Each week as part of SunLit -- The Sun's literature section -- we feature staff recommendations from book stores across Colorado. This week, the staff from Poor Richard's Books in Colorado Springs recommends titles on plant spirals, Hobbit art and an unusual adventure.
From the publisher: Charles Darwin was driven to distraction by plant spirals, growing so exasperated that he once begged a friend to explain the mystery "if you wish to save me from a miserable death." The legendary naturalist was hardly alone in feeling tormented by these patterns. Plant spirals captured the gaze of Leonardo da Vinci and became Alan Turing's final obsession. This book tells the stories of the physicists, mathematicians, and biologists who found themselves magnetically drawn to Fibonacci spirals in plants, seeking an answer to why these beautiful and seductive patterns occur in botanical forms as diverse as pine cones, cabbages, and sunflowers.
From Jeffery Payne, assistant retail manager: Math is not my favorite thing. I just never "got it." I could blame the education system of my early youth and the short-sighted teachers who did not have the patience to inspire me to "get it." Or, I could just take personal responsibility and say, "I'm not good with math."
I am, however, good at gardening. Being a longtime avid gardener, I have noticed how ferns unfurl, watched the hardy sages and coneflowers come back every spring with gusto and intent, always amazed at how "balanced" most plants were as they grew, never once realizing there was method and science working mysteriously in front of my eyes. Phyllotaxis, over-simply put, "plant-mathematics" is a fascinating study that shows that plants are more adept and comfortable with math than I.
In the brilliant and lovely "Do Plants Know Math?", we fall down the rabbit hole of Fibonacci sequences, plant spirals and -- gasp -- mathematics...but this is intriguing math, explained in such a way that dolts like me can easily grasp and understand complicated theories and concepts. Filled with wondrous photographs and illustrations, this book will please, provoke and challenge what you think about nature, may you never take it for granted again.
From the publisher: When J.R.R. Tolkien wrote "The Hobbit," he was already an accomplished amateur artist, and drew illustrations for his book while it was still in manuscript. "The Hobbit" as first printed had 10 black-and-white pictures, two maps, and binding and dust jacket designs by its author. Later, Tolkien also painted five scenes for color plates, which comprise some of his best work. His illustrations add an extra dimension to that remarkable book, and have long influenced how readers imagine Bilbo Baggins and his world.
Written and edited by leading Tolkien experts Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull, "The Art of The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien" showcases the complete artwork created by the author for his story -- including related pictures, more than one hundred sketches, drawings, paintings, maps, and plans. Some of these images are published here for the first time, others for the first time in color, allowing Tolkien's pictures to be seen completely and more vividly than ever before.
From Jeffery Payne, assistant retail manager: There is no denying the genius of Mr. Tolkien. The ability to create a bright - well sometimes dark - and lucid, lively world that we gladly jump feet-first into, is a true gift. Tolkien created languages, constructed alphabets (seriously, come on...), and carefully, lovingly mapped out a world in 1937(!) that lives in our minds and hearts today. Tolkien, an artist from childhood, developed style and confidence that flourished through his years. With hints of Art Deco and a discerning eye, his own unique perspective and form of artistry still enthralls us.
"The Art of the Hobbit" is a wonderful, expansive showcase of Tolkien's immense talent as an illustrator and cartographer. While the book has been in publication since 2012, it remains fresh and captivating. An absolute must-have for any Tolkien fan and reader.
From the publisher: For lovers of travel, design, and exploration, AWA presents a brand-new collection of real-world places that seem plucked from the films of Wes Anderson, and the stories that bring each location to life. You'll venture to Antarctica through the treacherous Drake Passage, make a stop in lesser-known Jincumbilly, Australia (where platypuses outnumber people), discover the bridge in Wisconsin that went to nowhere, and drop into the most peculiar umbrella shop in London.
But adventure means nothing without someone to tell the tale. You'll meet the father of American skydiving, who created the officially-sanctioned center of Earth -- a California town with a population of two. You'll visit the "post office at the end of the world" -- and meet its mustachioed letter carrier, who runs an anarchist island nation in his free time. And you'll travel to a town in the Arctic Circle where cats are prohibited, humans may not be buried, and doomsday vaults hold all we need to survive an apocalypse -- including the secret recipe for the Oreo cookie.
Authorized by the legendary filmmaker himself, "Accidentally Wes Anderson Adventures" reminds us that the world is ours to explore.
From Jeffery Payne, assistant retail manager: Before you open this book, Spotify a "Wes Anderson" playlist, turn up the volume a tiny bit...then gleefully peer into a magical world inspired by the quirky, renowned and award-winning filmmaker. Pause and linger with each page turn, smile and don't be embarrassed to say "oh wow!" a little louder than you wanted.
"Accidentally Wes Anderson Adventures" is a delightful travelogue of sorts and a stunning book of vibrant photography with pictures and commentary with a teeny bit of snark (my favorite thing) of everyday objects and buildings such as doorknobs, churches and chairs from around the world. A noteworthy addition to the coffee table of any fan of Anderson, a world traveler or devotee of whimsical, wacky but yet eccentrically beautiful things.