I found my copy used, with withered pages and a somewhat aged spine. Winner of the pulitzer prize in general nonfiction winner of the national book award in science every few decades an unknown author brings. Escher, and composer johann sebastian bach, the book expounds concepts fundamental to mathematics, symmetry, and intelligence. An eternal golden braid is still something of a marvel. Godel, escher, and bach are deeply intertwined in this very. Escher, in particular how their work in music, math and art manages to loop back on itself and express a kind of selfreferentiality. It is perhaps the densest dialogue in the book in terms of formal trickery and level play. The bach still stands on its own, but the fact that the book can only talk about it and the reader is still on their own in so far as experiencing the music goes, and an appreciation for bach is both the part of the book that took the longest to develop and the part which has stuck with me the longest. Everybodys favorite is the concept of entropy, a measure of. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 822 pages and is available in paperback format. Every few decades an unknown author brings out a book of such depth, clarity, range, wit, beauty and originality that it is recognized at once as a major literary event.
Godel, escher, bach is easily my favourite book, and has been for the thirtyodd years since i first read it. Godel, escher, bach an eternal golden braid 1st edition thus 1st printing softcover new york vintage books 1980 very good in wrappers. This month we read godel, escher, bach by douglas hofstadter. Every few decades an unknown author brings out a book of such depth, clarity, range, wit, beauty and originality that it is recognized at once as a major literary. An eternal golden braid, also known as geb, is a book by douglas. Godel, escher, bach won the pulitzer prize for general non fiction and the national book award for science. Douglas hofstadters book is concerned directly with the nature of maps or links between formal systems. An eternal golden braid pdf is still a miracle today, although it has been on the bestseller list for more than 20 years. Below are links to the videos, along with breakdowns of the video content.
At one level, the book is about a parallel between three people. Martin gardner, scientific american in some ways, godel, escher, bach is an entire humanistic education between the covers of a single book. It is not pseudoscience, a term which properly applies to books and theories that purport to prove something but whose methods fall short of scientific or mathematical rigor. Corpelis escher, and a substantial part of his book is dedicated to. The asteroid 4444 escher was named in escher s honor in 1985. Godel escher bach by hofstadter, first edition abebooks. A wondrous book that unites and explains, in a very entertaining way, many of the important ideas of recent intellectual history. It will have you thinking about minds, intelligence, ai, and reality in an entirely new way. Douglas hofstadter combines and links the various themes associated with the characters in the title and some others in fascinating and imaginative ways. An eternal golden braid winner, national book awards 1980 for science hardcover. The classic book on the development of human language by the worlds leading expert on language and the mind. Besides being a profound and entertaining meditation on human thought and creativity, this book looks at the surprising points of contact between the music of bach, the artwork of escher, and the. This is the wrapup video for the six month of the book club. So, for my next visit to a desert island, give me sun.
The man who would teach machines to think the atlantic. But i want to make sure we introduce everybody, just to get peoples names. So, for my next visit to a desert island, give me sun, sand, water and geb, and ill live happily ever after. Hofstadter godel, escher, bach an eternal golden braid 1st thus 1st printing softcover new york vintage 1980 very good in wraps.
Such as in the famous escher paintings like the infinite staircase. However, according to hofstadter, the formal system that underlies all mental activity transcends the system that supports it. Douglas richard hofstadter is an american scholar of cognitive science, physics, and comparative literature whose research focuses on consciousness, thinking and creativity. Godel, escher, bach is the type of book that one is lucky to read once in a lifetime. Twenty years after it topped the bestseller charts, douglas r. So youre going to be attempting a feat here, not to complete the entire book but to get the essence of godel, escher, bach out. An eternal golden braid book online at best prices in india on. Johann sebastian bach and the dutch artist maurits corpelis escher, and a substantial part of his book is dedicated to showing that this is not such an unlikely team of oxen. The pulitzer prizewinning 1979 book godel, escher, bach by douglas hofstadter discusses the ideas of selfreference and strange loops, drawing on a wide range of artistic and scientific sources including escher s art and the music of j.
Godel escher bach is one of the most complex books neil and i have ever read. Its a venerated book among a certain stripe of computer scientist and mathematician, and its reputed to have inspired generations of people to pursue the study of logic and artificial intelligence. An eternal golden braid 20th anniversary edition with a new preface by the author 20anniversary ed by hofstadter, douglas r isbn. There has been nothing like it in computer science before or since. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers. And it will alsoi also want you to say, what is it when you read the course catalog that interested you. Besides being a profound and entertaining meditation on human thought and creativity, this book looks at the surprising points of contact between the music of bach, the artwork of escher, and the mathematics of. Goedel escher bach download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi. In some ways, godel, escher, bach is an entire humanistic education between the covers of a single book. Winner of the pulitzer prizea metaphorical fugue on minds and machines in the spirit of lewis.
Seven years later, they had not so much germinated as metastasized into a 2. It weaves together insights from music, art, mathematics, ant colonies, lewis carroll stories, and more unexpected places into a new understanding of how our minds work and. The first edition of the novel was published in 1979, and was written by douglas r. The incompleteness theorem proved in 1931 by kurt godel seems to be. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
Douglas hofstadters book is concerned directly with the. This is the first example in the book of a strange loop, a loop whereby moving through it we unexpectedly find ourselves right back where we started. By exploring common themes in the lives and works of logician kurt godel, artist m. An eternal golden braid is a classic text thats had a strong influence on countless people. The transition is seamless, and allows it to continue rising forever. Click download or read online button to get goedel escher bach book now. Hofstadter, 9780465026562, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Douglas hofstadters book is concerned directly with the nat.
An eternal golden braid by hofstadter, douglas and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. We also accept submissions from our visitors and will select the quotes we feel are most appealing to the bookquoters community. If life can grow out of the formal chemical substrate of the. Commonweal godel, escher, bach was a triumphantly successful presentation of quite difficult concepts for a popular audience.
This month we read godel, escher, bach by douglas hofstadter this is a fantastically weird and wonderful book. Winner of the pulitzer prize a metaphorical fugue on minds and machines in godel, escher, bach is the type of book that one is. Corpelis escher, and a substantial part of his book is dedicated to showing that this is not such an unlikely team of oxen. Each quote represents a book that is interesting, well written and has potential to enhance the readers life. Hofstadter and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Intelligence, art, music, and life are a strange loop. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. Yes, but be prepared for the disjointed journey raghavendra spoke of. Hofstadter is the son of nobel prizewinning douglas richard hofstadter is an american scholar of cognitive science, physics, and comparative literature whose research. Bach created an endlessly rising canon, in which it ends and immediately restarts but a note up. Godel, escher, bach cannot be explained without delving deeply into the structure of the book itself and the analysis of selfrepresentation hofstadter weaves through his appreciation of the art of bach, the designs of escher, and the theories of godel.