IN this book I have attempted to gather and arrange such facts as should be known to men of cultivation interested in the art of engraving in wood. I have, therefore, disregarded such matter as seems to belong rather to descriptive bibliography, and have treated wood-engraving, in its principal works, as a reflection of the life of men and an illustration of successive phases of civilization. Where there is much disputed ground, particularly in the early history of the art, the writers on whom I have relied are referred to, and those who adopt a different view are named; but where the facts seemed plain, and are easily verifiable, reference did not appear necessary.
In conclusion, I have the honor to acknowledge my obligations to the officers of the Boston Public Library, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and the Harvard College Library, for permission to reproduce several cuts in their possession; and to Mr. Lindsay Swift, of the Boston Public Library, for the list of authorities at the end of the volume. Especially it is my pleasant duty to thank Professor Charles Eliot Norton, of Harvard University, from whose curious and valuable collection more than half of these illustrations are derived, both for them and for suggestion, advice, and criticism, without which, indeed, the work could not have been written.
GEORGE EDWARD WOODBERRY.
CONTENTS.
| [I] | |
| PAGE | |
| THE ORIGIN OF THE ART | [13] |
| [II] | |
| THE BLOCK-BOOKS | [30] |
| [III] | |
| EARLY PRINTED BOOKS IN THE NORTH | [45] |
| [IV] | |
| EARLY ITALIAN WOOD-ENGRAVING | [65] |
| [V] | |
| ALBERT DÜRER AND HIS SUCCESSORS | [90] |
| [VI] | |
| HANS HOLBEIN | [116] |
| [VII] | |
| THE DECLINE AND EXTINCTION OF THE ART | [135] |
| [VIII] | |
| MODERN WOOD-ENGRAVING | [151] |
| A LIST OF THE PRINCIPAL WORKS UPON WOOD-ENGRAVING USEFUL TO STUDENTS | [211] |
| [INDEX] | [217] |
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
[Some of the illustrations have been moved from inside of paragraphs for ease of reading. Clicking on the figure number in this list will take you to it. Click directly on the image to view it in a larger size. (n. etext transcriber)]