Rating: 
Summary: few gems mixed in with otherwise useless rantings
Review: Although Schneider clearly has a strong grasp of
"mathematics" (using his definition--meaning not just
number theory), he seems to want to paint us a fantastic
picture where none exists.I was excited when I first opened this book, expecting
to read about all the fascinating parallels between
numbers and natural processes that occur in our universe.
Instead, I was disappointed to find mostly bombast,
mixed with a few gems of fascinating and useful information. I had to read quickly through lengthy sections talking
about "cosmic" energies and how we (humans) are a miniature
of the cosmos or how great philosophers of the past had deep
knowledge of numbers that has since been forgotten--knowledge
that we all still have if he can just "remind" us. Each chapter spends a little time talking about its designated
shape (chapter 3 is the triangle, chapter 5 is the pentagon,
etc) and how to construct the shape using only a compass and
unlined straight-edge. These parts are wonderful, fascinating,
and useful. Then he goes on to show how the numer or shape can be found
in mythology, art, and life. A lot of it seems like a big
stretch--maybe if you squint your eyes and tilt your head you
MIGHT see how the painting is based on a triangle, or how the
grasshopper's dimensions are somewhat like the golden ratio
(1.618). To convince us, the author throws in a handful of
quotes on nearly every page, from scientists, philosophers,
mathematicians, and even the Bible. I think given enough
quotes and enough paintings, even I could make a case that
the paintings are based on any shape I come up with. It
doesn't mean anything though. If you enjoy metaphysical discussions about mother earth
goddess energy, this book may appeal to you. If you don't
mind skipping over 3/4 of the book to extract the truly
interesting information, this book may appeal to you.
Otherwise, Amazon has some good books on geometry, several
good books on the Golden Ratio (phi is truly astonishing),
and you can find Euclid's geometric constructions at a number
of websites. Remove all the blather and reduce this book from 350 pages
to about 100 pages, and I'd give it 4 stars. Otherwise,
I leave my rating at 2 stars.
Rating: 
Summary: A Beginner's Guide to Constructing the Universe.
Review: An excellent treatise on the sacredness of geometry and number and their relation to nature. Everything you need to know, eloquently explained with lots of pictorial examples. If they had taught me this stuff at school, I would probably have become a mathematician! Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A pleasant way to see beauty
Review: As a thumb rule we learned mathemathics as a field that manipulate numbers and abstract objects, this book open the mind to those believers that need a probe, it shows that mathematics field is contemplation and intervention in something deeper, the stetic spirit of human mind and the creation of universal beauty.
Rating:
Summary: Michael is a wonderful tour guide through the universe.
Review: As your tour guide (and celestial mechanic), he takes you on a harmonious mental journey of sheer delight. Should be read by all having an expanded medulla oblongatta
Rating:
Summary: If you never buy another book on Geometry, Math & Symbolism
Review: Buy this one. It is by far the best book written in this genre. The only place I have seen this much information in one place is on gfxguru.com which appears to be getting a full re-vamping. This book has it all from a to z. a MUST have for all people interested in this subject.
Rating:
Summary: A method for meditational voyaging thru worlds around us!
Review: Forgiving and putting aside any semblences of "New Age fantasies", Michael Schneider offers extensive and enlightening research into the mathematical realities all around us. This book ranks in my top-favorite 4 or 5 library essential list. I only wish that I had this teaching method available to me while in junior high school; it would have made so many areas of study so much easier and interesting.
Rating:
Summary: Makes you realize the math you leaned in school is pointless
Review: great book
Rating: 
Summary: Mostly Excellent But Sometimes Silly
Review: I agree with prior reviews that the book is fun to read and, to the degree that it sticks with describing the wonderful, mysterious properties of numbers and the symbolic understanding of those properties, it's top notch. Occassionally, however, new age wishful thinking takes over. For example, as evidence of the cosmic significance of the number eight, it is noted that the sum of the angles in an octogon add up to 1080 degrees, the same value as the radius of the moon measured in miles. There are a number of other similar cases in the book when one feels that the author is really stretching in order to make a "significant connection." That said, the same enthusiasm that leads the author onto thin ice also makes the book a fun introduction to the romantic and mysterious aspects of mathematics.
Rating:
Summary: Resource for integrating geometry with other subjects
Review: I am using this book to great effect in my Montessori elementary class with 9-12 year olds. Geometry is an important part of the Montessori elementary curriculum, but it is not very well integrated with the other subjects. Schneider's book is just the thing I needed to create those links to history, art, religion, literature, architecture, music, arithmetic and algebra. This allows me to turn almost any lesson into a geometry lesson on the spur of the moment and vice versa, which means that whatever the child is interested in can be their individual path to geometry. The children love repeating the constructions of the various geometrical figures, embellishing them, and discovering their own new patterns and methods. Montessori emphasizes story-telling as a core teaching strategy, and Schneider's book is a treasure trove of great vignettes, intriguing historical facts, and surprising developments with which to spice up the more formal lessons. The girls especially seem to benefit by a multi-disciplinary approach to geometry, which typically strikes them as cerebral and irrelevant to their lives. I would never have had the time to do the research to uncover all these stories and interconnections for myself. Thanks, Michael Schneider!
Rating:
Summary: Numbers are Alive!
Review: I attended a Sacred Geometry workshop sponsored by Phanes Press/David Fideler back in 1996 and had the good fortune to meet the author of A Beginner's Guide to Constructing the Universe. The inspiring manner in which he presented difficult to grasp concepts (difficult for an innumerate, right brained type such as myself) helped me to reconnect with the actual humane-ness of mathematics, something so neglected/discouraged in education on all levels these days. This book is exemplary in that it directly purveys the spiritedness of the author himself-his genuine enthusiasm for the archetypal topic at hand, in this case the numbers one through ten. A Beginner's Guide to Constructing the Universe certainly is the place to start the voyage to reclaiming the spirit and life hidden with mathematics. Number Crunchers take heed because numbers are alive! Jaye Beldo: Netnous@Aol.Com
| 
