Product Description
Essays by R. Buckminster Fuller, Claude Lichtenstein and Joachim Kreusse.

6.75 x 9.5 in.
600 illustrations ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Exploring Bucky�s Archive is always a treat.
Because Bucky did his best to get his message out to as many people as possible, at a cost of $65 I am sure that this is not the type of book he would wanted to see produced.It seems like the book could have been printed in a less costly form and many of the graphics which were clearly just taken from video eliminated so that the material could be made available to more people at a lower price.

That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the glorious visual aspect of this book.In my years spent researching my book "Buckminster Fuller's Universe"and working on other Fuller writing, I had not seen some of the photographs and illustrations displayed here.This is a must have for any Bucky fan.

I don't recommend it as an introduction to the ideas and wisdom of Fuller because, as is true with almost all of Fuller's writing, the ideas need to be studied not read over once, and this book does not provide a complete enough picture to be a good study guide.Look to the writing of others for your introduction to Bucky, and look to this book to add to your understanding of a man who is recognized as one of the great thinkers, geniuses and Renaissance men of modern times.

Superb - organization, production, and editing
"Your Private Sky" is a must-have book for Bucky fans. In addition to presenting a wealth of new material from Fuller's archives it also arranges and presents Bucky's life and works in an innovative formatthat emphasizes the larger view of his work and the natural progression ofhis thoughts. The authors have taken the time to do the re-search whichallowed them to see the larger picture. This book about Bucky's life andinventions goes from the whole to the particular.

One example of thethoroughness of "Your Private Sky," compared to earlier books, isin it's handling of the Dymaxion house. This is the first book, I've seen,that includes drawings and photos of the initial square or rectangular 4Dhome. The authors have done a great job of ransacking Fuller's archives tofind just the right images and words to convey the flow or progression ofBucky's designs. This was the first time I grasped how the work on theDymaxion home designs was related to the latter invention of the Geodesicdome.

Most of the never-before-published photos, drawings and writings in"Your Private Sky" were found in Bucky's Chronofile, the 300-footlong series of personal history files that Bucky started collecting in1915. Except for the short introduction and chronology at the beginning ofthe book, all the material in this 522 page book consists of items selectedfrom Bucky's Chronofile. The words are selections from Bucky'swritings.

The graphic design, printing and binding of "Your PrivateSky" compliment the quality of its contents. The superior bindingpermits the pages to lie flat so you can view the hundreds of full bleedphotographs including many two page spreads. The book's visual organizationis excellent especially considering the variety of items and styles thathad to be accommodated. My minor criticisms are that I would have liked tosee more indexing and source information and a few less spelling andtranslation errors in this book.

A superb book; it's well organized,packed with never before seen photos and drawings, thoughtfully arrangedand edited, and printed and bound using first class materials and methods.

Your Private Sky
I was looking forward to receivinging thisbook .........The newly published book was just what I expected. It contains Bucky's whole life history and his various ideas that arised during his life such as the famous geodesic dome, dymaxion products, tensegrity, world game and so on.Many are what I have not obtained so far in detail from other literaturesalready published. So they are extremely usefull and fun to me. The mostimportant thing that I could get from the book is that I could feelstrongpower to live the daily life again with fresh dreams. ... Read more

Product Description
R. Buckminster Fuller is regarded as one of the most important figures of the 20th century, renowned for his achievements as an inventor, designer, architect, philosopher, mathematician, and dogged individualist. Perhaps best remembered for the Geodesic Dome and the term "Spaceship Earth," his work and his writings have had a profound impact on modern life and thought.

Critical Path is Fuller's master work--the summing up of a lifetime's thought and concern--as urgent and relevant as it was upon its first publication in 1981.Critical Path details how humanity found itself in its current situation—at the limits of the planet's natural resources and facing political, economic, environmental, and ethical crises.

The crowning achievement of an extraordinary career, Critical Path offers the reader the excitement of understanding the essential dilemmas of our time and how responsible citizens can rise to meet this ultimate challenge to our future.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (30)

Genius level thinking and expression
Buckminster Fuller is an absolute genius and gifted writer who stimulates your mind at deep levels.

Once you've read this, if you want to share it with someone, make sure they are highly intelligent, because if they aren't, they'll likely feel frustrated and dumb. Therefore, I suggest you do not give this out unless you have read it.

This is an excellent gift for the rare people who are making a positive difference in this world. I still treasure the friend who gave this to me eight years ago, and the words he expressed when he gave it to me. He (along with this book) helped me understand and appreciate myself at a much deeper level.

critical path
best book that promotes, proves and directs humanity to claim its birthright of freedom, abundance and how to love for the Highest advantage of all society. all problems facing humanity are solvable and enjoyable, by living in sustainable ways. the only requirement is to release envy, historical pattern-group thinking. Best scientific book I have read. it will help one sleep better about the possible, no, probable future of humanity.

Interesting, if random read, disappointing follow-through
This was definitely a thought provoking read, exposing fuller's world view/methodology, as much as it considers possible solutions for the worlds great problems. His pre-historical/anthropological discussion in the early part of the book, I found at times to be a bit dubious - it just seemed like he was running on a chain of assumptions there, without presenting much in way of concrete facts and supporting evidence. Continuing on, he continues an analysis of world history, leading into modern times. As others have mentioned, the model of great pirates imposing their way on their world is a useful model(the ending of "Gangs of New York" seems to share a similar insight).

From his analysis of the world, he moves into a more autobiographical discussion of his life and decision to embark on this calling of improving the lives of all. While he defined a clear moral code for himself, I do get the impression that to a certain degree, he engaged in self deception, as to the short-term political viability of his ideas(predicting a technology driven revolution in all aspects of life). Some of his predictions such as the steam spray as an alternative to more water intensive, are certainly practical, but I think he underestimated western man's habitual need for the familiar. When we consider Fuller's ideas on economics (ie- a socialized model, where we pay everyone, and only allow the most talented workers to bring their skills to bear on the great problems of the world), the translation from theory to practice becomes a difficult gap to bridge. I had hoped that Fuller had given thought to this problem, but his morality effectively denied him opportunities from to roll out his solutions on large scales. His vision for an ultra-modern solution of "Old Man River City" in St Louis is an impressively ambitious one which would have undoubtedly been a marvel of urban planning if achieved, which he painted as a project which was starting with blessing of the community, but really never gained political traction.

Ultimately, fuller deserves a great deal of credit for embarking on his studies of world bettering and introducing fantastic new technologies to the world(as well as acting as a point of inspiration for those to follow him). In practical matters of making the best use of the resources available to humanity, with ideas of ephemeralization, "mining the cities"->recycling of inefficient legacy capital, and the use of communications technologies in favor of transport, some of his major themes have overturned old memes to become "common knowledge". Perhaps one day, his social vision of automation/technology being seen and harnessed as a socially beneficial force, rather than a weapon or force of uncertainty may become a reality...

Bucky and the Art of World Transformation
Transformation happens when any given systems switches over or converts to a different system.For the world to survive, according to Bucky Fuller, it can, and must be, transformed in a basic and practical way.

Bucky was a very practical man. I find it fascinating that the late R. Buckminster Fuller was so near-sighted until age 5 or so, he could not make out any facial features and could only see generic forms.This early tactile-decision-forming worldview translated into his ability to "feel" his way into Universe and invent a whole new geometric way of thinking that encompasses the very small to the very large.This ability is on display so exquisitely in Critical Path.

In an age where every "guru" out there is advocating finding a smaller and smaller niche, being more specific and specialized, it is refreshing to refer back to Bucky.His idea that a "generalist" is the only one who can truly understand and create artifacts for a working world is still a valid one. Without understanding, say, the relationships between humans, living spaces, animal behavior, physics, psychology, the behavior of the elements and mathematics, we may miss something that proves to be the difference between human success and failure. Some rare humans have to step up, and Bucky did.

I need to get another copy of his book. My original has fallen apart from so much note-taking and leafing through. During the span of almost three decades I find his prophetic descriptions of government, the economy and politics echo even stronger today than they were in 1980.Read - nay study - this book!

History, Philosophy, Engineering, Architecture, & Education
Although I heard Fuller speak at Muhlenberg College in 1973 or so, I had not read his books and for me Critical Path was a very healthy reminder that long before many of the current authors, Buckminster Fuller had a grip on the basics:

1)Economic theory of scarcity and secrecy is evil, benefitting the few at the expense of the many

2)Earth is NOT a zero sum Darwinian game for humans, in fact it is the human role--the human mind's role--to "synergize" Earth into a win-win for all.

3)Money is not wealth only an artifact that is representative of empty bank vaults and gross misrepresentation by the alleged wealthy.Only time-energy accounting and "true cost" of goods and services should be used.

4)Obstacles to displacing rule by scarcity and secrecy are the public ignorance of natural science and the collaboration among governments, corporations and large organizations such as religions and labor unions that "divide and keep conquered."

5)Computers--and Fuller was clearly envisioning today's computers, not those of his time--if properly fed all of the relevant data can alter perceptions on a just enough, just in time basis.This coincides with my own view that we can and must educate the five billion poor one cell call at a time, but it also favors the ideas gaining currency of connecting the one billion rich (80% of whom do not give to charity) directly with the needs of the five billion poor at the household level of need.

I am hugely impressed with both specific actionable visions and specific actionable facts:

1)Now possible to create a global electrical grid that runs across Alaska into Canada and China, and eliminate the electrical shortfalls in both those countries and in Canada and the US West Coast.

2)In time-energy "true cost" accounting, every gallon of oil that we use cost $1 million (in 1981 dollars, which is to say, around $10 after the current Administration finished with its massive devaluation plans).

3)There are two critical paths that are not understood by the public or those who profess to represent the public:path one is those natural trends that proceed with or without human errors, omissions, and interventions; path two is the human path both local and as a global aggregate.

4)Considered in time-energy terms, both our industrial-era schools and our industrial-era office buildings are lunacy.He provides a fascinating discussion of inland versus island dwellers, concludes that most urban office buildings should be converted into mixed dwelling-telecommuting centers and is generally brutal about our national policies being 50 years out of date (in 1981--that would make them 80 years out of date today, and I agree).

5) He provides a BRUTAL discussion of banking and government bail-outs of banking as well as mortgage fraud that led to the Great Depression, how banks dispossessed the farmers not realizing that the land was over-valued AND that no one else wanted to do the hard work of farming, and I am generally thunder-struck by how history has repeated itself.

I am especially impressed by his "cosmic costing" which does not allow for hoarding (he joins others in cursing money as both a hoardable good and one that can draw interest beyond reason).

A goodly portion of the book covers the art of doing more with less; doing it faster; and ultimately benefitting increasing numbers of humans with the same technologies.

His discussion of "precession" revolves around not competing with anyone else, instead attending to the unattended.He has a gift for "comprehensive consideration" that we could all draw upon for inspiration.

I am completely absorbed by this book, which includes in the final third:

1) The challenge is to educate all humans, and to teach humans to learn in the shortest possible time--my kids have two answers: cell phones and video games.This is a no-brainer.

2) I offer some quotes below but am totally engaged with his discussion of the Geoscope, what some today might call an Earth Monitoring System, and his view that we can create a 200 foot version of the Earth where one inch equals three miles, and using computers, be able to illuminate for any human--however poorly educated or ideologically stunted--what actually IS the reality.

3)He spends time describing the World Game and cites two books by Medard Gabel that are no longer available via Amazon (but see the EarthGame(TM) technical description offered by Earth Intelligence Network), and describes it as a problem-solving choice-making educational game.

On page 287 I am stunned by his anticipation of the "de-sovereignization" of the United States of America, coincident with the bankruptcy of the US Nation at the hands of its out of control federal government.

On the architectural side I am fascinated by his discussion of flat slab building as the worst possible time-energy construction, and his discussion of the alternatives that he created, including floating cities that I now regard as inevitable.

The book contains an unexpected gem, a compendium created by Fuller based on US contractor experiences in Russia that was delivered to Brazil.It is still valid and it is a model for the kind of clear thinking that government engineers should be able to, but cannot do.[With credit to Chuck Spinney, I have learned that "government specification cost plus engineering" has fried the brains of multiple generations of engineers who are unable to computer biomimicry, cradle to cradle, green to gold, etc.We must wait for our children to rule the world, they are the "digital natives" who will not tolerate rankism, secrecy, scarcity, or lies.

A few quotes are in the comment as I must respect Amazon's 1000 word limit.

Below are some other books that strike me as very complementary of this one, but more recent.
The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid: Eradicating Poverty Through Profits (Wharton School Publishing Paperbacks)
The Landscape of History: How Historians Map the Past
The Philosophy of Sustainable Design
Tragedy & Hope: A History of the World in Our Time
The Health of Nations: Society and Law beyond the State
Rule by Secrecy: The Hidden History That Connects the Trilateral Commission, the Freemasons, and the Great Pyramids
Don't Bother Me Mom--I'm Learning!
Conscious Evolution: Awakening Our Social Potential
Conscious Globalism: What's Wrong with the World and How to Fix It
Information Operations: All Information, All Languages, All the Time
... Read more

Product Description

Buckminster Fuller (1895–1983) was an architect, engineer, geometrician, cartographer, philosopher, futurist, inventor of the famous geodesic dome, and one of the most brilliant thinkers of his time. For more than five decades, he set forth his comprehensive perspective on the world’s problems in numerous essays, which offer an illuminating insight into the intellectual universe of this renaissance man.“ These texts remain surprisingly topical even today, decades after their initial publication.

While Fuller wrote the works in the 1960’s and 1970’s, they could not be more timely: like desperately needed time-capsules of wisdom for the critical moment he foresaw, and in which we find ourselves. Long out of print, they are now being published again, together with commentary by Jaime Snyder, the grandson of Buckminster Fuller. Designed for a new generation of readers, Snyder prepared these editions with supplementary material providing background on the texts, factual updates, and interpretation of his visionary ideas.

Initially published in 1969, and one of Fuller’s most popular works, Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth is a brilliant synthesis of his world view. In this very accessible volume, Fuller investigates the great challenges facing humanity, and the principles for avoiding extinction and “exercising our option to make it”. How will humanity survive? How does automation influence individualization? How can we utilize our resources more effectively to realize our potential to end poverty in this generation? He questions the concept of specialization, calls for a design revolution of innovation, and offers advice on how to guide “spaceship earth” toward a sustainable future.

And it Came to Pass – Not to Stay brings together Buckminster Fuller’s lyrical and philosophical best, including seven “essays” in a form he called his “ventilated prose”, and as always addressing the current global crisis and his predictions for the future. These essays, including “How Little I Know,” “What I am Trying to Do“, “Soft Revolution”, and “Ethics”, put the task of ushering in a new era of humanity in the context of “always starting with the universe.” In rare form, Fuller elegantly weaves the personal, the playful, the simple, and the profound.

Utopia or Oblivion is a provocative blueprint for the future. This comprehensive volume is composed of essays derived from the lectures he gave all over the world during the 1960’s. Fuller’s thesis is that humanity – for the first time in its history – has the opportunity to create a world where the needs of 100% of humanity are met. This is Fuller in his prime, relaying his urgent message for earthians critical moment and presenting pioneering solutions which reflect his commitment to the potential of innovative design to create technology that does “more with less” and thereby improves human lives . . . “ This is what man tends to call utopia. It's a fairly small word, but inadequate to describe the extraordinary new freedom of man in a new relationship to universe - the alternative of which is oblivion”. Buckminster Fuller.

Customer Reviews (1)

Ethereal Knowledge
This is a book written nearly at the end of Mr. Fuller's life. "It Came to Pass Not to Stay" is an amazing piece of work; the word that comes to my mind when reading (besides brilliant, genius, etc) is efficiency.There is not one superfluous word in this book.

Buckminster's style here is an unprecedented minimalistic-poetic sort of prose.He is getting across the largest amount of knowledge in the least amount of words. (Read this book slowly, as it is hard to absorb, due to this efficiency of wording.)

There is invaluable knowledge in this book - things that could benefit the world if properly understood and enacted.However, I think very few people will be able to understand it. (I'm not even sure if I count myself in that number.) ... Read more

Product Description
This slim volume contains some of Buckminster Fuller's most shining observations on his 87 years of living on Spaceship Earth. Includes a full listing of Bucky's patents, honorary doctorates, and published works. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Absolutely timeless, wonderful!!
This book is the one to read if you seriously need an information-overload on positivity, and doing what needs to be done on this Spaceship Earth. Everyone is crew, no-one is passenger. The information contained within this _very_ short book, bears reading every year, every month.
Buckminster Fuller should be so much more appreciated than what he was while he lived, but more so, what is the point of being a fan, if one isn't finding what one can do based on one's own experience, and then doing it. Find what needs to be done, and do it!
I wish I could send this book to everyone I know and have them read it, re-read it, and re-re-read it, just to make sure the information contained here-in gets absorbed into one's mind also. It is not mere rational information, this is what he came up out of intuitive, experience-based thinking, using the right hemisphere instead of the left-hemisphere.
Let there be many more Guinea Pigs between here, and the forced re-definition of utopia. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

A Beautiful Mind of Extraordinary Scope
Few people know that Buckminster Fuller had a transforming experience when he was about 35 years old. This event dissuaded him from committing suicide, and launched him on his remarkable career. From that point on Fuller decided to "think for himself," and no longer was subject to the assumptions of science, religion and philosophy. For that reason, he is an American original. This particular book is not light fare for the layperson, and it is much less accessible than his "Operating Manual for Planet Earth." Even so, there is much to fascinate. For example, his diagram on page five demonstrates the principle of synergy in the most vivid way, showing how to make two triangles into four by thinking in three dimensions, rather than two. Coleridge defined science as a "search for beauty," and that may be the best way to describe "Synergetics." Fuller admonishes us, "Dare to be naïve." Indeed, this scientist, philosopher, religionist transcends the typical straight jacket of classic disciplines and offers a remarkable search for truth, beauty, and even goodness.

Beguiling Nonsense
"Synergetics" is, like so much of Fuller's theoretical work, a cloud of smoke and mirrors that, when examined closely, has little or no substance. This is not my opinion alone; Donald Coxeter, the great 20th century geometer to whom Fuller dedicated the book, called it "nonsense". It's full of charming notions about the primacy of triangles and tetrahedrons, and Fuller's opinions that these are the fundamental building blocks of the Universe.

Of course, Fuller knew nothing of biology, or cosmology, or particle physics, and his meditations came from his imagination alone- not a very fertile source of useful ideas. The reader might well object to that last assertion, but in truth, while Fuller was very good at exploting and promoting the ideas of others, his original ideas, like his underengineered and unstable Dymaxion car, were great failures. His notions of cooperation in progress ran counter to understanding of evolution. The Dome? Invented in 1919 by Walter Bauersfeld for Zeiss, to house their first plantearium. Tensegrity structures? Invented- or perhaps, re-invented (and patented), by Kenneth Snelson, and appropriated by Fuller.

Fuller is perhaps best remembered as a tireless promoter and developer, one who could recognize a good idea, and develop and market it to others. He himself summed up his real accomplishments best, in a (perhaps) overly revealing quote: "Ideas are easy to come by; reduction to practice is an arduous but inspirationally rewarding matter."

The General Structure of the Universe
"Synergetics" was the summation of Fuller's philosophy; the foundation underlaying his other, practical works.As such, the book contains little in the way of immediately applicable information, such as how to design a car, a building, or a society.Fuller instead concentrates on the abstract quality of structure, based on the tetrahedron, the simplest possible three-dimensional form.He takes nothing for granted:properties of objects are not assumed to automatically exist unless they are explicitly stated.Fuller has great contempt for the cube, an inefficient structure that is unstable without redundant triangulation to support it.His reverence for the tetrahedron, however, obscures the fact that on the human scale, cubes are far more efficient in containing space, the ultimate function of any structure.Cubes are stackable without wasted space or material.This is the reason why houses, boxes and other containers are based on the cube, in many different cultures, while tetrahedron-based structures are limited to geodesic domes and camping tents.

In recent years, "tensegrity" structures have become more common, primarily as sculpture.These are composed of rods that do not touch each other, but are held in place by a continuous lattice of wires.Fuller explains that the rods themselves could be composed of "tensegrity masts," that is, smaller rod-and-cable structures that duplicate solid rods in shape and function.The rods in these masts could themselves be composed of yet smaller tensegrity masts, and so on until we arrive at the atom.The problem here is that going the other direction, to larger ("practical") scale, even the most efficient tensegrity structure must eventually rest, as we all do, on the redundant, wasteful, solid ground.This is why they are relegated to artwork rather than industry.

"Synergetics" contains much more; reminiscence on the author's childhood, a free-verse poem on numbers and linguistic affinities between Polynesians, Zulus, and Vikings, and many beautiful and clear diagrams.The book is written throughout in a highly unusual, but eminently readable language that once experienced, is immediately recognizable as Fuller's unique voice."Synergetics" and its supplemental volume are vital to an understanding of the author, one of the great visionaries of the 20th Century, and possibly the last Renaissance Man.

like spinach to a child, so good for you, so hard to read
The most comprehensive system to understanding the physical world, from kindergarteners who are able to understand nuclear level inter-transformations, to adults who barely know what happens to a sphere when it's bounced on the ground; this book will enlighten you to some new inter/outer working combination you never thought of EVERY time you open it.I suggest a light pass, a medium pass, and a heavy pass in that order, just to shock you as to the amount of substance this book has, you will not walk away the same.

An A + that he wouldn't have given to himself
I am, by trade, a contemporary philosopher, with strong interests in the works of the Ancient Greeks, esp. Pythagoras, and of course, the great architect, Plato. Generally speaking, I would not persue the kind of book: huge, statements and claims made without supporting arguments, huge gaps in logical presentation, and leaps into areas such as numerology. Bucky reminds me of a cross between Pythagoras (incl. his mysticism) and DaVinci. I am in the early stages of the work, so all I will say at this time is grab a copy and start the journey. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

book from my past
The item is in very good condition (just as advertised ) and was delivered promptly . Thanks . ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (3)

Rediscover Buckminster Fuller
It's been a long time since I thought about Bucky Fuller, but I read a review of this volume in "Leonardo" and thought it sounded intriguing. The essays in the book treat Fuller from a number of different points of view, not only as an idealistic thinker but also in relation to other things that were going on in the arts, architecture, and so on. Each essay does offer a new view on Fuller and it's well illustrated with documents from Fuller's own personal collection. I wouldn't call this a biography of Fuller although he's a central figure in each of the essays, but each essay is a point of view in itself showing how Fuller interacted with his contemporaries. Definitely recommended for those with a historical bent.

A must-read for Bucky fans!
Buckminster Fuller is certainly one of my favorite and most inspiring personalities of the 20th century. This book is better than others that I read because it has a nice compilation of articles which not only talk about the artist, but also the history and world that he lived in. I highly recommend this book.

Insightful, interesting, readable historical perspectives
Many people revere Bucky Fuller as a guru/philosopher of the 1960s and 70s hippie generation. Yet if you ever tried to understand Fuller by reading his "Synergetics," chances are you didn't get very far.This new anthology offers multiple historical perspectives on a character who, in the end, was a human being woven firmly into the history of the times. Interesting --and readable--articles dealing with Fuller and his world. ... Read more

Product Description
The title of this sequel to Critical Path is Buckminster's acronym for "Gross Universal Cash Heist." Written in allegorical form, this serious satire about the rise of multi-national corporations, capitalistic selfishness and the technological revolution emphasizes that our present economic system, and the theories on which it is based are no longer useful because of its false assumption of scarcity. Grunch of Giants portrays the rising multinational corporations in the paradoxical role of functioning both as the epitome of capitalistic selfishness and as the inadvertent vehicle for the dissolution of national political boundaries. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

I'm not sure why this isn't required reading in school or at least any economics class.
There are many things we always take for granted and never question. It's called dogma - and it's the result of someone else's thinking. This book will help you to begin to hone your critical thinking skills.

It's always important to find ways to increase your financial IQ and this book is a great stepping stone into understanding our financial infrastructure.

GRUNCH
The title of this 'sequel' to Critical Path is Fuller's acronym for "Gross Universal Cash Heist." Written in the 1980's in allegorical form, this serious satire about the rise of multi-national corporations, capitalistic selfishness and the technological revolution emphasizes that our present economic system, and the theories on which it is based are no longer useful because of its false assumption of scarcity.

One can purchase a new copy of this Fuller classic @ $17.95 via the Buckminster Fuller Institute store [...]. The Institute also features the entire book online: [...]

Grunch is right
Concise look at how we are being swindled. However, it is a bit difficult to read.

helped me learn about corporations' greed
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2YSXAFTPX2SRR This book helped me understand the origins of corporations and their inherent structure, based on greed and becoming more efficient at making a profit.Our technology is so far advanced, that we can feed the world with our current technologies, yet corporations for profit prevent this. That is why they are giants feeding off of the profits and only getting larger.Start your own corporation, set your own rules, and stop being a victim of the GRUNCH.

intersting, but
A very interesting book, very well researched but the author, in order to bring his point across has a habit of making up his own expressions, which in reality, only confuse and make the text heavier.

All in all, a very interesting read if you can get over these...expressions. ... Read more

Product Description

Buckminster Fuller (1895–1983) was an architect, engineer, geometrician, cartographer, philosopher, futurist, inventor of the famous geodesic dome, and one of the most brilliant thinkers of his time. For more than five decades, he set forth his comprehensive perspective on the world’s problems in numerous essays, which offer an illuminating insight into the intellectual universe of this renaissance man. These texts remain surprisingly topical even today, decades after their initial publication.

While Fuller wrote the works in the 1960’s and 1970’s, they could not be more timely: like desperately needed time-capsules of wisdom for the critical moment he foresaw, and in which we find ourselves. Long out of print, they are now being published again, together with commentary by Jaime Snyder, the grandson of Buckminster Fuller. Designed for a new generation of readers, Snyder prepared these editions with supplementary material providing background on the texts, factual updates, and interpretation of his visionary ideas.

Initially published in 1969, and one of Fuller’s most popular works, Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth is a brilliant synthesis of his world view. In this very accessible volume, Fuller investigates the great challenges facing humanity, and the principles for avoiding extinction and “exercising our option to make it.” How will humanity survive? How does automation influence individualization? How can we utilize our resources more effectively to realize our potential to end poverty in this generation? He questions the concept of specialization, calls for a design revolution of innovation, and offers advice on how to guide “spaceship earth” toward a sustainable future.

And it Came to Pass – Not to Stay brings together Buckminster Fuller’s lyrical and philosophical best, including seven “essays” in a form he called his “ventilated prose”, and as always addressing the current global crisis and his predictions for the future. These essays, including “How Little I Know”, “What I am Trying to Do“, “Soft Revolution”, and “Ethics”, put the task of ushering in a new era of humanity in the context of “always starting with the universe.” In rare form, Fuller elegantly weaves the personal, the playful, the simple, and the profound.

Utopia or Oblivion is a provocative blueprint for the future. This comprehensive volume is composed of essays derived from the lectures he gave all over the world during the 1960’s. Fuller’s thesis is that humanity – for the first time in its history – has the opportunity to create a world where the needs of 100% of humanity are met. This is Fuller in his prime, relaying his urgent message for earthians’ critical moment and presenting pioneering solutions which reflect his commitment to the potential of innovative design to create technology that does “more with less” and thereby improves human lives . . . “This is what man tends to call utopia. It’s a fairly small word, but inadequate to describe the extraordinary new freedom of man in a new relationship to universe - the alternative of which is oblivion.” Buckminster Fuller.

Customer Reviews (9)

wonderful
obviously a very intelligent man. i thoroughly enjoyed this book and it is an easy read and very enlightened. i will definitely read more of his writings.

A Clairvoyant Work
Buckminster Fuller was a remarkable genius whose works are absolutely unique.

This book is a good introduction to his transcendent way of thinking. It describes for the first time, the concept that our little planet has finite resources, and since it was written, we have seen that he sensed very well the direction that society was taking.

Though his thoughts may seem outdated now in certain ways, this book, and his other works, continue to provide inspired reading within the framework of the quest to understand human life on this planet, and related philosophical ideas.

system enginnering for idiots
The "manual" is not philosophy. Its system engineering. Its operand is not Truth, Good, Love,...System engineering can be reduced to one word: efficiency. During the reader I kept thinking this is the stuff that generals read, and I am only a lieutenant. Which is not to say generals are better. It's just that lieutenant's deal with more human problems. While the generals deal with the big picture.
For example, when discussing Einstein's Relativity Fuller keeps invoking the equation E=MC^2. This is the over arching general relation between energy and matter. It's the great answer. But to me what is wonderful about Relativity is the equation distance=sqrt(x^2+y^2+z^2+(it)^2). Here time is in the imaginary direction. What is that? We often say we have 4 dimensions. But that is not quite right with this equation. In the small pictures I find delight.
In some ways Fuller reminds me of Marx in its grand scheme. Marx has his historical materialism. Fuller has its metaphor of the "manual". But of course Fuller will have nothing of Marxism. For him Marxism will be dead dogmatic metaphysics to be avoided.

Not What I Expected But Hugely Satisfying
I was actually expecting an Operating Manual.Although what I ended up with is a 136-page double-spaced "overview" by Buckminster Fuller, a sort of "history and future of the Earth in 5,000 words or less, bracketed by a *wonderful* introduction by grandchild Jamie Snyder, an index, a two-page resource guides, and some photos and illustrations including the Fuller Projections of the Earth.

First, the "core quote" that I can never seem to find when I need it:

OUR MISSION IS "To make the world work for 100% of humanity in the shortest possible time through spontaneous cooperation without ecological offense or the disadvantage of anyone."Inside front cover.

The introduction is a treat--I note "impressive" and appreciate the many insights that could only come from a grandchild of and lifelong apprentice to Buckminster Fuller.

Highlights for me:

Founder of Design Science, a company by that name is now led by Medard Gabel who served as his #2 for so long.I just attended one of their summer laboratories and was blown away by the creativity and insights.It is a life-changing experience for those with a passion for Earth.

He imagined an inventory of global data.I am just now coming into contact with all of this great man's ideas, but my third book, Information Operations: All Information, All Languages, All the Time, also online at the Strategic Studies Institute in very short monograph form, is totally in harmony with this man's vision for a global inventory of global data.

"Sovereignness" was for him a ridiculous idea, and a much later work out of Cambridge agrees, Philip Allot tells us the Treaty of Westphalia was a huge wrong turn in his book The Health of Nations: Society and Law beyond the State.

"Great Pirates" that mastered the oceans as the means of linking far-flung lands with diversity of offerings was the beginning of global commerce and also the beginning of the separation between globalists who knew the whole, and specialists whom Buckminster Fuller scathingly describes as an advanced form of slave.

He was frustrated with the phrases "sunrise" and sunset" as they are inaccurate, and finally settled for "sunsight" and "suneclipse" to more properly describe the fact that it is the Earth that is moving around the sun, not the other way around.

In 1927 he concluded that it is possible for forecast with some accuracy 25 years in advance, and I find this remarkably consist with Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan's view that it takes 25 years to move the beast--see for instance Miles to Go: A Personal History of Social Policy.

He has an excellent discussion of the failure of politics and the ignorance of kings and courtiers, noting that our core problem is that everyone over-estimates the cost of doing good and under-estimates the cost of doing bad, i.e. we will fund war but not peace.

He described how World War I killed off the Great Pirates and introduces a competition among scientists empowered by war, politicians, and religions.He says the Great Pirates, accustomed to the physical challenges, could not comprehend the electromagnetic spectrum.

He states that man's challenge is to comprehend the metaphysical whole, and much of the book is focused on the fact, in his view, that computers are the salvation of mankind in that they can take over all the automaton work, and free man to think, experiment, and innovate.He is particularly forceful in his view that unemployed people should be given academic scholarships, not have to worry about food or shelter, and unleash their innovation.I am reminded of Barry Carter's Infinite Wealth: A New World of Collaboration and Abundance in the Knowledge Era as well as Thomas Stewart's The Wealth of Knowledge: Intellectual Capital and the Twenty-first Century Organization.

There is a fascinating discussion of two disconnected scholars, one studying the extinction of human groups, the other the extinction of animal species, and when someone brings them together, they discover that precisely the same cause applied to both: over-specialization and a loss of diversity.

Synergy is the uniqueness of the whole, unpredictable from the sum of the parts or any part individually.

On page 87 he forecasts in 1969 when this book was first published, both the Bush and the Obama Administration's ease in finding trillions for war and the economic crisis, while refusing to recognize that we must address the needs of the "have nots" or be in eternal war.I quote:

"The adequately macro-comprehensive and micro-incisive solutions to any and all problems never cost too much."

I agree.I drove to Des Moines and got a memo under Obama's hotel door recommending that he open up to all those not represented by the two party crime family, and also providing him with the strategic analytic model developed by the Earth Intelligence Network.Obviously he did not attend, and today he is a pale reflection of Bush.See the images I have loaded, and Obama: The Postmodern Coup - Making of a Manchurian Candidate.

Early on he identified "information pollution" as co-equal to physical pollution, I am totally taken with this phrase (see my own illustration of "data pathologies" in the image above).I recognize that Buckminster Fuller was about feedback loops and the integrity of all the feedback loops, and this is one explanation for why US Presidents fail: they live in "closed circles" and are more or less "captive" and held hostage by their party and their advisor who fear and block all iconoclasts less they lose their parking spot at the White House.

Most interestingly, and consistent with the book I just read the other day, Fighting Identity: Sacred War and World Change (The Changing Face of War), he concludes that wars recycle industry and reinvigorate science, and concludes that every 25 years is about right for a "scorched earth" recycling of forces.

He observes that we must preserve our fossil fuels as the "battery" of our Spaceship Earth, and focus on creating our true "engine," regenerative renewable life and energy.

He joins with Will Durant in Story of Philosophy: The Lives and Opinions of the World's Greatest Philosophers: education is our most formidable task.

I am astonished to have him explain why the Pacific coast of the US is so avant guarde and innovative (as well as loony).He states that the US has been a melting pot for centuries, and that the West Coast is where two completely different cultural and racial patterns integrated, one from Africa and the east, the other from the Pacific and the west.

I learn that he owned 54 cars in his lifetime, and kept leaving them at airports and forgetting when and where.He migrated to renting, and concluded that "possession" is burdensome.

See also:
Ecological Economics: Principles And Applications
Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization (Substantially Revised)

readable bucky
This is the clearest I've ever known this man to be.This concise volume gets to the heart of our wordly matters.Elegant, comprehensive, his soul speaks in all of his writings, and this condensed version is very good for the first time Bucky reader.I suggest it highly to anyone who wants to learn a lot in a little time. ... Read more

Product Description

Buckminster Fuller (1895–1983) was an architect, engineer, geometrician, cartographer, philosopher, futurist, inventor of the famous geodesic dome, and one of the most brilliant thinkers of his time. For more than five decades, he set forth his comprehensive perspective on the world’s problems in numerous essays, which offer an illuminating insight into the intellectual universe of this renaissance man. These texts remain surprisingly topical even today, decades after their initial publication.

While Fuller wrote the works in the 1960’s and 1970’s, they could not be more timely: like desperately needed time-capsules of wisdom for the critical moment he foresaw, and in which we find ourselves. Long out of print, they are now being published again, together with commentary by Jaime Snyder, the grandson of Buckminster Fuller. Designed for a new generation of readers, Snyder prepared these editions with supplementary material providing background on the texts, factual updates, and interpretation of his visionary ideas.

Initially published in 1969, and one of Fuller’s most popular works, Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth is a brilliant synthesis of his world view. In this very accessible volume, Fuller investigates the great challenges facing humanity, and the principles for avoiding extinction and “exercising our option to make it”. How will humanity survive? How does automation influence individualization? How can we utilize our resources more effectively to realize our potential to end poverty in this generation? He questions the concept of specialization, calls for a design revolution of innovation, and offers advice on how to guide “spaceship earth” toward a sustainable future.

And it Came to Pass – Not to Stay brings together Buckminster Fuller’s lyrical and philosophical best, including seven “essays” in a form he called his “ventilated prose”, and as always addressing the current global crisis and his predictions for the future. These essays, including “How Little I Know”, “What I am Trying to Do“, “Soft Revolution”, and “Ethics”, put the task of ushering in a new era of humanity in the context of “always starting with the universe”. In rare form, Fuller elegantly weaves the personal, the playful, the simple, and the profound.

Utopia or Oblivion is a provocative blueprint for the future. This comprehensive volume is composed of essays derived from the lectures he gave all over the world during the 1960’s. Fuller’s thesis is that humanity – for the first time in its history – has the opportunity to create a world where the needs of 100% of humanity are met. This is Fuller in his prime, relaying his urgent message for earthians critical moment and presenting pioneering solutions which reflect his commitment to the potential of innovative design to create technology that does “more with less” and thereby improves human lives . . . “This is what man tends to call utopia. It’s a fairly small word, but inadequate to describe the extraordinary new freedom of man in a new relationship to universe - the alternative of which is oblivion.” Buckminster Fuller.

Customer Reviews (3)

Ahh Bucky, What Became of Your Kind?
In its day (1969-72, when I first read it), this was one of those inspirational heartbreakers -- why can't EVERYONE see the promise of the approaching possible Golden Era?But with time (what, over 35 years now, since I first read it) even the great futurist himself seems a little dated.And I'd forgotten (or never really noticed before) how angry he could get, and not just at the Great Pirates who well deserve(d) it (especially considering recent economic news), but for those who had slighted him in the past as a gadfly of sorts.These lectures/expositions are a series of previously-published papers, and there is a lot of redundancy, but the basic question ("It's up to us, do we want to succeed or fail?") still rings true.And some of his ideas, like the World-Wide Electrical Power Grid, and the end of the Nation-States were absolutely brilliant in their foresight.The bottom line, however, and what I think will be his legacy, is to look at the world not only differently (the sun doesn't set, the world turns), but holistically (there is no up and down, only in and out)... and how about those buckminsterfullerene molecules -- they will change the world.We'll miss your kind, Bucky... we already do.(As a side note, I got to shake hands and speak briefly with Bucky after his Earth Day speech at Florida State University in 1974[?], just as the sun went down, and it still brings a tear to my eye to recall how both intelligent and innocent he was at the same time.)

FULLER -- Utopia or Oblivion
Series of Essays. I was mostly interested in the title essay.Fuller is circuitous and long-winded with a few good "kernels" hidden within :-)

So what went wrong?
In the 1960's, Buckminster Fuller lectured to anyone who would listen (and he had no trouble getting speaking engagements around the world) that shipbuilders, and then aircraft engineers, aerospace engineers, electronics engineers and companies in the business of building advanced weapon systems, had stumbled across principles for doing more with less, a trend he called "ephemeralization," which squeezed ever higher performances out of every pound of resources. By bringing the obsolete versions of these technologies onto the civilian market while going on to the next technological frontiers, these companies had inadvertently raised humanity's economic efficiency and started the process of overcoming traditional Malthusian limits. Fuller estimated that only 1 percent of humanity could live "successfully" on a physical level before the 20th Century because of the inefficient use of resources, but because of ephemeralization, by the 1960's the percentage of successful humanity had reached into the 40's. Fuller then argued (over and over again, which makes this book a bit repetitive) that a "design science revolution" led by 1960's college students could bypass political barriers and in a decade or so bring this level of success to "100 percent of humanity," even with population growth, which Fuller expected would stop once everyone became sufficiently affluent.

Well, 40 years have passed since then. We still don't have anything near "100 percent of humanity" living as a physical success despite enormous economic growth since then (and many countries have slipped backwards), so what happened to all those trends Fuller claimed he identified from the scapbooks he kept and called his Chronofile? (I would especially like to see the "500 pound black box," costing $2 a pound in 1960's prices, that Fuller predicts on pages 432-3 would come out of the space program and supply an Earth-based household with its needs for fresh water and sewage recycling without a plumbing hook up. Perhaps we never got that because the manned space age effectively ended over 30 years ago after the Apollo moon landings, an example of technological progress hitting limits instead of shooting off exponentially.)

And why does Fuller still have a cult following? He seems way over-rated as an inventor, considering that his most famous invention, the Geodesic Dome (which he might have cribbed from a German architect who built one over a planetarium in the 1920's), just doesn't work that well as a practical shelter. In fact, we've seen many of his domes demolished and replaced with more traditional structures since the 1960's.

Contrast Fuller with Ray Kurzweil, a current celebrity inventor who lectures to everyone who will listen about the Singularity. Kurzweil, like Fuller, has drawn graphs which allegedly show trends to support his vision of the future; but Kurzweil, unlike Fuller, also has some inventions to his credit which happen to work and do useful things, like music synthesizers and reading machines for the blind. But despite Kurzweil's more solid accomplishments, I suspect he'll resemble Fuller as a failed futurologist in another couple decades.

On the bottom line, "Utopia or Oblivion" has some historical value; but like a lot of gee-whiz books about "the future" published in the 1960's and 1970's, it makes for disappointing reading in the real 21st Century. Fuller's false alternatives of utopia or oblivion failed to take into account man's ability just to muddle along. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

"Omni-interaccommative" Poetry & Wisdom
Written like a poem: short, verse-like passages. It is comprised of 2 main sections, "Intuition - Metaphysical Mosaic," and "Brain and Mind"; followed by a smaller section of 3 brief passages under the heading, "Love." The best way I can characterize this beautiful little book -- beautifully written -- would be that word, Love. There is to me not a particle of padding or unnecessary verbiage here from the start to the finish. Every word, every phrase, every sentence is concise and packed with meaning & necessity. In the first section he sketches out a kind of philosophical odyssey of his experience-based ideas which encompass both the physical and the metaphysical. This in turn leads to a kind of argument in the second section in which a case is made for a distinction between the brain and the mind. The points are often helpfully illustrated by simple everyday analogies. The verses of the last section are like prayers, "Bucky"-style. In short, this is a book which can inspire a kind of "religious awe." It is poetry on a very profound level.

Since Fuller is not a linear thinker or writer, his approach may sometimes be hard to follow. He writes, one could say, in "great circles," always "coming back" while looking in towards a central point. I think it just takes a little bit of getting used to the way he speaks in order to get into a good reading-rhythm with his unusual and original style of writing. In fact, one can enjoy the creative and meaningful word-pairings as they begin to roll effortlessly off one's tongue, and there is, I think, an aesthetic to his style that can grow on oneself.

"Intuition" is one of the most satisfying, inspiring and thought-provokiing books I have ever read. It is one I expect to read many more times...

Intuition
The book was somewhat hard to read because of the way the literature was written. Fuller writes with long sentences and verbs, and made up words.However, it was just very exciting to read and capture the mind of such a creative man.A diffinite keeper on my book shelf.I read it four times.

A Small Book on a Very Big Subject
If you have ever doubted the vastness of human potential, while simultaneously finding comfort in the scientific and mathematical advances made by human knowledge thus far, I urge you to read this book.

In 170 pages of epic poetry, Buckminster Fuller takes the reader on a journey of proof that the Earth and its human inhabitants are playing an integral and yet far less than efficient part in the actualization of a brilliant but necessarily mysterious evolutionary plan.He begins by explaining the difference between the generalized principles we have the genetic ability to grasp and the special-case designs through which we concretely employ them.He goes on to chart the cummulative impact of increased scientific understanding and increasingly advanced mathematical designs noting, in each case, that the sum of what we continually discoverin the behavior of whole systems is inherently unpredicted by what we may apprehended in observing each part.This is what Fuller calls "synergy" -- and describes to us as intuition consistently and progressively manifest.

Fuller argues, quite convincingly, that not enough of us understand synergy and its relevance to our purpose on Earth.If we did, he says, we would not be so inclined toward inefficient use all of our earthly resources.We would instead be compelled to maximize our knowledge at every turn, with the natural and logical consequence being benefit for all of humanity. Over one third of the epic poetry in this book is devoted to an explanation of synergy in action and the importance of nurturing the intuition that reveals it.The majority of the rest of the poetry describes the complementary operations of brain (the computer-esque processing center of knowledge gained by experience) and mind (the seeker and receiver of metaphysical wisdom and insight) in the evolutionary process of becoming more and more conscious of the purpose for our existence.

Fuller's writing in this book is sparse and dense but simultaneously conversational and clear.It builds upon itself with a strict logic, interweaving abstract concepts with concrete examples into a holistic cosmic design.He describes, with equal mastery, theories of relativity and the physics of falling in love.He illustrates his complex metaphysical thoughts as easily with sailing ships, as with fireworks, as with television broadcasting, telepathy and hands-on experiments with rods and ropes.It is not always easy to follow his words and images, but it is immensely rewarding to try. ... Read more

Product Description

With the publication of the Dymaxion House in 1929, Buckminster Fuller became an overnight sensation in the world of American architecture. It was an uncompromising design and spectacularly novel. The living areas were hexagonal and attached around a central supply tower, and the multistory interior was fully climate-controlled. The house was conceived as completely self-sufficient – all the necessary supply modules were contained in the tower, including water and wastewater, energy production, and air filters. The rooms were equipped with the most modern furnishings and fixtures. The approximately 150 m² house weighed just 3 tons, cost no more than a car, and was designed to be constructed and dismantled anytime and anywhere.

The house reflected Fuller’s basic technological principle, his determination to achieve the greatest possible utility at the smallest possible cost in terms of energy and materials by making use of everything that science and technology have to offer. With its self-supporting structure and self-sufficiency, it also reflected another of Fuller’s axioms: “A house should be completely self-sufficient and autonomous, just like a person”. The Dymaxion House (which was only actually realized in other variants, such as the Wichita House) is widely viewed as a precursor to his geodesic domes.

Product Description

R. Buckminster Fuller (1895–1983) was an architect, engineer, geometrician, cartographer, philosopher, futurist, inventor of the famous geodesic dome, and one of the most brilliant thinkers of his time. For more than five decades, he set forth his comprehensive perspective on the world's problems in numerous essays, which offer an illuminating insight into the intellectual universe of this "renaissance man." These texts remain surprisingly topical even today, decades after their initial publication.

While Fuller wrote the works in the 1960's and 1970's, they could not be more timely: like desperately needed time-capsules of wisdom for the critical moment he foresaw, and in which we find ourselves. Long out of print, they are now being published again, together with commentary by Jaime Snyder, the grandson of Buckminster Fuller. Designed for a new generation of readers, Snyder prepared these editions with supplementary material providing background on the texts, factual updates, and interpretation of his visionary ideas.

A biography of Buckminster Fuller's "thought development," Ideas and Integrities presents an intimate self-portrait of the experiences and discoveries behind his groundbreaking ideas and inventions. Through in-depth essays like "Total Thinking," "Design for Survival – Plus," and "The Comprehensive Man," spanning the period from his earliest writings to the invention of the geodesic dome and his explosion onto the world stage, he delivers a powerful manifesto for the comprehensive design revolution he had championed: "To make man a success on earth.... we must design our way to positive effectiveness."

Buckminster Fuller's prophetic 1962 book Education Automation brilliantly anticipated the need to rethink learning in light of a dawning revolution in informational technology – "upcoming major world industry." Along with other essays on education, including "Breaking the Shell of Permitted Ignorance," "Children: the True Scientists" and "Mistake Mystique," this volume presents a powerful approach for preparing ourselves to face epochal changes on spaceship earth: "whether we are going to make it or not... is really up to each one of us; it is not something we can delegate to the politicians – what kind of world are you really going to have?"

Customer Reviews (1)

Comments by Joe S Moore

Editor Jaime Snyder (Bucky's grandson) added a 22-page Introduction, a lot of footnotes, page numbers to the two pictures sections and smaller pages which added to the length.

There's some additional info in the back, and of course a new index & cover.

All in all it probably would be worth buying the new edition (paperback) even if one has the older 1963 edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

forward thinking
Richard Bucky Fuller was this centuries most forward thinking individual in my opinion. Reading through Earth Inc. I could see where people could be somewhat turned off by Bucky's radical viewpoints I think he needs to beread with an open mind, and heart.

A VERY DIFFERENT APPROACH TO MODERN ISSUES
ALTHOUGH IT IS SLIGHTLY DATED, EARTH, INC. PRESENTS FULLER'S UNUSUAL APPROACH TO MODERN PROBLEMS. A KEY EXAMPLE ISTHE SECTION "REVOLUTION IN WOMBLAND" WHICH PRESENTS A SCENARIO WHERE ALLTHE BABIES GESTATINGAROUND THE WORLD "GO ON STRIKE" REFUSING TO BE BORN UNTILALLGOVERNMENTS GIVE UP WAR AND COERCION TO ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS. I WOULDRECOMMEND THIS ARTICLE TO ANYONE CONCERNED ABOUT THE ABORTION ISSUE. THIS BOOK ALSO PRESENTS FULLER'S IDEAS ABOUT THE EARLY HISTORYOF MANKINDAND THE GENERAL EVOLUTION OF THE HUMAN RACE . THIS BOOK MAY ALSO CONTAINHIS EARLIEST PUBLISHED MENTION OF NAGA CULTURE AS A KEY TO UNDERSTANDINGEARLY HUMAN HISTORY. EARTH,INC. ALSO CONTAINS HISFAMOUS MAP. THERE IS HISPOETRY HERE AS WELL. IN READING THIS BOOK REMEMBER THAT THESE ARTICLES WERE WRITTEN TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE SATURDAY REVIEWIN THE MID-60S. THE COLDWAR AND THE THREAT OF THERMONUCLEAR WAR LOOMS IN THE BACKGROUND OF THESEESSAYS. FINALLY, THIS BOOK IS ONE OF THE BESTTO START WITH IF YOU AREINTERESTED IN FULLER AND HIS IDEAS. THESE ESSAYSWERE WRITTEN FOR A BROADAUDIENCE AND FULLER WAS BOTH MORE WHIMSICAL AND EASYGOING IN THIS BOOK THANHE WAS IN OTHERS. ANOTHER GOOD INTRODUCTION TO FULLER'S IDEAS IS HIS TRANSCRIBED LECTURE IN THE BOOK 'APPROACHING THE BENIGN ENVIRONMENT'.

World History and Future: Bucky Fuller
Fuller speaks as only he can - in "mental mouthfuls". This short little paperback covers an enormous amount of ground.He divides all of human existence into twelve periods, all being facilitated by the initiatives of the "Leonardo types". He has an incitefulway of connecting things - the aquisition of the 92 elements (the 93rd and beyond he refers to as "entrances into negative universes". I have been reading this book for twenty years...still reads fresh...a must for even the most novice Bucky fans. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Short and well illustrated review of Fuller's design work
This book is an early assessment and overview of Fuller's design work taken as a whole.The author, Martin Pawley, knew Fuller but was not an acolyte; his treatment of Fuller is fair but critical.At the beginning of the book Pawley relates a not so friendly encounter which shows Fuller's known genius for technological prognostication and extrapolation and is a great story.Pawley was one of the first people to point out that Fuller's narrative of his early career did not match up with Fuller's own Chronofile-a compendious record of his life and achievements.After reading this book I recommend reading Becoming Bucky Fuller.Several academic careers will be made assessing Fuller's place in his own time and several more assessing the applications of his ideas in the present and future.




















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