Book of Circles: Visualizing Spheres of Knowledge

Product Description In this follow-up to his hugely popularThe Book of Trees andVisual Complexity, Manuel Lima takes us on a lively tour through millennia of circular information design. Three hundred detailed and colorful illustrations from around the world cover an encyclopedic array of subjects-architecture, urban planning, fine art, design, fashion, technology, religion, cartography, biology, astronomy, and physics, all based on the circle, the universal symbol of unity, wholeness, infinity, enlightenment, and perfection. Clay tokens used by ancient Sumerians as a system of recording trade are juxtaposed with logos of modern retailers like Target; Venn diagrams are discussed alongside the trefoil biohazard symbol, symbols of the Christian trinity, and the Olympic rings; and a diagram revealing the characteristics of ten thousand porn stars displays structural similarities to early celestial charts placing the earth at the center of the universe.Limas introduction provides an authoritative history of the circle, and a preface describes his unique taxonomy of the many varieties of circle diagrams, rounding out this visual feast for infographics enthusiasts. Review The Book of Circles: Visualizing Spheres of Knowledge is a compendium of circular infographics and designs created throughout centuries. - Mental FlossIn his new book, The Book of Circles, Manuel Lima investigates how the shape has been employed throughout the ages. Like his first book, Circles is a thorough taxonomy of circular infographics, but its also a deep dive into the psychology behind the shapes enduring appeal. - Wired[The Book of Circles] explores information design in the form of circles - from 18th-century musical scores to photographs of Jupiter. - The GuardianIn a new book called The Book of Circles, the data designer Manuel Lima looks to history and evolutionary science to explain why people like circles so much, using his research to create a taxonomy of approximately 300 images of circles that date from thousands of years ago up to the present day. The images themselves form a compelling argument about just how ingrained the circle is in the human mind--and Lima gives some compelling explanations for it. - Fast Co. DesignWhy are we so surrounded by these rounded figures? Author Manuel Lima seeks to answer this question and more with The Book of Circles: Visualizing Spheres of Knowledge, which delves deeply into circular information design. - Print MagazineThe humble circle gets its due in this visual study by designer Manuel Lima (The Book of Trees: Visualizing Branches of Knowledge), who specializes in the visualization of data. - Publishers WeeklyWhy do we find circles so beautiful? A new book of illustrations celebrates the beauty and versatility of circles. Author and designer Manuel Lima explains why were so attracted to this most simple of shapes. - BBC FocusA collection of fascinating facts full of circular diagrams about circles themselves, and the shapes connection to subjects as wide-ranging as architecture, urban planning, fine art, design, technology, religion, and science. - BuzzFeedManuel Limas The Book of Circles explores centuries of circular visual expression, from representations of infinity to maps of the stars. - HyperallergicThe human iris, a full Moon, volcanic calderas: natural circles have inspired culture for millennia. Information visualizer Manuel Lima gathered centuries worth of circular charts, graphics and illustrations for this volume, organized in a taxonomy spanning everything from spirals to pies. Its a ravishing tour, from the spangled glory of globular star cluster M13, imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope, to Martin Krzywinskis bold 2007 radial genomics diagram Human-Dog Homology. Puts circular thinking in a whole new light. - Nature MagazineLike its predecessor, this is a beautifully produced book with amazing illustrations. This book