In eleven chapters, this book about the collection at the Museum fur Kunst und Gewerbe in Hamburg tells a history of human creativity and ingenuity, spanning a variety of cultural regions. The material is presented chronologically and covers a period of over four thousand years. More than 250 objects from the collections of one of Europe's most important museums of arts and crafts are shown in the contexts of their various epochs, rendering visible the simultaneous developments and innovations. The book begins in the ancient Far East and ends with current examples of sustainable design for the Third World. It addresses themes such as the birth of world religions, the beginning of the modern era, exchange and trade, industrialization, mass production for the modern world, and finally global networking via new communications media in contemporary society.

Text by: Nora von Achenbach, Claudia Banz, Thomas Gilbhard, Frank Hildebrandt, Olaf Kirsch, Christine Kitzlinger, Angelika Riley