This book is a collection of 30 brief papers (with an average length of six pages), each containing images--art works--generated by different kinds of cellular automata, together with a collected comprehensive list of 177 references (somewhat surprisingly, it does not include the 1970 Scientific American paper on Conway’s game of life [1], though that seminal work is often referred to in the text). The authors succinctly describe the core ideas of the automata used to generate the beautiful images, and some of the interesting explorations that led to the particular calculations behind the images included in the book. The authors have diverse backgrounds and interests, and they apply cellular automata to a wide range of problems. Some of the papers are more concerned with the automata and their properties; in others, the applications are stressed. The images are the focus, as the title of the volume suggests.

The images and the reference list together make the book a valuable starting point for those interested in the theory or the art, or those who simply want to find websites where these fascinating ideas can be explored and images created.