If price is the only consideration, it is rare that Amazon is cheapest. So if your parents have cut you off then maybe you should look at bestbookbuys.com before you buy. I found about 10 places that have Design Patterns for less than the $45 you quoted and 3 of them had it for less than Amazon.
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Fuller may also have designed structures using octagons, but buckyballs are made using hexagonal and pentagonal frames.
If price is the only consideration, it is rare that Amazon is cheapest. So if your parents have cut you off then maybe you should look at bestbookbuys.com before you buy. I found about 10 places that have Design Patterns for less than the $45 you quoted and 3 of them had it for less than Amazon.