Wordplay

If the name Langdon sounds familiar, it's because Dan Brown named the intrepid protagonist of "The Da Vinci Code" and "Angels and Demons" after ambigram - and symbol - designer John Langdon. Escher and Salvador Dali did with images. Widely recognized as a master of the art of the ambigram form, John Langdon does with words what M.C.

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. 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. 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.