Decorative Ornament

With its sharp detail and metallic inks, this particular printing makes a stunning coffee-table book. But its true value for surface designers and mixed-media collage artists goes far beyond a status symbol: all the designs are long out of copyright, so clear they can easily be scanned or photocopied, and well-organized according to their culture of origin. Jone's 150-year-old commentary can seem pretentious and even racist when viewed against 20th Century design principles, but the designs themselves are masterfully-drawn and gorgeously-reproduced.