I see a piece of hand-drawn batik as a silent testimony of a tradition that brings together the creative best of so many devoted people. It is this acknowledgement that awakens my deepest respect. The amount of energy, deliberation, and love that has gone into the creation of batik is unfathomable. No batik piece is a work of a single person. Batik comes to life through a chain of expertise, a dedicated set of tools, and a regiment of processing methods which have been perfected for hundreds of years as a collective wisdom. I dedicate this book to all batik-makers in Indonesia. I say to them, the beauty of batik is your beauty, too.