This is a new edition of this definitive world history of glassmaking and decorative techniques from 2500 BC, updated to cover the first decade of the 21st century. This classic book traces the history of glassmaking from its origins in Western Asia some 5000 years ago, through the invention of glassblowing around the first century BC, to the introduction of mechanised processes and new styles in the 19th and 20th centuries. It highlights the flourishing industries of ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt, the extraordinary achievements of the Roman Empire, the elegant vessels of the Islamic Near East, the superb mastery of Renaissance Venice and the wide ranging experiments of modern Europe and America. With a new final chapter by John P. Smith, Editor of "The Glass Circle" journal, to bring the book right up to date with the latest developments, 5000 Years of Glass is still the definitive single volume general history of this most versatile art form.