The need for peoples to come together to celebrate their industry, demonstrate their skills and to trade the results of this industry has existed since man first organised himself into socially cohesive units. This eventually found universal expression in the extended series of international exhibitions which began in London in 1851 and has continued in one form or another up to the present day. The content of these exhibitions gave nations and individual companies of the world the opportunity to display their specialised skills and present new ideas and products to a much wider public. The author, with his special interest in the furniture of the period, looks at major international exhibitions held during the nineteenth century, and makes the reader aware of the important changes taking place at that time. Although the general study of furniture and items of domestic decoration in the nineteenth century has not been neglected and many titles have been published, strangely, these exhibitions have not been covered extensively. Jonathan Meyer has examined the enormous changes brought about by the Industrial Revolution, already in evidence with machinery and scientific methods applied to the decorative arts, and discusses, with the aid of numerous illustrations, many taken from the original exhibition catalogues, how these changes influenced the decorative arts themselves. The wide-ranging collection of illustrations, mostly from contemporary sources, provides the reader with a good idea of the exceptionally high quality of inventiveness and workmanship displayed by the manufacturers and their exhibits. Examples discussed and illustrated cover most areas of manufacture and include ceramics; silver and metalwork; furniture; cast iron and garden furniture; chandeliers and candelabra; clocks; bronze ornament; textiles; chimney-pieces and interior design. All are accompanied by an informative text which seeks to leave the reader, whether experienced or new to the subject, with the desire to learn more about these extraordinary exhibitions and the reasons for their appeal to the vast numbers of people, from all walks of life, who attended them. 350 contemporary engravings, col & b/w illustrations