A small square of paper measuring six by six inches is the unprepossessing starting point for origami, the nearly 2,000-year-old Japanese art of paper folding. From this modest material beginning, the origami master creates objects of fascinating intricacy and beauty--flying cranes and hopping frogs, complex geometric shapes and fruit forms--following the unwritten rule of never using scissors or glue. The ancient craft of origami came into a new stage of its long life in the 1990s as renowned galleries and museums began collecting the medium, gradually elevating it to the status of contemporary sculpture. This richly illustrated volume of full-color plates presents outstanding works by 60 masters of origami from 16 different countries. Contributing authors explore the fascinating diversity and complexity of the art of paper-folding in texts devoted to its history, the use of exquisite, handmade paper, folding techniques and the role of origami as a source of inspiration for contemporary designers, architects and artists, as well as its increasing importance in theorem solving and concept development within the fields of science and medicine.