The author shows the roots and antecedents of the Art Nouveau movement, going back to the 18th Century. The Art Nouveau movement encompassed the graphic arts, painting, sculpture, interior decoration, architecture and objects of everyday use, developed by artists and architects in Chicago, Vienna, Glasgow, Brussels, Barcelona and Paris. The evolution of the style and the varieties of media to which its decorative qualities were adapted have been illustrated in over 450 black and white plates and pictures and 12 color plates, all of which have been well chosen and are excellent reproductions. The text defines the qualities and structure of art nouvcau design, and the ramifications of its characteristic line. The style is traced to its origins with William Blake and influences from Rossetti and the Japanese artists up to its flourishing as a decorative art throughout Europe and the United States. This is a thorough treatment of art nouvcau as a legitimate art form as well as an indication of the tastes and civilization of the West at the turn of the century.