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valhecka's review against another edition
4.0
A really beautifully designed book. The contents have a lot of wonderfully expressed thoughts on language, materials, words, organization, civilization - not to mention gemstones. As a materials scientist I was a bit miffed at some of the fluffed/flawed technical terminology - glass isn't a slow liquid! it just isn't! stop! - but these were infrequent. Really interested in more of the author's work.
prolog15's review against another edition
5.0
"Writing represents the superficial damage endured by one / surface when inflicting damage upon the surface of another." (p.124)
Crystallography turns science, language, and space on their heads to form striking metaphors and statements of truth. Bök illustrakes—through poetry, prose, and diagrams—how crystallography is 'lucid writing' and how writing is science is art. Bök's paradigm of crystal language is not only convincing but beautiful, in the way snowflakes are beautiful. Crystallography is a book to be studied, in every meaning of the word.
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