitzy graphics which overpowered the book. Each small page seemed to be on a separate topic... much like a Power Point slide presentation.

There was disappointingly little coverage of the math side of the material. OK, there really was next to none. The saving grace was the coverage of where fractals were being used in practical applications.

Let me tell you a little more on these graphics. They were (professionally done) hand drawn cartoons. Mostly of famous mathematicians having quirky things to say about the subject, on an 8th grade level.

Overall, I think the authors did a fair job of trying to jamb an excellent subject into a stupid book format. The problem lies most likely at the feet of the publisher. This format makes sense for some of their other 8th grade books: "Introducing Feminism"... Freud... Jung... Marx... Einstein, etc. How they were able to pull off "Introducing Math" in one of these small books is probably a story in and of itself. They even have an "Introducing a Post-Feminism" book, if the first one was not enough.

This book was not a complete zero for me, as I did learn many new things. It was a fast read, but I think I have yet to find the best introductory book on Fractals. If you buy this book, you'll never have to pick up a pencil and solve a problem, or even use a calculator. It's just all... a quick read.

John Dunbar

Excellent and fun introduction to Fractals *****
Discovered this book serendipitously- It's easy to read, and the witty illustrations pull you right into it. It's a good book because, while it follows a logical sequence of explanation of fractals, it can also be opened almost anywhere and "read in". I will pass this book on, both to adults and young people I know, and they will get a great introduction to fractals!

Excellent and fun introduction to Fractals *****

Discovered this book serendipitously- It's easy to read, and the witty illustrations pull you right into it. It's a good book because, while it follows a logical sequence of explanation of fractals, it can also be opened almost anywhere and "read in". I will pass this book on, both to adults and young people I know, and they will get a great introduction to fractals!

Only OK for a kids book. *
Don't buy this book if you are expecting a book on mathematics. The format is graphic and bordering on comic strip format with little mathematical content. I was expecting an under graduate level book with maybe some elementary computer programs so the reader could have a go generating their own fractals. Anyone wanting an introduction this elementary would be better off just reading the Wikipedia page on fractals. This book should be listed in the children's section as the reading age and presentation are aimed at eleven to early teens. I feel a bit ripped off to be honest. This isn't what I expected when I ordered the book.

Only OK for a kids book. *

Don't buy this book if you are expecting a book on mathematics. The format is graphic and bordering on comic strip format with little mathematical content. I was expecting an under graduate level book with maybe some elementary computer programs so the reader could have a go generating their own fractals. Anyone wanting an introduction this elementary would be better off just reading the Wikipedia page on fractals. This book should be listed in the children's section as the reading age and presentation are aimed at eleven to early teens. I feel a bit ripped off to be honest. This isn't what I expected when I ordered the book.

Lively Introduction ****
The "Introducing ..." series is great for skimming through a subject you've heard might be interesting but is also very complicated. When you normally try to find out about these subjects you end up wading through pages of introductory theory or wads of historical background. This book, like others in the series, gets straight on with it and covers a lot of ground very quickly. I read the whole book in four or five quick 'dips' and found it a great jumping off point for further study. The 'graphic novel' format works well for such a visual subject - interestingly a lot of mathematics in the book ignored for many years because there weren't computer graphics available to illustrate the results! In a book of this size the subjects can only be skimmed over but I did find the description of Julia Sets a bit too brief.

Lively Introduction ****

The "Introducing ..." series is great for skimming through a subject you've heard might be interesting but is also very complicated. When you normally try to find out about these subjects you end up wading through pages of introductory theory or wads of historical background.

This book, like others in the series, gets straight on with it and covers a lot of ground very quickly. I read the whole book in four or five quick 'dips' and found it a great jumping off point for further study.

The 'graphic novel' format works well for such a visual subject - interestingly a lot of mathematics in the book ignored for many years because there weren't computer graphics available to illustrate the results!

In a book of this size the subjects can only be skimmed over but I did find the description of Julia Sets a bit too brief.

Great Introduction - Fun and Readable. *****
A grand overview of the whole field of fractal geometry - starting with early foundations via the julia set, Professor Mandelbrot, applications of fractal geometry etc. etc. etc. An intruiging reading list - for laymen to experts is included. All presented in a visual and memorable format. HIGHLY RECCOMMENDED!!!

Great Introduction - Fun and Readable. *****

A grand overview of the whole field of fractal geometry - starting with early foundations via the julia set, Professor Mandelbrot, applications of fractal geometry etc. etc. etc. An intruiging reading list - for laymen to experts is included. All presented in a visual and memorable format. HIGHLY RECCOMMENDED!!!

A non-technical look at fractals and why we should care ****
This book was very interesting. It takes a look at fractals and their basic geometric properties and gives a fairly extensive history from their discovery to their current use today. This book is not technical at all and could be read by almost anyone. The best part about this book is that it offers numerous reasons for why we should care about fractals in the first place. It offers an argument that nature is naturally based on fractals and that an understanding of fractals is essential to understanding nature. The book has a comic on just about every page making it an enjoyable and quick read. Some of the not-so-great aspects of the book are that it is almost too short, not quite technical enough, and has grammatical errors all over the place. I read this book in one sitting and it left me wanting to know more. It makes up for this, however, by listing several books about fractals and chaos theory for you to move on to after reading this book as well as telling you the level of expertise one would need to read these other books. The grammatical errors in the book are numerous. It makes me believe that no one proof read this book before it was published. Overall, this is a great book to start learning about fractals with. If you are a math whiz, then perhaps you might want to look elsewhere for a more formal introduction to the mathematical properties of fractals, but for the layman, this book is great.

A non-technical look at fractals and why we should care ****

This book was very interesting. It takes a look at fractals and their basic geometric properties and gives a fairly extensive history from their discovery to their current use today. This book is not technical at all and could be read by almost anyone. The best part about this book is that it offers numerous reasons for why we should care about fractals in the first place. It offers an argument that nature is naturally based on fractals and that an understanding of fractals is essential to understanding nature. The book has a comic on just about every page making it an enjoyable and quick read.

Some of the not-so-great aspects of the book are that it is almost too short, not quite technical enough, and has grammatical errors all over the place. I read this book in one sitting and it left me wanting to know more. It makes up for this, however, by listing several books about fractals and chaos theory for you to move on to after reading this book as well as telling you the level of expertise one would need to read these other books. The grammatical errors in the book are numerous. It makes me believe that no one proof read this book before it was published.

Overall, this is a great book to start learning about fractals with. If you are a math whiz, then perhaps you might want to look elsewhere for a more formal introduction to the mathematical properties of fractals, but for the layman, this book is great.