i suppose i should have figured it out from the title, but it is in fact a coloring book. it's not, what i thought, a book of colorful mucha figures. get some crayons, or paint or whatever, and have at it.

Shame on those giving this a poor review because they failed to read the description. A review should be based on what the product is, and not what they thought it might be. Mucha's intricate work is so highly detailed I could never hope to draw anything like it, but it gives me great satisfaction to colour these fine line drawings. For those seeking a Mucha tattoo this is an excellent reference to bring to the studio because an artist will add to detail and shading to the line drawings provided!

If you are looking for a book of Mucha's work as he did it, look elsewhere. This book is an artist's renditions, or, more crudely, tracings, of ~37 Mucha works. It seems other reviewers weren't expecting this. The drawings could be useful for some applications; I have seen Mucha's work copied at street-painting festivals, and I think this book would be helpful to one replicating the work in such a way. I can also see this book used as a coloring book for an older child who is interested in art (although, note there is partial female nudity).

The works represented spans his poster work, advertising pieces, and decorative pieces, produced from 1896-1905.

Again, if you want colorful Mucha work, try another book. One example is Alphonse Mucha, by Sarah Mucha. Dover press produces many wonderful books, so you are are bound to find more than one to suit your desires.

as an art student i LOVE Mucha's work, and while searching for full color printed books on his art, i discovered this fun little item. the renderings of his art are very well done, hours of fun when you feel like being a kid again! defenatly more of a novelty or adult coloring book, but i know plenty of adults who still enjoy coloring. as an artist myself it seems a bit silly to use a coloring book, but what artist doesnt want to recreate the masterpeices of their idols in a fun, stress free way?

I don't know what happened, if this product has more than one listing, or what, but I could swear it wasn't clearly listed as a "colouring book". I also was unaware that these were Mucha drawings traced by another's hand -- and not traced with special sensitivity toward Mucha's intentions -- lines implied with color are absent (including Sarah Bernhardt's upper lip, making her smile in the poster for "La Dame aux Camelias" appear insipid) , highly rendered chalk and pencil drawings are reduced to a few bold ink lines. There is an appealing sharpness, but, for me, the drawbacks out-weigh this positive.

The foreword mentions that the book is intended as "clip art", and I suppose it would serve that purpose, though it's not a purpose that interests me.

I'm a bit puzzled by the coloring book aspect -- I'm not sure Mucha's figures, sometimes of bare-breasted women, is the ideal material for crayolas.

Unless you ARE looking for clip art or a coloring book for grown-ups, Dover's several other Mucha books would be a better purchase.