Book of Circles: Visualizing Spheres of Knowledge - Hardcover

by Manuel Lima (Author)

From bestselling author Manuel Lima, a leading voice on UX design and data visualization and celebrated TED speaker, The Book of Circles covers 1,000 years of humanity's long-lasting obsession with all things circular.

Following on his popular bestsellers, The Book of Trees: Visualizing Branches of Knowledge and Visual Complexity: Mapping Patterns of Information, Manuel Lima has crafted an illustrated expedition through 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, perfection, movement, and infinity.

Three hundred detailed and colorful illustrations and infographics tell the story of the circle and its use in time and culture as an important symbol all over the world. Fascinating entries include:

• Clay trading tokens used by the ancient Sumerians juxtaposed with iconic logos of twentieth-century corporations.
• A chart organizing seven hundred Nintendo offerings with a Victorian board game based on the travels of Nellie Bly.
• A visual analysis of Stanley Kubrick's film The Shining with early celestial charts that placed the Earth at the center of the universe.
• And a wealth of other elegant and intriguing methods for displaying information.

Lima also provides readers with an authoritative history of the circle and a unique taxonomy of twenty-one varieties of circle diagrams, rounding out this visual feast. This illuminating and deeply engaging reference book is a must-have for infographics enthusiasts, information designers, pop culture enthusiasts, and art history buffs.

Author Biography

Manuel Lima is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and the author of The Book of Trees, Visual Complexity, TheBook of Circles, and the forthcoming The New Designer. Named one of "the 50 most creative and influential minds" by Creativity magazine, Lima is the founder of VisualComplexity.com, Senior UX Manager at Google, and a regular teacher of data visualization at Parsons School of Design. His writing has been published in Wired, the New York Times, and Science, among others.