Glass is a magical material through which light can shine. Throughout its millennial history, its colourful splendour and malleability have always exerted a particular fascination and a creative attraction. The book offers a profound and lavishly documented panorama of artistic glass design in Europe and the United States since the 1870s. Over many years Renate und Dietrich Goetze have assembled one of the world's most important collections of glass vessels, comprising some 500 exclusive objects. It reflects not only the collectors' passion for this luminous material and its unlimited opportunities for inspiring the imagination, but also their tremendous expertise. The volume is a compendium of glass art with numerous artist biographies, a directory of the glass foundries, their techniques and symbols - and, above all: a feast for the eyes!