The Golden Section

A beautiful and useful handbook on the Golden Section—also known as the Golden Ratio and Golden Mean—a perfect gift book.

The Golden Section is a line segment divided into two parts, such that the ratio of the short portion to the longer portion is equal to the ratio of the longer portion to the whole. It is one of the most elegant and beautiful ratios of the mathematical universe because of its combination of elegance and simplicity—hence the divine nature of its name.

Drawing on art, architecture, philosophy, nature, mathematics, geometry, and music—and beautifully illustrated in the Wooden Books fashion with all manner of images—The Golden Section will tell the story of this remarkable construct and its wide-ranging impact on civilisation and the natural world.

Wooden Books was founded in 1999 by designer John Martineau near Hay-on-Wye. The aim was to produce a beautiful series of recycled books based on the classical philosophies, arts, and sciences. Using the Beatrix Potter formula of text facing picture pages, and old-style fonts, along with hand-drawn illustrations and 19th-century engravings, the books are designed not to date. Small but stuffed with information. Eco-friendly and educational. Big ideas in a tiny space. There are over 1,000,000 Wooden Books now in print worldwide and growing.