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Home > Book Reviews > World's Best Origami

Skill Level :	From simple to high-intermediate
Clear diagrams?	Yes
Tinted diagrams (to show 2 sides of paper)?	Yes
Photos of completed models?	No
Is there indication to the model size resulting from size of starting paper?	No
Are the models "Pure" origami (From square - no cuts)?	Most are

Overall Impression

Nick Robinson has a knack for finding the uncommon, hidden or forgotten gems and collecting them into unique books suitable for all, from super-simple models to more challenging ones, avoiding overused designs found in other books. This book is no exception (and I'm not just saying that because 3 of the models are mine!). There's a nice variety of themes, animals alongside modulars, flowers, practical models and many more. Some new favorites I found are Chris Alexander's "Howling at the Moon", Nick's own dolphin and Santa and Maltagliati's owl. Older favorites include Yenn's DNA, Fujimoto's cube and apple, and Neal Elias' angel among others.

Each model comes with Robinson's thought about the design, and the book has a long and informative introduction to methods and techniques, making it a good resource for beginners. Something for everyone here.

The Models

Model	Creator	Notes	Photo (click for a larger image)
Pecking bird	Traditional	Simple
Swan	Traditional
Peacock	Traditional	From 2 squares.	Folded by gailprentice
Hungry chick	Francisco Javier Caboblanco	Cute	Folded by Nick Robinson
Perched Owl	Robert Neale	From a rectangle
Songbird	Kunihiko Kasahara	Nice	Folded by gailprentice
Great-horned owl	Giovanni Maltagliati	Nice and simple
Penguin mother and baby	Nick Robinson	Nice
Fat bird	Gareth Louis	With flapping action
Bowing bird	Jeff Beynon	Very nice	Folded by gailprentice
Swan	Eric Joisel	Very nice	Folded by Rui Roda
Cricket	Traditional	Jumping. Great for teaching
Pig	Nick Robinson	From 3 squares
Cat's head	Evi Binzinger	Nice and simple
Frog's head	Edwin Corrie	Nice
Whale's tail	Mick Guy	Nice
Fantail goldfish	Traditional
Horse	Traditional	Pajarita variation
Mad March hare	Nick Robinson	Rabbit head. Nice
Dolphin	Nick Robinson	Very nice
Frog on a window	Kunihiko Kasahara		Folded by Malachi Brown
Howling at the Moon	Chris Alexander	Excellent
Elephant	Ann LaVin	Cute
Puma's head	Roman Diaz	Excellent. Also published on Origami Weekly
Squarosaurus	Nick Robinson	A squarish dinosaur	Folded by Malachi Brown
Koala	Edwin Corrie	Very nice
Water lily	Traditional		Folded by Malachi Brown
Tulip and Stem	Zsuzsanna Kricskovics	From 2 rectangles
Long-Stemmed Rose	Nick Robinson	Simple. From 2 squares
Boutonniere Blossom	Traditional	Nice
Sunflower	Nick Robinson	Nice	Folded by Malachi Brown
Snowdrop	Nick Robinson	Nice
Camellia	Traditional	Nice
Orchid	Jonathan Shapcott	Nice
Bluebell	Adolfo Cerceda	Nice	Folded by gailprentice
Desert flower	Nick Robinson	From a hexagon. Very nice	Folded by gailprentice
Girl's head 1	Eric Kenneway	Nice and simple
Girl's head 2	Eric Kenneway	Nice and simple
Simple Santa	Nick Robinson	Very nice
Napoleon	Nick Robinson	Some imagination required...
Grumpy alien	Nick Robinson	Cute	Folded by Nick Robinson
Vampyra	Paul Hanson	Very nice
Crying baby	Gilad Aharoni	Also in the diagrams section
Robot's head	Mike Thomas	Nice puppet
Human face	Nick Robinson	Nice
Mr. Muppet	Gilad Aharoni	Also in the diagrams section
Angel	Neal Elias	Excellent
Simple tray	Traditional
Square bowl	Traditional
Spanish box	Traditional	Very nice
Poppy dish	Nick Robinson	Nice
Triangular box	Assia Vely	From a rectangle. Very nice, with ideas for making a desk-tidy from several units.
Fox dish	Nick Robinson	Nice
Star box	Francesco Guarineri	Nice	Folded by gailprentice
Curly box	Traditional	Nice	Folded by Nick Robinson
Lidded box	Nick Robinson	Very nice	Folded by Malachi Brown
Classic Bowl	Florence Temko	Nice	Folded by Malachi Brown
Bristol box	Dan Mason	Very nice
Tessellating cross	Traditional	Simple units
Squared square	Robert Neale	Square-in-square
Butterfly	Thoki Yenn	Nice. Also published in Origami Kit for Dummies	On the left
Proving Pythagoras	Mick Guy	From 36 squares
Flexagon	Arthur Stone	From a long strip
Tower	Traditional	Nice
8-point star	Wayne Brown	From 2 squares
Tri-puzzle	David Petty	From 4 squares. A tangram-like puzzle
Pinwheel tato	Traditional
Cross puzzle	David Petty	From 4 squares
Cube	Fujimoto Shuzo	A classic
Double cube	Nick Robinson	From 2 squares. Very nice
Tri-coaster	Nick Robinson	From 3 squares
DNA strand	Thoki Yenn	From a rectangle. Also published on Thoki's web site and in Encyclopedia of Origami for Children and Adults
Umulius rectangulum	Thoki Yenn	From 6 rectangles. Excellent	Folded by Phillip West
Hexahedron	Molly Kahn	From 3 squares
Squared square cube	Robert Neale	From 6 squares
Modular twist	Nick Robinson	From 4 squares
Pyramid	Francisco Javier Caboblanco	From 2 squares	Folded by gailprentice
Windmill cube	Kunihiko Kasahara	From 6 squares
Tri-module unit	Nick Robinson	From 3 squares, with variation suggestions	Folded by Marina Kosareva
Snowflake module	David Petty	From 8 squares	Folded by Rui Roda
Snow cube	Nick Robinson	From 6 squares
Goldfinch star	Nick Robinson	From 6 squares
Octahedron	Robert Neale	From 6 squares
Wallet	Traditional	Nice
Cup	Traditional
Booklet	Traditional	From a rectangle. With a cut
Envelope from Bonn	Doris Lauinger	From a rectangle
Party hat	Robert Neale / Nick Robinson	Nice
French fries bag	Traditional
Set square	Nick Robinson
Pocket fan	Sjaak Adriaanse	From a rectangle
Classic cap	Traditional	From a rectangle
Sailboat envelope	Evi Binzinger
Elforia envelope	Sjaak Adriaanse	From a rectangle
Holiday card	Doris Lauinger	From a rectangle
Ring	Traditional	From a rectangle. Very nice
Gliding hoop	Traditional
Crown	Nick Robinson	From 4 squares
Sheffield sailboat	Nick Robinson
Word dominoes	Mick Guy	Game units
Freising plane	Nick Robinson	Toy plane	Folded by Malachi Brown
Cart	Traditional	From 2 squares
Standing heart	Nick Robinson	From 2 squares
Popsicle	Gilad Aharoni	Also in the diagrams section
Bug-eye glider	Nick Robinson	Toy plane	Folded by Malachi Brown
3D heart	Haui Bogl'arka		Folded by Malachi Brown
Candle	Nick Robinson	Nice	Folded by Malachi Brown
Reverse pinwheel	Florence Temko		Folded by gailprentice
Kettle	Adolfo Cerceda	Nice
Tent	Francesco Guarnieri	Nice. Also published on the CDO website	Folded by Francesco Guarnieri
Trees on a hillside	Eric Kenneway	Also published in Origami: Paperfolding for Fun
Apple	Shuzo Fujimoto	Excellent