Reason for recommendation:
Best overall single-authored instructional origami book I have seen, judging by the quality of designs, folding sequences, diagramming, etc.

No, I'm not saying that I've seen a lot of instructional books (definitely not as much as those book collectors at least), but it's hard to imagine an even better book than this one.

Instructional books are meant to let people enjoy practicing origami, and there are several factors that determine how enjoyable they are.

The first thing is the quality of the designs themselves, and that also breaks down to several factors. Are the models aesthetically pleasing? They surely are. Is the idea behind those designs novel and inspiring? Definitely yes, most notably as Kato made famous his "tilted grid system" through various applications in this book, which has since inspired many new designs by other origami artists. Do the models provide enough challenges for enthusiastic folders? Certainly, many models in this book are among the highest complexity of all sequentializable designs.

The second thing is the quality of the folding sequences, and this is perhaps the most impressive part of this book. Many designs in this book are typically considered not sequentializable, but Kato managed to sequentialize them nevertheless, and his folding sequences are considerably fair to follow. I would say he has pushed the boundary of sequentializability.

Finally, we have the quality of diagrams and other ingredients in the book. Kato's diagrams are textbook examples of what good diagrams are about: clean lines, just the right amount of offsetting of edges, good use of shading, and amazingly well-drawn 3D steps. Especially after I've done my first set of diagrams earlier this year I am astonished by the time and effort he must have put into this book. He also incorporated many of the best elements to make this book excellent: recommended sheet sizes, the relative sizes of finished models, beautiful photos of finished models, and the silhouette indices near the corners. Kato's book is no doubt a role model for all origami authors.

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這篇文章 Origami Nature Study by Shuki Kato 最早出現於 Tsai Origami。

Reason for recommendation:
The one and only origami book devoted entirely to the theory of representational origami design. A must-read for anyone who wants to learn how to design.

It is impossible to write origami book review articles without mentioning this one, for a very simple reason. Although we do have many books mentioning fragments of design theories here and there, this is the ONLY book that is entirely about the design theories (if there is another one, that can only be the first edition of this book).

Luckily, this book is also written by one of the greatest origami masters of all time, Dr. Robert J. Lang. I can confidently claim that Lang has the best overall skill and knowledge about origami than anybody else: not only he is one of the greatest designers and folders, he also knows everything from the toughest origami math to the latest applications in engineering. He is also a great writer; I'm sure that anybody who reads this book would enjoy his wit and literary grace.

This is a very heavy book with more than 700 pages, but trust me, it's not as scary as it looks. Targeting the widest possible range of readers, Lang will not bombard you with deep mathematics in this book, and instead, he will break down the ideas behind the design theories progressively through lots of examples and figures, making them easy for anyone to grasp. From simply modifying traditional bases to creating crease patterns of the highest complexity, this book covers them all. If you ever wonder how exactly origami artists came up with all those seemly impossibly complex designs from a single square without cuts, this book has all the answers you need.

And if you had read the first edition before, I will also strongly recommend you to get the second edition as well; I'm sure that you would not want to miss the new materials related to uniaxial box pleating and polygon packing, as well as the various CP challenges.

In short, if you want to create your own original designs, rather than just folding designs by others in awe, then you really should study this absolute masterpiece.

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這篇文章 Origami Design Secrets, 2nd ed., by Robert J. Lang 最早出現於 Tsai Origami。

Reason for recommendation:
Best overall origami book. If you can only buy one origami book, then it has to be THIS one.

That was my impression when I first finished reading this book years ago. Years have passed since then, and my conclusion remains the same. This book is simply THAT good.

The main reason behind my saying is that this is the book that provides the broadest, most complete aspects of contemporary origami in a single book. From the most basic diagram notations to considerably complex models, from history to design theories, from math to applications, this book builds up your overall skill and knowledge about origami in a very short period of time.

The book contains instructions for 43 models, which, comparing to those in some of the best-selling origami books, might not exactly be the coolest models you've seen, but the point is that each of those models is meant for presenting a specific "theme", which could be a concept, a technique, or a design method, etc. With all the side notes in the book, it's like taking 43 private lessons covering all aspects of origami from the master himself. It is this unique way of organizing materials that makes this book so outstanding. I have never seen any other origami book that can cover such a wide range of aspects, while at the same time being so well-written, allowing even complete beginners to be able to follow. You can even use it as the textbook for a general origami course.

I would especially recommend this book to those who are fascinated by the recent trend of super-complex origami, thinking about getting in not knowing where to start. Although even the most complex model in this book isn't really super-complex by today's standard, by the time you finish all models in this book, you will certainly be ready for further challenges, and you will also possess some basic knowledge to begin your own designs.

Originally published in Japanese, this book now has both English and Traditional Chinese translations, and is not difficult to find online. Trust me and get yours today!

這篇文章 Genuine Origami by Jun Maekawa 最早出現於 Tsai Origami。