Origami Books- Worth?

[legionzilla]

I haven't been on the forum for a real long time due to exams , so I'm not exactly sure with the new forum structure. If I'm posting in the wrong section, a moderator could kindly move it into the proper section.

With the exams ending, my parents have agreed to buy me one origami book. I am exhilarated, but I just cannot choose which book to buy! I suppose most of your guys have the following origami books, so I need your guys to help me choose which book is the most worth it. Please!

Here's the list:

Origami Design Secrets (Lang)
Passion Origami Tome 1 (Terry)
License to Fold (Terry)
Tanteidan 15
Dinosaur Origami (Kawahata)

So which book do you think is most worth it? Thanks beforehand!

[Ben385]

I voted for Tanteidan 15, but you may want to add Works of SK to your list

[TheRealChris]

depends a lot where you buy it.
regarding to Nicolas Terrys shop the prices are

Code: Select all

Origami Fantasy   : 49,99
Tanteidan 15       :39,33
Design Secrets    : 36,99
Licence           : 32,00
Passion           : 28,00

your personal worth depends on what you like to do (as always). I would go for "design secrets" if you are in search for knowledge and "license to fold" if you are in search for a collection of nice models.

[spiritofcat]

I have to vote for ODS. That book stands out to me as something special.
Most good origami books will have wonderful models to fold, but ODS really gets you thinking about how origami can be designed. Learning to design your own models is worth so much more to me than just following the diagrams to fold someone else's model.

[GJ0KYZ]

I have all the books you have short listed and I'd vote for T15 and Kawahata but would recommend SK's book as well. The models are excellent and very interesting to fold. If you feel like something a bit more fiddly try Origami Insects II.

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com./photos/gj0kyz

[Jonnycakes]

If you are interested in design or crease patterns, ODS will be fantastic for you-it is different than any other origami book out there. If you want a collection of nice models, go for one of the other ones, but remember that ODS has some nice diagrams in it too.

[legionzilla]

Thanks all!
I already have works of SK, and yes jon ,I was thinking ODS too!
But I'm spoilt for choice. T15 has so many good models, and so I'm tempted to buy it. I think I may just buy ODS or T15, still deciding...
Regarding Origami insects 2, I have the book too!

[origamimasterjared]

I learned more about design from Works of Satoshi Kamiya than I did from Origami Design Secrets... just saying... ODS did give me names for the things I used--points splits, grafts, tilings, etc.

Can't really go wrong with Licence. Tanteidan 15 is also really good. Origami Fantasy is a bit old fashioned--it's about as old as you are--but much of it is still fresh today. The Unicorn (no I don't mean the Pegasus) is fantastic. Also, the Tuojiangosaurus, and the entire Hadrosaurs collection are pretty perfect. Put it this way: there was no need for me to design a Parasaurolophus after folding Kawahata's.

Cheers to whichever!

[insaneorigami]

I also learned more from The Works of Satoshi Kamiya than Origami Design Secrets. The couple of paragraphs that Kamiya includes next to each model, talking about the designing of the model, are almost priceless. I did learn more about circle packing and tiling and grapfting from ODS, but think that the Works was definitely worth as much-if not more than ODS.

Buuut, since the Works wasn't an option, I went with ODS

[spiritofcat]

Good to hear that about Works. Maybe I'll have to buy that book next for myself.

[legionzilla]

Thanks all!
Works of SK also taught me alot especially on how to do complex sinks and such.
I may just go with license or Tanteidan... though it is really tempting to buy Origami Fantasy...

[WhisperPuffin]

License To Fold or ODS, depending on what kind of thing you want. Pretty much what TheRealChris said.

Next would go T15 and Origami Fantasy, I would rate them both equally, and highly.

Passion Origami, although a good book, is a bit out of it's depth among the others, every one of which helped me reach a higher standard in my folding endeavors after I had read it and folded from it. Works of SK would be in that group as well.

[legionzilla]

Thanks Puffin!
Whew... tough choice... all of your have put very reasons on why I should buy each book. However, I've made on decision. I'm kicking PO from my list since most of your guys don't really recommend it.

[origami_8]

I like Passion Origami far better than Licence to fold. It's also a little bit challenging by giving you some Crease Patterns to work on. The fold level is consistent, the diagrams are clear and accompanied by a Crease Pattern each. Licence to Fold has some very bad sets of diagrams inside. Even though there are some nice models as well, I think the overall quality is the worst from all the books listed. Tanteidan 15 is a nice collection of models and I wouldn't like to miss it from my collection, although most of the models are rather simple. Origami Fantasy is good when you like dinosaurs. Origami Design Secrets is interesting for the text part. If you like to get into designing and Crease Pattern folding this may be the book for you. But don't expect a quick guide here, the book is about 600 pages long and filled with mathematics. Interesting to read really, but no book that you can carry around easily.
What book to take depends mainly on your interests, but I'd go for Passion Origami. You should look through the Book reviews on Gilad's Origami page and base your decision on what interests you the most: http://giladorigami.com/Books_default.html

[legionzilla]

Thanks Anna!
Nice link you provided!
Looks like I'm back to square 1...