Daina Taimina was born in Riga, Latvia in 1954--the same year as an International Congress of Mathematicians pivotal to non-Euclidean geometry (as she describes in the Introduction), so her influence on the hyperbolic plane almost seems fated. Now a professor of mathematics at Cornell University, Taimina regularly participates in art exhibitions and educational workshops related to her crocheted models. She was nominated as one of the ""Most Innovative People and Organizations in the Science and Technology World in 2006.""
This beautifully and profusely illustrated second edition of Crocheting Adventures with Hyperbolic Planes is a unique and extraordinary instructional manual and guide that is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library -- James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief, Midwest Book Review Praise for previous edition 2012 Euler Book Prize Winner ...elegant, novel approach... that is perfectly capable of standing on its mathematical feet as a clear, rigorous, and beautifully illustrated introduction to hyperbolic geometry. It is truly a book where art, craft, science, and mathematics come together in perfect harmony. --MAA, December 2011 This book is richly illustrated with photographs and colored illustrations and it has been produced on high-quality paper. It would be a useful addition to the library of a school or university. --Gazette-Australia, May 2011 Daina's crochet models break through the austere, formal stereotype of mathematics and present a path to a whole-brain understanding of a beautiful cluster of simple and significant ideas. The book helps to change the way of thinking about mathematics - an art of human understanding! --Corina Mohorianu, Zentralblatt MATH, September 2009 The models illustrated in this book are prime examples of art influencing mathematics. Daina provides the necessary instructions for even novices to crochet and create hyperbolic models of their own. --Swami Swaminathan, Canadian Mathematical Society Notes, October 2009 It lays out the fundamental knowledge for appreciation of tactile hyperbolic manifolds cautiously and accessibly. ... an enjoyable read for a general audience. --David Jacob Wildstrom, Mathematical Reviews, December 2009