10-Fold Origami: Fabulous Paperfolds You Can Make in Just 10 Steps!
*Starred Review* The kind of mathematical precision demanded by origami—or the Japanese art of paper folding—is tailor-made for the profession of architecture, which is the vocation of California-based second-time author (Follow the Universe: Origami from Angelfish to Zen, 1994) Engel. Emphasizing the playfulness of his (and others’) creations, he also embeds his text with the exactness required by the art: three easily identifiable icons for level of difficulty (easy, intermediate, advanced); a first-chapter grounding in the how-to’s, concentrating on the symbolic abbreviations and basic folds; and 26 designs that include excellent illustrations and a narrative to ensure that directions are clear and consistent. His art subjects range from the wonderfully whimsical to the eminently practical, an outcome to be expected from his philosophical explanation of the appeal of origami (a playful art and an artful form of play). Who could resist a plateful of sunny-side up eggs and bacon or the stolidly silent black-and-white penguin? Or not be tempted to use a brightly patterned picture frame or decorative party pinwheels? A minimalism that Ludwig Mies van der Rohe would appreciate. --Barbara Jacobs