“That is truly wonderful, John! And what are they about?”
“The ‘Biblia Pauperum’ means ‘Bible for the Poor,’ and is a series of scenes from the Old and New Testaments.”
“I think I’ve heard of it; but I wish you’d tell me more about it.”
John leaned forward, his keen face showing unusual interest. “The forty pictures in it were made by pressing engraved blocks of wood on paper, just like the St. Christopher, or this playing-card. The lines are all brown, and the pictures are placed opposite each other, with their blank backs pasted together, so they form one strong leaf.”
“And how big are the pictures?”
“They are ten inches high and seven or eight inches wide, and each is made up of three small pictures, separated by lines. More than that, there are four half-length figures of prophets, two above and two below the larger pictures. Then there are Latin legends and rhymes at the bottom of each page.”
“And all that is cut on wood first?” said Anna, doubtfully. “It sounds almost like a miracle.”
“Aye. I looked very closely, and the whole book is made from blocks, like the playing-card.”
“Art thou sure it’s not the pencraft of some skilful scribe?”