If the name Langdon sounds familiar, it`s because Dan Brown named the
intrepid protagonist of The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons after
ambigram - and symbol-designer John Langdon. Widely recognized as a
master of the art of the ambigram form, John Langdon does with words
what M.C. Escher and Salvador Dali did with images. An ambigram
is where language, science, philosophy and illusion come together in
the design of a word which is manipulated to create a surprising
illusion. In this book, John Langdon shows us how we can expand our
understanding of terms and concepts by looking at ambigrams - words
designed to be read upside down, back to front, or in a mirror as well
as left to right. He not only presents the reader with a number of
strikingly beautiful and arresting ambigrams but also shows how the
very shape of the letters can change our idea of the word itself and
its meaning. He even disarmingly demonstrates how one goes
about making an ambigram. But be warned: it`s not as easy as it looks.
"Wordplay" is the ultimate collection, featuring a foreword by Dan
Brown - for all those who just can`t get enough of the intriguing
symbols in his bestselling novels.
