---
title: A Brief History of Woodcut Illustrations
description: Contemporary publishers have a variety of methods at their disposal for mixing images and text. In the 15th century it was all about the woodcut illustrations.
image: https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/hubfs/Morris_Kelmscott_Inventory.png
---

us toll free:[1-800-948-5563](tel:18009485563)   international: [+1 (843) 849-0283](tel:+18438490283)   UK: [+44 (0) 1334 260018](tel:+4401334260018)

[Wish List](http://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/wish-list.php) | [My Account](http://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/myaccount.php) | [Shopping Cart](http://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/cart.php)

[![Books Tell You Why](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/hs-fs/file-24000257-png/images/logo.png "Books Tell You Why")](http://www.bookstellyouwhy.com)

![ilab](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/hs-fs/hub/237126/file-294270925.png) ![abaa](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/hs-fs/hub/237126/file-293390527.png)

- [Rare Books](https://pages.bookstellyouwhy.com/rare-books) 
    - [Browse Rare Books](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/browse-rare-books.php)
    - [Search Rare Books](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/advSearch.php?search=rarebooks)
- [Signed Books](https://pages.bookstellyouwhy.com/signed-books) 
    - [Browse Signed Books](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/browse-signed-books.php)
    - [Search Signed Books](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/advSearch.php?signed=on)
- [First Editions](https://pages.bookstellyouwhy.com/first-editions) 
    - [Browse First Editions](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/browse-first-editions.php)
    - [Search First Editions](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/advSearch.php?firstEd=on)
- [Legendary Authors](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/legendary_authors.php) 
    - [Saul Bellow](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/searchResults.php?action=browse&category_id=976)
    - [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/searchResults.php?action=browse&category_id=1285)
    - [Charles Dickens](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/searchResults.php?action=browse&category_id=946)
    - [Umberto Eco](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/searchResults.php?action=browse&category_id=942)
    - [Ian Fleming](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/searchResults.php?action=browse&category_id=947)
    - [Gabriel García Márquez](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/searchResults.php?action=browse&category_id=1320)
    - [Ernest Hemingway](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/searchResults.php?action=browse&category_id=948)
    - [Rudyard Kipling](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/searchResults.php?category_id=936&action=browse)
    - [Doris Lessing](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/searchResults.php?action=browse&category_id=1031)
    - [Arthur Miller](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/searchResults.php?action=browse&category_id=980)
    - [V.S Naipaul](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/searchResults.php?action=browse&category_id=1042)
    - [Harold Pinter](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/searchResults.php?action=browse&category_id=1033)
    - [Philip Pullman](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/searchResults.php?action=browse&category_id=940)
    - [Philip Roth](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/searchResults.php?action=browse&category_id=959)
    - [John Steinbeck](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/searchResults.php?action=browse&category_id=945)
    - [J. R. R Tolkien](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/searchResults.php?action=browse&category_id=944)
    - [Mark Twain](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/searchResults.php?action=browse&category_id=943)
    - [John Updike](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/searchResults.php?action=browse&category_id=983)
    - [Elie Wiesel](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/searchResults.php?action=browse&category_id=984)
- [Gift Ideas](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/gift_ideas.php) 
    - [Business Partner](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/searchResults.php?action=browse&category_id=844)
    - [Christmas](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/searchResults.php?action=browse&category_id=941)
    - [Father's Day](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/searchResults.php?action=browse&category_id=837)
    - [Halloween](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/searchResults.php?action=browse&category_id=859)
    - [Mother's Day](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/searchResults.php?action=browse&category_id=848)
    - [Valentine's Day](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/searchResults.php?action=browse&category_id=975)
- [Book Search](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/advSearch.php)

# <https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com>[blogis librorum. A blog about books. Rare books.](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com)

[![Did you know? Check our Rare Books Page](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/237126/4f5afc0e-4fe1-46f6-bebb-f93fe6f22263.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/237126/4f5afc0e-4fe1-46f6-bebb-f93fe6f22263)

## [A Brief History of Woodcut Illustrations](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/a-brief-history-of-woodcut-illustrations)

By [Brian Hoey](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/author/brian-hoey).  Sep 6, 2016. 9:00 AM.

Topics: [Book History](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/book-history), [Book Making](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/book-making)

Though illustrations are today mostly synonymous with children’s literature, techniques for printing illustrations were developed and employed at almost the very moment the printing press entered use. And while contemporary publishers have a variety of methods at their disposal for mixing images and text, in the 15th century it was all about the [woodcuts](http://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/advSearchResults.php?action=search&keywordsField=woodcuts&orderBy=relevance&recordsLength=25&p=1).

[![Morris_Kelmscott_Inventory.png](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Morris_Kelmscott_Inventory.png?width=278&name=Morris_Kelmscott_Inventory.png)](http://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/advSearchResults.php?action=search&keywordsField=woodcuts&orderBy=relevance&recordsLength=25&p=1)[Woodcuts](http://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/advSearchResults.php?action=search&keywordsField=woodcuts&orderBy=relevance&recordsLength=25&p=1) are made by carving images into wood blocks, leaving the areas to be printed level and cutting away the areas not meant to carry ink. Woodcuts were used in China for the creation of textile prints as early as the 3rd century A.D. While the art of woodcut printing was widely used in East Asia and was perfected over the course of the centuries, the technique didn’t make its way to Europe until the early 15th century, roughly the time at which paper had been introduced to that corner of the world. While woodcuts were initially used mainly to create cheaply reproducible artwork, their relevance to the world of moveable type would quickly become apparent. As both woodcuts and moveable type are relief-printed, they were natural bedfellows when the age of the printing press finally dawned.

In the last quarter of the 15th century, woodcut illustrations entered a sort of golden age in Renaissance Italy. Though they initially gained widespread use in the printing of devotional aids (with different cuts being mixed and matched to combine certain common elements in depictions of saints), they quickly gained prominence as an artistic medium in their own right. Artists designed (though did not always actually carve themselves) spectacular illustrations that went into now-famed printings of works by [Aesop](http://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/advSearchResults.php?action=search&orderBy=relevance&category_id=0&keywordsField=aesop), [Boccaccio](http://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/advSearchResults.php?action=search&orderBy=relevance&category_id=0&keywordsField=boccaccio), and others.

Following their rise to prominence in Italy and Germany (where the technique was being put into use around the same time), woodcut illustrations would make their way to the United States in the late 17th century. John Foster, possibly America’s first maker of book illustrations, began using woodcuts in his Boston print shop as early as 1670. And though the style would lose prominence even in the United States by the end of the 18th century (owing both to the rise of copper plate engraving—a technique pioneered by Paul Revere—and to a decrease in the overall number of illustrations being printed in any given book), advances in technology would not spell the end for woodcut usage, owing to the creation of the [Kelmscott Press](http://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/advSearchResults.php?action=search&orderBy=relevance&category_id=0&keywordsField=kelmscott).

[![26802-1.png](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/hs-fs/hubfs/26802-1.png?width=436&name=26802-1.png)](http://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/advSearchResults.php?action=search&orderBy=relevance&category_id=0&keywordsField=kelmscott)

[William Morris](http://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/advSearchResults.php?action=search&orderBy=relevance&category_id=0&keywordsField=william+morris), an early fantasy author and socialist of the 19th century, believing strongly in the value of books as aesthetic objects in themselves, set out to create a series of beautifully illustrated volumes, most done with woodcuts. Drawing inspiration from his collection of 15th century German woodcuts, he founded the Kelmscott Press, which printed a number of his own works, in addition to works by Keats, Shelley, and [Swinburne](http://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/advSearchResults.php?action=search&orderBy=relevance&category_id=0&keywordsField=swinburne). The Press's crowning achievement, though, would be a much-sought-after printing of Chaucer’s [*Canterbury Tales*](http://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/advSearchResults.php?action=search&orderBy=relevance&category_id=0&keywordsField=the+canterbury+tales).

Even the era of the Kelmscott Press, however, would not prove to be the last word on woodcuts. Despite considerable advances in printing technology, woodcuts were still sometimes utilized (mostly in illustrated children’s books) in the 20th century for their aesthetic properties, being used in prints of works by [Beatrix Potter](http://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/advSearchResults.php?action=search&orderBy=relevance&category_id=0&keywordsField=beatrix+potter), [Marcia Brown](http://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/advSearchResults.php?action=search&orderBy=relevance&category_id=0&keywordsField=marcia+brown+), and [Joyce Carol Oates](http://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/advSearchResults.php?action=search&orderBy=relevance&category_id=0&keywordsField=joyce+carol+oates).

*Interested in viewing the woodcut process? Check out our [collection of wood engraving videos](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/vlog-the-art-of-wood-engraving-and-printing).*

[![Browse Books with Woodcut Decorations](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/237126/c275ebd1-0b7d-4930-8c50-449feece8d48.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/237126/c275ebd1-0b7d-4930-8c50-449feece8d48)

![](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/hs-fs/hub/237126/file-1850204945.jpg?width=80&name=file-1850204945.jpg) 

[Brian Hoey](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/author/brian-hoey)

Writer and all around book nerd, Brian puts his English degree to good use turning words into magic. A great lover of beer, baseball, and books, he can write on Baltic Porter and Katherine Anne Porter with equal ease.

 

Please enable JavaScript to view the [comments powered by Disqus.](http://disqus.com/?ref_noscript) [comments powered by Disqus](http://disqus.com)

 

|  |
| --- |

This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached.

- There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.

### About this blog

 How can I identify a first edition? Where do I learn about caring for books? How should I start collecting? Hear from librarians about amazing collections, learn about historic bindings or printing techniques, get to know other collectors. Whether you are just starting or looking for expert advice, chances are, you'll find something of interest on blogis librorum.

### Get blog notifications per email:

[![Download the James Bond Dossier ](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/237126/639676e5-ddf3-45f7-be51-d4bcbf6fa6b8.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/237126/639676e5-ddf3-45f7-be51-d4bcbf6fa6b8)

### Recent Posts

[![Book Glossary](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/237126/edd00eb4-b601-4ee2-b639-b62ddf28ed93.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/237126/edd00eb4-b601-4ee2-b639-b62ddf28ed93)

### Posts by Topic

- [American History (123)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/american-history)
- [American Literature (259)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/american-literature)
- [Art (11)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/art)
- [Awarded Books (118)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/awarded-books)
- [Baseball (1)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/baseball)
- [Biographies (47)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/biographies)
- [Bond Dossier (1)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/bond-dossier)
- [Book Care (34)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/book-care)
- [Book Collecting (419)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/book-collecting)
- [Book History (84)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/book-history)
- [Book Making (42)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/book-making)
- [Book News (85)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/book-news)
- [Books collecting (7)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/books-collecting)
- [Caldecott Medal (84)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/caldecott-medal)
- [Charles Dickens (19)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/charles-dickens)
- [Children's Books (282)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/childrens-books)
- [Christmas Books (30)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/christmas-books)
- [Civil War (3)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/civil-war)
- [Collecting guide (10)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/collecting-guide)
- [collectors (4)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/collectors)
- [Condition (1)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/condition)
- [Drama (41)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/drama)
- [Dust Jackets (9)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/dust-jackets)
- [Fine Press (54)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/fine-press)
- [First Editions (5)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/first-editions)
- [Fishing (12)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/fishing)
- [Food (1)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/food)
- [History (154)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/history)
- [Horror (43)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/horror)
- [illustrations (4)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/illustrations)
- [Interviews (17)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/interviews)
- [J. R. R. Tolkien (24)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/j-r-r-tolkien)
- [James Bond (62)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/james-bond)
- [Learn About Books (38)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/learn-about-books)
- [Legendary Authors (399)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/legendary-authors)
- [Legendary Illustrators (59)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/legendary-illustrators)
- [Libraries (7)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/libraries)
- [Libraries & Special Collections (73)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/libraries-special-collections)
- [Literary travel (86)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/literary-travel)
- [Literature (480)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/literature)
- [Magical Realism (1)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/magical-realism)
- [Mario Vargas Llosa (1)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/mario-vargas-llosa)
- [Mark Twain (26)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/mark-twain)
- [Modern First Editions (81)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/modern-first-editions)
- [Movie Tie-Ins (148)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/movie-tie-ins)
- [Music (3)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/music)
- [Mystery, Suspense & Crime (49)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/mystery-suspense-crime)
- [Newbery Award (39)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/newbery-award)
- [Nobel Prize Winners (197)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/nobel-prize-winners)
- [Poetry (149)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/poetry)
- [Pulitzer Prize (67)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/pulitzer-prize)
- [Quizzes (9)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/quizzes)
- [Rare Book Gift Ideas (48)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/rare-book-gift-ideas)
- [Rare Books (179)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/rare-books)
- [Science (37)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/science)
- [Science Fiction (51)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/science-fiction)
- [Thomas Harris (1)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/thomas-harris)
- [travel guides (1)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/travel-guides)
- [Umberto Eco (14)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/topic/umberto-eco)

[![Get your free Guide to Book Care ](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/237126/73b09407-0389-43d3-8221-0b8358f11602.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/237126/73b09407-0389-43d3-8221-0b8358f11602)

### Blog Archive

- [July 2024 (1)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2024/07)
- [June 2024 (3)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2024/06)
- [May 2024 (4)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2024/05)
- [April 2024 (3)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2024/04)
- [March 2024 (1)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2024/03)
- [February 2024 (4)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2024/02)
- [January 2024 (3)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2024/01)
- [December 2023 (3)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2023/12)
- [November 2023 (3)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2023/11)
- [October 2023 (5)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2023/10)
- [September 2023 (4)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2023/09)
- [August 2023 (3)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2023/08)
- [July 2023 (1)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2023/07)
- [June 2023 (4)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2023/06)
- [May 2023 (4)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2023/05)
- [April 2023 (5)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2023/04)
- [March 2023 (6)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2023/03)
- [February 2023 (7)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2023/02)
- [January 2023 (9)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2023/01)
- [December 2022 (4)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2022/12)
- [November 2022 (3)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2022/11)
- [September 2022 (1)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2022/09)
- [June 2022 (2)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2022/06)
- [March 2022 (1)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2022/03)
- [February 2022 (2)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2022/02)
- [January 2022 (3)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2022/01)
- [October 2021 (1)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2021/10)
- [September 2021 (1)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2021/09)
- [July 2021 (1)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2021/07)
- [May 2021 (1)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2021/05)
- [April 2021 (2)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2021/04)
- [March 2021 (1)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2021/03)
- [February 2021 (5)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2021/02)
- [January 2021 (8)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2021/01)
- [December 2020 (9)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2020/12)
- [November 2020 (6)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2020/11)
- [October 2020 (9)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2020/10)
- [September 2020 (9)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2020/09)
- [August 2020 (10)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2020/08)
- [July 2020 (3)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2020/07)
- [June 2020 (3)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2020/06)
- [May 2020 (6)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2020/05)
- [April 2020 (16)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2020/04)
- [March 2020 (16)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2020/03)
- [February 2020 (16)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2020/02)
- [January 2020 (16)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2020/01)
- [December 2019 (16)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2019/12)
- [November 2019 (15)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2019/11)
- [October 2019 (17)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2019/10)
- [September 2019 (16)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2019/09)
- [August 2019 (15)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2019/08)
- [July 2019 (20)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2019/07)
- [June 2019 (16)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2019/06)
- [May 2019 (18)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2019/05)
- [April 2019 (16)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2019/04)
- [March 2019 (16)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2019/03)
- [February 2019 (14)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2019/02)
- [January 2019 (18)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2019/01)
- [December 2018 (18)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2018/12)
- [November 2018 (18)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2018/11)
- [October 2018 (16)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2018/10)
- [September 2018 (15)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2018/09)
- [August 2018 (16)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2018/08)
- [July 2018 (16)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2018/07)
- [June 2018 (15)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2018/06)
- [May 2018 (17)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2018/05)
- [April 2018 (16)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2018/04)
- [March 2018 (17)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2018/03)
- [February 2018 (15)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2018/02)
- [January 2018 (14)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2018/01)
- [December 2017 (18)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2017/12)
- [November 2017 (21)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2017/11)
- [October 2017 (21)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2017/10)
- [September 2017 (23)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2017/09)
- [August 2017 (20)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2017/08)
- [July 2017 (22)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2017/07)
- [June 2017 (21)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2017/06)
- [May 2017 (23)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2017/05)
- [April 2017 (23)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2017/04)
- [March 2017 (23)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2017/03)
- [February 2017 (20)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2017/02)
- [January 2017 (21)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2017/01)
- [December 2016 (23)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2016/12)
- [November 2016 (22)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2016/11)
- [October 2016 (23)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2016/10)
- [September 2016 (22)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2016/09)
- [August 2016 (23)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2016/08)
- [July 2016 (22)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2016/07)
- [June 2016 (22)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2016/06)
- [May 2016 (23)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2016/05)
- [April 2016 (30)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2016/04)
- [March 2016 (32)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2016/03)
- [February 2016 (29)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2016/02)
- [January 2016 (29)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2016/01)
- [December 2015 (29)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2015/12)
- [November 2015 (27)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2015/11)
- [October 2015 (30)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2015/10)
- [September 2015 (29)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2015/09)
- [August 2015 (31)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2015/08)
- [July 2015 (29)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2015/07)
- [June 2015 (29)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2015/06)
- [May 2015 (32)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2015/05)
- [April 2015 (30)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2015/04)
- [March 2015 (29)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2015/03)
- [February 2015 (25)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2015/02)
- [January 2015 (31)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2015/01)
- [December 2014 (27)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2014/12)
- [November 2014 (26)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2014/11)
- [October 2014 (28)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2014/10)
- [September 2014 (27)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2014/09)
- [August 2014 (25)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2014/08)
- [July 2014 (24)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2014/07)
- [June 2014 (27)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2014/06)
- [May 2014 (25)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2014/05)
- [April 2014 (21)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2014/04)
- [March 2014 (18)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2014/03)
- [February 2014 (18)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2014/02)
- [January 2014 (26)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2014/01)
- [December 2013 (22)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2013/12)
- [November 2013 (22)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2013/11)
- [October 2013 (26)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2013/10)
- [September 2013 (8)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2013/09)
- [August 2013 (9)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2013/08)
- [July 2013 (9)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2013/07)
- [June 2013 (8)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2013/06)
- [May 2013 (13)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2013/05)
- [April 2013 (10)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2013/04)
- [March 2013 (9)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2013/03)
- [February 2013 (6)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2013/02)
- [January 2013 (4)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2013/01)
- [December 2012 (6)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2012/12)
- [November 2012 (6)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2012/11)
- [October 2012 (8)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2012/10)
- [September 2012 (7)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2012/09)
- [August 2012 (7)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2012/08)
- [July 2012 (7)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2012/07)
- [June 2012 (5)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2012/06)
- [May 2012 (7)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2012/05)
- [April 2012 (7)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2012/04)
- [March 2012 (4)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2012/03)
- [February 2012 (3)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2012/02)
- [January 2012 (4)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2012/01)
- [December 2011 (2)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2011/12)
- [November 2011 (4)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2011/11)
- [October 2011 (2)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2011/10)
- [August 2011 (4)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2011/08)
- [July 2011 (2)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2011/07)
- [June 2011 (3)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2011/06)
- [May 2011 (4)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2011/05)
- [April 2011 (4)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2011/04)
- [March 2011 (1)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2011/03)
- [October 2010 (1)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2010/10)
- [September 2010 (2)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2010/09)
- [June 2010 (4)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2010/06)
- [May 2010 (2)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2010/05)
- [April 2010 (6)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2010/04)
- [March 2010 (8)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2010/03)
- [February 2010 (5)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2010/02)
- [January 2010 (15)](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/archive/2010/01)

> see older posts

[![A Guide to Historic Libraries Part I](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/237126/4a376006-1872-4939-a6e6-bf7cd379d53e.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/237126/4a376006-1872-4939-a6e6-bf7cd379d53e)

- [Rare Books](https://pages.bookstellyouwhy.com/rare-books)
- [Signed Books](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/signed-books.php)
- [First Editions](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/first-edition-books.php)
- [New Arrivals](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/new-arrivals.php)
- [Featured Books](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/featured.php)
- [Key Categories](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/categories.php)
- [Advanced Search](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/advSearch.php)
- [Job Opportunities](https://pages.bookstellyouwhy.com/job-opportunities)

- [Our Story](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/our_story.php)
- [Contact Us](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/contact.php)
- [Events](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/events.php)
- [Selling Books](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/selling_books.php)
- [Autographs & Signatures](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/autographs_signatures.php)
- [Collector's Resources](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/collector_resources.php)
- [Glossary](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/glossary.php)

- [Our Blog](https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com)
- [Shopping Cart](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/cart.php)
- [My Account](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/myaccount.php)
- [Create an Account](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/createAccount.php)
- [Store Policies](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/policies.php)
- [Privacy Policy](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/privacy.php)
- [Loyalty and Rewards](https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/loyalty.php)
- [Scholarships](https://pages.bookstellyouwhy.com/rare-book-school-scholarship-information)

- Phone: [+1 (843) 849-0283](tel:+1%20(843)%20849-0283)
- [Books@BooksTellYouWhy.com](mailto:books@bookstellyouwhy.com)

- © 2008 -  Books Tell You Why, Inc. All rights reserved. | [Site by Bibliopolis](http://www.bibliopolis.com)
- [Content Marketing](https://aspiration.marketing/topics/content-marketing) by [Aspiration Marketing](http://www.aspiration.marketing)

```json
{
  "@context" : "https://schema.org",
  "@type" : "BlogPosting",
  "author" : {
    "@type" : "Person",
    "name" : "Brian Hoey",
    "url" : "https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/author/brian-hoey"
  },
  "datePublished" : "2016-09-06T13:00:00.000Z",
  "headline" : "A Brief History of Woodcut Illustrations",
  "image" : [ "https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/hubfs/Morris_Kelmscott_Inventory.png" ],
  "mainEntityOfPage" : {
    "@id" : "https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/a-brief-history-of-woodcut-illustrations",
    "@type" : "WebPage"
  },
  "publisher" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "logo" : {
      "@type" : "ImageObject",
      "url" : "https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/hs-fs/hub/237126/file-1623254079.jpg"
    },
    "name" : "Aspiration Marketing Canada, Inc."
  }
}
```