Symmetries of Culture: Theory and Practice of Plane Pattern Analysis

Rating:
Summary: Extensive scholarship!
Review: Washburn is a mathematician and Crowe is an antrophologist. The book gives a very good description of both the mathematical ideas and the context around the art. The illustrations are great! As examples of the quality of the book, it gives the best description I've seen anywhere of the difference between p31m and p3m1 and a very interestig history of the study of patterns.

Only one minor complaint: On page 5 they mention that in 1987, all the 17 groups were finally found at Alhambra, but they do not give a reference. The place to go is J.M. Montesinos: Classical Tessellations and Three-Manifolds.