After editing Mathematics Magazine for many years, I developed a certain passion for communicating mathematics: I didn't want dry accounts written by anonymous authors; I wanted stories told by people. I wasn't so interested in problems and puzzles, but in the stories that bring us face to face with the grand structures of mathematics. Many years ago, I asked the innocent question: what is a wallpaper pattern, really? Creating Symmetry is the story of my dissatisfaction with standard answers and how it led me on a curious journey to a new kind of mathematical art. I took some risks and let my personal self show through, while maintaining an honest, mathematically responsible approach. I hope readers enjoy the balance: real math told by a person.
