2,286 Traditional Stencil Designs (Dover Pictorial Archive Series)

I know that people have been complaining about how some of the stencils are too small and become unclear when blown up. They have a few other issues, too.
Here's the thing: the book has over 2,000 great stencils that are perfectly legible. I'm an illustrator, woodworker, and paper crafter. I am simply delighted at the various choices of stencil. Plus, the book is very inspiring in terms of providing a jumping off point to make up my own. I simply love it.

This is a wonderful resource for design ideas! I use elements of these stencils as patterns for guitar inlays. The copyright info on the inside cover is generous allowing use of the patterns, "free and without special permission." in certain circumstances.

If you are a craftperson, do not buy this book, though pictoral, it is more historical and you need a magnifying glass to see some of the stencils.

This book is chock full of great Victorian design. It has cartouches (ornamental borders), patterns, single filligree elements, and the best part is that they are all royalty free. You will need to scan the elements and clean them up a bit, but this book is a fantastic resource for the "flourish" trend that is going on in graphic design right now.

Highly recommended.

I use these stencils as layouts for gun engraving. While many designs are too small and lack enough detail to be able to reproduce (about 30%) most are of good quality and detail. It's a great value for the price and I strongly recommend it as an indispensible aid for all engravers, wood carvers, and stencil makers.