Book Islamic Patterns An Analytical and Cosmological Approach - Thames and Hudson

For centuries, the nature and significance of Islamic art were misunderstood in the West, regarded merely as decoration. But in reality, abstract Islamic art represents an advanced development of a tradition beyond naturalism, as Prophet Muhammad always discouraged the depiction of human and animal forms to avoid idolatry. Hence, among the great artistic traditions worldwide, Islamic art has preserved its unique integrity and internal content with minimal deviation from its purpose: the affirmation of unity expressed through diversity. Pythagorean / Platonic doctrines are easily recognizable in the body of Islamic geometric art, because the wisdom of this practice was exalted by Socrates in Plato's Republic (527), when he specifically provided the reason for practicing geometry. His practice revitalized the inner organ (or eye of wisdom), through which only we can see the truth. The geometric patterns of Islamic art reveal to the sensitive viewer the internal cosmological laws influencing the entire Creation. The primary function of these patterns is to guide the mind from the literal and earthly world to the underlying eternal reality.

Numerous sequential drawings show how Islamic art is intrinsically linked to the science of mathematics. We thus clearly see how the Earth-centered—‘common sense’—view of the cosmos provides a new sign of the numerical patterns generated by planetary orbits, correlating the cosmos experienced by humans with the patterns created in Islamic art, thereby shedding new light on the eternal symbolic meaning of numbers. Mathematical tessellations, inherently connected with space-filling patterns, emerge as an essential practical and philosophical foundation for creating every finished work of art—tiles, carpets, walls, or entire buildings—and thus affirm the fundamental unity of all things.

The Thames & Hudson company was founded in 1949 by Walter and Eva Neurath. Their greatest passion and mission was to create a “museum without walls” and to make the world of art and leading scientific research accessible to a broad audience. To reflect international perspectives, the company's name combined the rivers flowing through London and New York, represented in its logo by two dolphins symbolizing friendship and intelligence, one facing east, the other west, suggesting a connection between the Old World and the New.

Today, still an independent family-owned publisher, Thames & Hudson is one of the world’s leading publishers of illustrated books with over 2000 titles printed. It publishes high-quality collectible books across all areas of visual creativity: fine arts, applied arts, decorative arts, performing arts, architecture, design, photography, fashion, film, and music, as well as archaeology, history, and popular culture. It is also expanding its list of children's books. Headquartered in London with a sister company in New York and branches in Melbourne, Singapore, and Hong Kong. In Paris, another subsidiary, Interart, distributes English-language books in France.

History of Thames & Hudson

Walter Neurath was born in Vienna in 1903. In 1938, he left his hometown—where he ran an art gallery and published illustrated books—for London. Initially, he worked as a production director at Adprint, a brand founded by Viennese émigré Wolfgang Foges. Neurath and Foges developed a pioneering concept of what is now called book packaging (or co-publishing), where book ideas are developed, commissioned, produced, and sold to publishers operating across different markets and languages, to create large editions and reduce unit production costs. Neurath’s concept was the first of many innovations introduced by Thames & Hudson into the publishing world.

Seeking to continue book packaging in a second edition and recognizing the need to amortize the high costs of producing illustrated books, Neurath established his own publishing company, with offices in London and New York, in the fall of 1949. Eva Neurath, who arrived in London from Berlin in 1939, was a co-founder.

Of the ten titles published on the initial list by Thames & Hudson in 1950, *English Cathedrals*, with photographs by Martin Hürlimann, were the first and achieved the greatest success. A testament to the brand’s strong conviction from the very beginning regarding the longevity of their books, it remained in print until 1971. In the first year of publication, Albert Einstein’s *Out of My Later Years* also appeared, an early indicator of the program’s breadth. As the list gradually expanded—growing from ten titles in 1950 to 144 in 1955—the company moved its offices to High Holborn and in 1956 relocated to a Georgian townhouse at 30 Bloomsbury Street, near Bedford Square, becoming the epicenter of book publishing in London. The manufacturing remained at this address, eventually expanding to five houses by 1999, when it returned to High Holborn.

In 1958, Thames & Hudson launched one of their most renowned series, *World of Art*, which became the foundation of a highly diverse list. Characterized by its pocket size and black spines, the series expanded in just seven years to include 49 titles. Nearly 60 years later, the series boasts over 300 titles, which, according to Christopher Frayling, are “splattered with paint copies” in every art school across the country.

Other significant series that added depth and prestige to the list include *Ancient People and Places*, edited by Glyn Daniel, who from the 1950s contributed to pioneering interest in archaeology, both in book form and television. Over 34 titles have been published in this series over 34 years. The large-format *Great Civilizations* series, published in 1961, featured contributions from esteemed scholars such as Alan Bullock, Asa Briggs, Hugh Trevor-Roper, A. J. P. Taylor, and John Julius Norwich.
After establishing one of the most important publishing houses in Europe in less than two decades, Walter Neurath died in 1967 at the age of 63. Sculptor Henry Moore wrote that “his death was a loss to our cultural life.” Sir Herbert Read noted that Neurath “more than anyone else was responsible for the revolution in art publishing,” and called him “one of those rare entrepreneurs who successfully combine business acumen with idealism.” Eva Neurath became chairwoman. Walter’s son, Thomas, who joined the company in 1961 along with his sister Constance, became managing director; Constance later served as artistic director for several decades. Both Thomas and Constance remain on the Thames & Hudson board, as do Thomas’s daughters, Johanna and Susanna.
From producing the first commercial edition of *The Book of Kells* to the triumphant publication of the six-volume *Vincent van Gogh — Letters*, from innovations like “French folds” to the controversial documentation of graffiti art in *Subway Art*, Thames & Hudson has always been at the forefront, both culturally and in production techniques.

2016 marked the beginning of an extraordinary new chapter for the company, announcing publishing partnerships with two of the world’s most important museums: the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The world of art and scholarship remains at the heart of Thames & Hudson’s publishing program, which stays true to its core principle: providing a “museum without walls.”
Today, Thames & Hudson is a recognizable international brand, a symbol of British publishing. Their extensive catalog includes thousands of original titles. Many of these are collectible, elite editions.

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