For thousands of years, beads have been used by many different societies and cultures in numerous ways - for personal adornment above all, but also for trade, and as talismans, status symbols or religious artefacts. This book embraces 40,000 years of bead history, examining and illustrating many examples drawn from every major culture and region of the world. It focuses on both history and design, and should be of interest to collectors, beadworkers, and designers.