A01=David Maitland
Author_David Maitland
Best Earth Day books
best non fiction
best non fiction books
best nonfiction
best nonfiction books
best selling earth day books
bestseller
Biology
Botany
Category=AJ
Category=AJTF
Celebrate Earth Day
Climate change books
Climate science
Conservation biology
Conservation books
Conservation efforts
earth day
Earth Day books
Earth Day celebration
Earth Day every day
Earth Day reading list
earth Day reads
earth-conscious
Ecology
Ecology books
Environmental books
environmental education books
Environmental engineering
Environmental science
Environmental science books
Environmentalism
eq_art-fashion-photography
eq_bestseller
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
green living
highly rated nonfiction books
must-read nonfiction books
Nature books
nature conservation stories
new release
nonfiction
nonfiction book club recommendations
nonfiction book lover gifts
nonfiction books
nonfiction books best sellers
nonfiction books for adults
nonfiction for adults
protect the planet
Save the Earth
Zoology
Product details
- ISBN 9781419779794
- Dimensions: 302 x 251mm
- Publication Date: 11 Sep 2025
- Publisher: Abrams
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Hardback
Secure
checkout
Fast Shipping
Easy returns
Acclaimed photographer David Maitland’s visual exploration of the myriad structures, shapes, and patterns seen in nature
It might appear at first glance that it is the chaos of the natural world that makes its beauty. But all around us are extraordinary examples of geometry which show that nature’s palette is in fact applied with brushstrokes that follow strict laws and principles.
The Shape of Nature reveals a wonderland of recurrent structures, shapes, and symmetries and asks how and why these came to be. Curated by form and introduced by essays linking form with function, each chapter examines exquisite examples—from a whale’s bejeweled baleen to a sea cucumber’s anchor-tattooed skin—captured in acclaimed photographer and scientist David Maitland’s lens and words. Where other books consider the math of natural patterns, The Shape of Nature explores their biological origins and significance. Combining sublime photography with an inspiring commentary, this is both a celebration of nature’s unseen masterpieces and a revelation of the principles underpinning their extraordinary creation.
It might appear at first glance that it is the chaos of the natural world that makes its beauty. But all around us are extraordinary examples of geometry which show that nature’s palette is in fact applied with brushstrokes that follow strict laws and principles.
The Shape of Nature reveals a wonderland of recurrent structures, shapes, and symmetries and asks how and why these came to be. Curated by form and introduced by essays linking form with function, each chapter examines exquisite examples—from a whale’s bejeweled baleen to a sea cucumber’s anchor-tattooed skin—captured in acclaimed photographer and scientist David Maitland’s lens and words. Where other books consider the math of natural patterns, The Shape of Nature explores their biological origins and significance. Combining sublime photography with an inspiring commentary, this is both a celebration of nature’s unseen masterpieces and a revelation of the principles underpinning their extraordinary creation.
David Maitland is an internationally acclaimed nature and science photographer. He has a BSc Hons (St. Andrews) and a doctorate (UNSW) in zoology, and is a fellow of the Royal Photographic Society. Maitland’s academic research has focused on the form and function of life forms, especially invertebrates, and his publication list includes nature papers on how maggots jump; crabs that breathe air with their legs; and asymmetry in the predation of trilobites. Photography has always featured prominently in his work, and he now combines an academic viewpoint with a new sense of enquiry combining art and science. His specialist macro and microscopy skills have been employed by the BBC for Wonders of Life and Human Universe. Maitland is the recipient of international photography awards including POYi, Sony World Photography, British Photography Awards, and Wildlife Photographer of the Year. He was named European Wildlife Photographer of the Year in 2008 and was the winner of the International Images for Science and a RPS Gold Medal in 2015. He lives in St Andrews, Scotland.
