David BatterhamThe World of Ornament (Bibliotheca Universalis) (Multilingual Edition)

I own a 1910 edition of Owen Jones' "Grammar of Ornament", the pattern book that the books reproduced in this book are inspired by. I also own the Dover reprint of the same book. I was concerned when I ordered this that the printing quality would be only a pale imitation of the original, like the Dover book is to the chromolithographs in my vintage copy of "Grammar of Ornament". I was thrilled when I started paging through this massive volume. The printing is fabulous and the plates are large and sharp. The only thing missing is the metallic gold accents on some pages, but that isn't a big deal.This book is worth every penny of the cost. As others have said, it will certainly sell for much more in the collectors' market once the print run sells out. But I can't imagine anyone wanting to sell it. I've already spent hours poring over the hundreds of pages packed with beautiful and brilliantly composed and colored designs. I know I'll be spending countless more hours enjoying this book for the rest of my life.Some things are a once in a lifetime opportunity... this book is one of them.

Anyone can immediately see that this book is a gem. If you have even a slight artistic bend, you'll love this book! The multitude of designs in this little tome will overwhelm you. (I won't mention how delicious the French and German critiques are.)

Everything else is perfect, this is an amazing book, but I’m really disappointed there’s no ribbon.

I gave it a four-star due to this book had a lot of colorful photos, but several of the photos were kinda blurry and the details were not clear. Got here on time. Thank u!

I Loved this book! With over 800 pages and thousands of beautiful full color plates, all explained in three languages. It is a bargain for anyone interested in this subject. I highly recommend this book!

This book is exactly what I was looking for. It has tons of reference pictures for drawing.

It is very rare I write a review on ANYTHING…. But if you are an art lover this book is a must. I don’t think the title does justice to what the book really which is an incredible study of ornamental ART throughout history. There are sections on every time period with absolutely fantastic art plates from each period. If it only had the collection of 16th and 17th renaissance examples alone it would be worth the price of the book. The quality is superb. If you a grotesque art lover like me you will feel your adrenaline go up as you flip through the pages. Hands down one of my best overall book purchases in my collection.

I’m new to being an artist, but I suspect this is a top book for surface design art ideas. Art from fabrics, walls, glass, tile…tons of inspiration, and history to go with each century, in 3 languages.