This book presents beautiful photos of mathematical models of geometric surfaces made from a variety of materials including plaster, metal, paper, wood, and string. The construction of these models at the time (of Felix Klein and others) was not an end in itself, but was accompanied by mathematical research especially in the field of algebraic geometry. The models were used to illustrate the mathematical objects defined by abstract formulas, either as equations or parameterizations. In the second part of the book, the models are explained by experts in the field of geometry.

This book is a reprint thirty years after the original publication in 1986 with a new preface by Gert-Martin Greuel. The models have a timeless appeal and a historical value.