The Golden Ratio : The Story of PHI, the World's Most Astonishing Number

Rating:
Summary: A Layman's POV
Review: While I certainly didn't think this was going to be an easy read, I wasn't prepared for the tedious content I'd have to work through. I'm not a math enthusiast, so that probably explains why I didn't enjoy this book as much as the other reviewers. But coming from someone who considers himself a layman in terms of math, I expected more handholding from a text that presents itself as a "mainstream" book. That, of course, is based upon my expectations and should not count against the book as it stands by itself. I'm sure mathematicians will enjoy this work.

It is definitely thorough, but I didn't expect to wade through several detailed formulaic explanations to see the marvels of phi. In fact, the author is so thorough that it seems like he is just padding the book. Why waste a page listing phi to the 2,000th decimal place?

I ended up skimming much of the book in the end just to finish it.

Rating:
Summary: Best book I've read on the subject!
Review: Without a doubt, The Golden Ratio is the definitive book on the subject of Phi, and one of the best popular science/math books ever.