A catalogue of images and objects displayed in the exhibition The Art of the Book: Illustration and Design, 1650 to Present which is a follow up to the highly successful 2003 exhibition The Art of the Book:1000-1650. The catalogue traces the evolution of book design over four centuries and shows how entrepreneurial publishers brought famous artists and authors together to produce special deluxe editions of various texts. Also explored is the twentieth-century phenomenon of “artists’ books,” which function primarily as aesthetic objects. The exhibition and catalogue are the result of collaboration between the Museum of Art and Archaeology and the University of Missouri-Columbia Libraries. Featured are holdings from the MU Libraries Special Collections Division and the Museum of Art and Archaeology’s permanent collection, as well as objects on loan from The Missouri State Historical Society and by private collectors. 94 pages, soft cover, 54 color plates.