Recommending Origami Books to Begineers

This page to recommend origami books to begineers was done at the constant urging of friends. I cannot help those who find that they are unable to understand the folding sequences drawn in books. The only advice I can offer in such situations is to start from very, very simple origami models, even if you find them boring, is to learn to fold from the folding instructions. Since the models are simple, it follows that it would be easier to read the folding sequences as described in the book. With constant practice, you will gain proficiency in reading the folding instructions.

My preference is folding animals to modular or geometrical objects. Hence my recommendation will reflect my preference. If you have similar interests like mine, then you will find my recommendations much more useful than if interests differ.

Origami books for absolute beginners and no folding experience

• I am rather biased towards these books as these books started me on the road of discovering origami. Note that I started off from knowing nothing as well. Note that cutting and glueing is required in a few of the models.
• I will not bring out origami books which I believed are no longer in print.
• Although there are many English and Japanese books nowadays which teach you very simple models, there are none that strike me as much as these 4 books.

	Secrets of Origami (by Robert Harbin) Models are from the 70s. Although when compared to today's standards, they seemed rather poor in quality but they were rather advance during that time period. Bear in mind, that these are the models which launch people's interest in origami and it was from these models which most of today's origami 'gurus' first picked up their interest, learned from them, improved on them and come up with better models. I recommend this book as it contains traditional models, and from the very simple models to intermediate ones. It is possible to learn and gain experience from the very simple models, and as you gain in experience, there are still models inside which you can still fold.
	Creative Origami (by Kunihiko Kasahara) Another one of my favourites. Most of the models within are very easy to fold and there are many topics. The models range from simple to simple intermediate (if there is such classification) as I cannot quite classify the models as intermediate. From my own experience and experience of others, begineers should have no problem reading the folding instructions and folding the model from it.
	The World of Origami (Isao Honda) This book is a classic and considered one of the best origami books around in the 60s and 70s. This does not mean the book will not be able to teach us anything today. This is one of the first books I learned origami from. As my interest lies in animals, I have practically folded all the animals inside. There is a section where the animal is folded in two parts, the front and the back, from bird base. This section shows the versatility of bird base and how you can concentrate on the front and then the back to get an accurately represented animal that is easy to fold. Even though the completed model looks sufficiently detailed, it is in fact very easy to fold. This approach would also allow the more enterprising ones to create their own.
	Origami made Easy (Kunihiko Kasahara) This book is another classic. There are many simple models to fold within. There are no models which I would classify to be intermediate. There are also ideas on creating. I made my first favourite insect from this book, the praying mantis. Although it looks awkward with only 4 legs, its pose was sufficiently striking and so far no one had asked me why there are only 4 legs.

Origami books for beginners with some folding experience

• To get the maximum benefit from these following books, ideally you should have some folding experience.
• Note that all 4 books mentioned above has models which falls into this category as well.

	Origami Hearts (Francis Ow) This book has a theme, all models within follows this theme, perfect for Valentine Day. They range from boxes, containers, rings, caps, coasters, frames and others. Models range from simple to intermediate and it also teaches a variety of techniques on assembling, locking, etc.
	Origami Wreaths and Rings (David Petty) The title suggest what is within. The models within is classified under modular origami. The unit itself is usually easy to fold but the assembling part could prove a bit tricky for begineers. As can be seen from the cover, the end result is very beautiful and worth the effort.

Origami books for beginners with more folding experience and would like to experiment with more difficult models
 

	Brilliant Origami (by David Brill) Dave Brill or Lord Brill, is simply Brill-iant! His book contains models of different categories, modular origami, geometric origami, animal origami, etc.There are also action models and toys. The difficulty of the models is from simple to intermediate to difficult (not complex), with most of them in the intermediate range.
	Origami for the Enthusiast (by John Montroll) The models in this book range from intermediate to complex models. I believe this book is the first book by John Montroll. It was my first book on complex models. I receive such a thrill when I folded by first moth, first crab and first lobster. John Montroll's books are very good for people who love folding animals.
	Animal Origami for the Enthusiast (by John Montroll) The models in this book range from intermediate to complex models. I believe this book is the secondst book by John Montroll. The models inside are also complex and detailed and very, very impressive! Note: Since these two books, most of John Montroll's books are of intermediate difficulty with very little complex models

These are all the books I have in mind for the time being. I will add to this list if I more comes to mind.