,,wood ,,engraving                      
,by ,r4 ,,john ,,beedham                
,,with ,,introduction ,,and ,,appendix  
,,by ,,eric ,,gill                      
,,faber ,,and ,,faber ,,limited  #bd    
,,russell ,,square  ,,london4 #aiba     
,,contents      ,,introduction ,,to     
,,second ,,edition  ,,wood-,,engraving  
,,past ,,and ,,present  ,,wood          
,,engraving  ,,the ,,wood  ,,drawing    
,,engraving  ,,proof ,,taking           
,,preparing ,,block ,,for ,,printer     
,,plugging  ,,appendix                  
,,illustrations      ,wood-cut from ,the
 ,decameron1 ,venice1 #adib4            
,re-engraved by ,r4 ,j4 ,beedham4  ,by  
permission of ,the ,shakespeare ,head   
,press  ,alphabet1 by ,reynolds ,stone  
7,by permission of ,burns1 ,gates       
,washbourne1  ,ltd47  ,from ,forrest    
,reid's ,apostate1 by ,reynolds ,stone  
7,by permission of ,faber   ,faber1     
,ltd47  ,winter1 from a sketch by       
,verrall1 by ,r4 ,j4 ,beedham           
,strawberry ,picking1 by ,claire        

,leighton 7,by permission of ,victor    
,gollancz7  ,march1 by ,mrs4 ,g4        
,raverat  8,miss ,jenkyns reading       
,rasselas10 by ,joan ,hassall 7,by      
permission of ,george  ,g4 ,harrap      
,co41 ,ltd47  ,the ,cottage1 by ,robert 
,gibbings            ,,introduction ,,to
 ,,second ,,edition      ,this book is  
not a treatise upon the art of          
wood-engraving4 ,it is simply  a        
description of the tools and materials  
required by a beginner and the  method  
of using them4 ,it is not intended to   
assist anyone to become a  commercial   
engraver1 for that trade requires a long
 and specialized  training4 ,it is      
intended rather for those who have      
occasion or opportunity  or inclination 
to make illustrations or ornaments for  
books and who are  revolted by the      
degradation to which the art of formal  
drawing has been  brought by            
photographic 8process0 reproduction4    
,the 8line0 block and the 8half-tone0   
have one clear claim to usefulness3     

viz4 when an exact facsimile is         
required4 ,it is doubtful1 however1     
whether  process reproduction would have
 been developed very far if its use had 
been confined to those occasions1 and   
those only1 when exact facsimile was  of
 vital importance4 ,process reproduction
 owes its success to its  commercial    
possibilities more than to its real     
merits1 for1 in spite of  the frequently
 reiterated boast of those engaged in   
business that nothing  can be a         
commercial success that does not 8supply
 a want10 by photographic  reproduction 
a speed and cheapness have been obtained
 which have seduced  both artists and   
the public4 ,a 8want0 has certainly been
 supplied1 but it  is a want of quantity
 rather than of quality1 and1 as in all 
cases where  quantitative ideas are the 
motive force1 quality has inevitably    
deteriorated so that book production has
 become a mere business and with  no    
criterion save that of a commercial     
success4    ,it is of course impossible 

to stem the tide of commercial          
degradation  until ,poverty1 ,chastity1 
and ,obedience take the place of        
,riches1 ,pleasure1  and ,laisser-faire 
as personal and national ideals4 ,such a
 change of  heart cannot occur merely as
 the result of economic or social or    
philosophical propaganda2 the matter is 
more fundamental than that4 ,the  modern
 world is founded upon a denial of      
absolute values1 a denial of  religion1 
a denial of ,god2 upon such denials     
nothing can be built4  ,goodness becomes
 what the police will allow or can      
enforce4 ,beauty becomes  what pleases  
the senses and ,truth becomes what will 
pay4    ,meanwhile it is possible for   
any individual that wills to do so to go
 out  into the wilderness and to live   
and work in a manner more in harmony    
with  the nature of man and the will of 
,god4 ,for it is in accord neither with 
the will of ,god nor the nature of man  
that any one should love himself  more  
than his neighbour or his neighbour more

 than ,god4 ,the present state  of      
affairs is an unnatural and abnormal    
thing4 ,it is a disease4 ,and any  one  
can by the grace of ,god cure at least  
himself and put his own affairs  in     
order4    ,in the domain of art the     
remedy is the same as in any other4 ,the
 thing  good in itself must be found and
 loved4 ,relative values must give place
 to  absolute1 the lovely and lovable to
 the beautiful4 8,does it pay80 is not  
the question4 ,is it good in            
itself8--,that is the important thing4  
,and the  more you apply that standard  
to your own work and to that of others1 
the  more you will find the necessity of
 personal responsibility4    ,but       
personal responsibility for work done   
is1 from the point of view of           
commercial success1 actually an evil6   
,make men responsible for their work    
and not merely for doing what they are  
told2 make their own consciences  their 
masters and the whole of our modern     
factory system will come  tumbling down 

like a house of cards4 ,for the factory 
system is a servile  system in which    
personal responsibility is denied and of
 no factory  article may you say3 this  
is the work of such an one--he made it4 
,in the  matter of drawing and          
illustration and engraving1 degradation 
is  inevitable when one man draws1      
another touches up the drawing1 another 
photographs1 another touches up the     
negative1 another prints it on the      
metal1 another etches1 another touches  
up the etching1 another routs it1       
another mounts it1 another proves it and
 another keeps the accounts and to      
crown all1 another takes the profits4   
,this excessive sub-division is         
inevitable where profit making is the   
motive power4 ,it is1 however1 the      
artist and the workman who are to be    
blamed1 not the man of business4 7,the  
man of business does his job very well4 
,certainly he has no right to be  ruler1
 as he is at present1 but it is our     
fault for allowing him to  rule47 ,and  

as good men must precede good law1 and  
not vice versa1 so the  individual must 
revolt against the evil system and not  
wait until the many  are prepared to    
revolt with him4 ,wood-engraving and    
wood-cutting have gone  out of general  
use not because photographic process    
reproduction is  better1 or even because
 it is cheaper and quicker1 but simply  
because  larger profits can be made by  
employing many persons under a system of
  divided labour than by working in a   
small workshop and putting the quality  
of the work before the quantity of the  
output4 ,the consumer or customer is    
flattered and his grosser appetites     
appealed to4 ,the merchant does not ask 
himself what good thing he can supply   
but what he can supply at a good        
profit4 ,the whole trouble is that the  
responsibility for the making of  things
 is not in the hands of the workman but 
in those of the man of  business--and   
this is hell4    ,the advantage of      
wood-engraving then is that it does away

 with several  sets of middle men and   
places responsibility upon the shoulders
 of the  workman4 ,the workman who      
draws1 engraves and prints his own      
blocks is  master of the situation4 ,he 
can blame nobody but himself if his work
 goes  wrong4 ,whether it goes right or 
wrong depends upon his notions of right 
and wrong4 ,the first thing is that he  
should be free to satisfy his own       
conscience and not be a mere tool in the
 hands of another4 ,liber est causa     
sui1 servus autem ordinatur ad alium    
7i4e4 ,the freeman is responsible to    
himself--but for the slave someone else 
is responsible4 ,saint ,thomas          
,aquinas1 ,summa ,theologica74          
,another advantage of wood-engraving is 
that it forces upon the workman  some   
respect for the thing in itself and     
makes it impossible for him to  place a 
merely relative value upon the art of   
drawing4 ,mere likeness to  nature is   
much more easily achieved by drawing1   
whether in line or wash1  upon paper4   

,the graver and the wood both of them   
make their own demands  and make mere   
imitation of nature almost impossible4  
,the workman is  compelled to consider  
his work primarily as an engraving and  
only  secondarily as a representation4  
,this is a good thing1 for a work of art
  is primarily a thing of ,beauty in    
itself and not a representation of      
something else1 however beautiful that  
other thing may be4 ,this the public    
does not understand4 ,hence the         
absurdity of allowing the public to be  
supplied by persons who are not workmen 
and who have no knowledge of the        
implications of good workmanship but are
 simply men of business out to  supply  
whatever is most profitable to          
themselves4    ,he who would be an      
engraver must therefore start with a    
clear  understanding that there is 8no  
money in it02 though if he be patient   
and  devoted he may make a living or a  
part of a living by it4 ,further1 he    
must  be prepared to start with the wood

 and the graver and his sense of what is
  beautiful in itself and not strain    
after effects4 ,he should take it for   
granted that a zig-zag pattern such as a
 child would engrave is better  than the
 most expert imitation of a sunset4 ,in 
fact he must be pre pared  to begin at  
the beginning and to put the first      
things first4                           
,e4 ,g4              ,,wood-,,engraving 
,,past ,,and ,,present      ,although   
,mr4 ,eric ,gill in his introduction has
 explained that this book is  not a     
treatise on the art of wood-engraving1  
,i feel constrained to add a  chapter to
 the present edition of the work1       
chiefly on the past and modern  styles  
of wood engraving2 also to give some    
information to the younger  craftsmen1  
some of whom1 having lived only in an   
age of photo-mechanical  reproduction1  
are quite unaware of the important part 
that wood engraving  has had in the past
 for the purposes of book-illustration4 
,it is a very old craft1 older than     

book-printing from type4 ,it quickly    
became the chief means of decorating and
 illustrating books1 and continued  to  
be so until the invention of            
photographic processes1 which1 for      
general  purposes have supplanted it4   
,some of the old blocks1 cut in simple  
outline1 fit the printed page in a most 
admirable manner2 in their  particular  
style they have not been surpassed4 ,an 
example of this is the  re-cut from ,the
 ,decameron #adib on page #dg4 ,these   
early blocks were all  cut on the long  
grain of the wood1 a method that        
continued until it was  discovered that 
the end grain was a better medium for   
cutting of fine  lines for shading or   
outline4    ,it is a disputed point     
whether artists like ,drer or ,holbein  
engraved  their own work4 ,it was       
probably left to the expert to cut in   
faithful  facsimile the drawings done by
 the artist on wood4 ,with a few notable
  exceptions1 this method of the        
division of labour1 the artist being one

  person and the engraver another1      
continued until wood-engraving was      
supplanted by process4 ,for reproductive
 purposes it was a natural  division4   
,after that a completely new style of   
engraving1 that of the  present day1    
came into being4    ,thomas ,bewick was 
one of the great exceptions to this     
division of artist  and engraver4 ,not  
only did he engrave his own drawings1   
but he evolved a  completely new style4 
,he abandoned elaborate cross hatching1 
and for the  most part cut in the most  
direct and simple way4 ,nevertheless1   
for  ordinary reproductive purposes the 
artist and engraver continued to be     
different persons2 the artist continued 
to draw on the wood1 filling the        
shading with a wash of ,indian ink and  
finishing by means of pen or pencil     
lines1 or perhaps using the pen alone1  
but whether drawn by pen or pencil  the 
engraver faithfully reproduced it1 line 
by line4 ,this necessitated  great skill
 on the part of the engraver1 for the   

merest thickening or  thinning of the   
lines altered the effect of the drawing4
 ,but sometimes the  drawing was done by
 wash only1 in which case the engraver  
kept as nearly  as he could to the shade
 or tone of the original without the aid
 of  cross-hatching4    ,this continued 
until photography made itself felt4 ,it 
is remarkable that a  vast industry1 of 
which the cinema is the latest          
development1 should have  arisen as the 
result of the discovery that certain    
substances changed  their colour and    
character in the presence of light4 ,it 
first greatly  influenced wood-engraving
 and finally ousted it as a means of    
reproduction4 ,photographers found a way
 of photographing on to the wood  not   
only drawings but other photographs1 and
 the engraver had to adjust  his style  
to the new medium1 for to cut direct    
from a photograph was very  different   
from cutting facsimile from a drawing4  
,the black lines of  cross-hatching     
disappeared and white lines took their  

place4 ,whenever  possible a white line 
was cut and cross-hatching1 where it was
 necessary1  consisted of white lines   
crossing each other4 ,not only so but a 
method of  cutting short white lines or 
dots1 known generally as stippling1 came
 to  be used4 ,reproductive engraving   
speeded up and became a miracle of      
skill4  ,the use of stipple reached its 
outstanding development in the work of  
the  ,american1 ,timothy ,cole4 ,in his 
engravings of the ,old ,masters he got  
amazing effects of atmosphere by means  
of stippling alone4    ,the same        
photographic influence made itself felt 
amongst the commercial  engravers of    
machinery4 ,the black outlines of the   
machine became altered  to white lines  
whenever possible1 and as in the        
pictorial field1 the style  became      
completely altered4 ,here let me say    
that the engraving of machinery  for    
commercial catalogues is one of the most
 exacting forms of engraving  that ,i   
know4 ,as a means of showing the object 

perfectly it holds its own  to the      
present day4 ,there are a rapidly       
dwindling few who still manage to  get a
 living from it4    ,the great skill of 
the reproductive engraver was amazing4  
,on the staff of  some of the           
periodicals1 where speed joined to      
excellence of cutting was  essential1   
there were engravers who could cut a    
good portrait in two  hours1 and this in
 the style just described1 line upon    
line in the  perfectly free precision of
 the time4 ,but this skill of the old   
reproductive engraver1 skill largely for
 its own sake ,i fear1 made more  easy  
his undoing4 ,individuality became      
partly lost in the skill of  technique4 
,it sometimes seemed as if he were      
imitating his great  competitor1 the    
process block4 ,the ,americans were1 ,i 
think1 great  offenders in this4 ,though
 a most lovely craft1 wood-engraving1   
just before  it was superseded by       
process1 had not within it sufficient   
originality and  power to hold its own4 

,it was largely reproductive only3 the  
real artist  was too often left out4    
,process developed rapidly as the more  
effective  way of reproducing originals 
of one sort or another1 and the         
reproductive  engraver was bereft of his
 craft4 ,the output of engravings had   
been  enormous4 ,some of the            
old-established printing and publishing 
firms  cherish their old wood blocks3   
they belong to the furniture of the     
past4  ,others sold their blocks to the 
boxwood merchant1 not by the block but  
by  the ton6    ,the period just        
preceding the influence of photography  
was one1 in the  writer's opinion1 when 
reproductive engraving reached its      
highest level  for book illustration4   
,the engravings of this period1 if      
properly printed1  appeal for the       
quality of their softness1 their skill1 
and a sweetness of  effect seldom       
accomplished by the modern style4 ,in   
many of the volumes of  this period are 
wood-engravings unequalled in their     

fidelity to the  objects shown1 and that
 have a beauty not surpassed by modern  
or any other  engraving4 ,but the days  
when they were engraved are long since  
past4 ,we  wait again for their revival1
 which ,i believe will come1 for it is  
too  good a thing to be entirely lost4  
,but it cannot come as it came before3  
that never happens4 ,the difference will
 be that the artist will do his own     
engraving4 ,there are engravers of the  
present time1 who1 almost               
unconsciously1 are doing work much in   
the style of this period4    ,the modern
 revival of wood-engraving1 which came  
just after the war1 is  quite different 
in style from any that preceded it4 ,the
 artist and  engraver are now one1 as   
they should be where original work is to
 be done1  and every exponent of the    
craft expresses his or her own          
individuality4  ,the technique of the   
old school was swept completely away4   
8,start  engraving with an axe0 was an  
exhortation overheard1 and some of the  

earliest examples1 with their masses of 
unrelieved black1 rather look as  if    
they had been engraved by that          
implement4 ,design is the outstanding   
quality of the present style4 ,twenty   
years has brought command of the        
engraving tool and now most excellent   
work is produced with the  originality  
of the artist-craftsman upon it4 ,the   
early crudeness having  gone1 the modern
 engraver brings to the printed page a  
decoration  outstanding in effect4      
,amongst the mass of process            
reproduction is the  ,wood-engraver1    
engraving his own designs1 thereby      
expressing an  originality which will   
most certainly mark the present age of  
book-production as something well worth 
examination4 ,it is therefore  essential
 that the modern engraver design his own
 engravings and he will  select the kind
 of tools which will best express his   
own individuality1  for it is this      
individuality of the artist which alone 
amongst all its  competitors will keep  

alive ,wood-engraving as a vital craft4 
,,wood ,,engraving      ,ten engraving  
tools are as many as will be required   
for ordinary purposes4  ,the beginner   
can start with five1 but labour is often
 saved by having a  sufficient number4  
,they should be about #c inches in      
length1 according to  the size of the   
worker's hand1 and when held in correct 
position the point  of the tool should  
not extend beyond the end of the thumb  
more than half  an inch4 ,in practice   
the greatest freedom is obtained when   
the point  extends but little beyond the
 thumb1 but as some allowance must be   
made  for repeated sharpening away on   
the oilstone1 the half-inch extension is
  recommended4 ,when purchased they are 
generally much longer1 #f inches1 but   
this length is much too great to allow  
the tool to be used with ease4 ,the     
makers will generally grind them down to
 the required length for the  purchaser1
 an ink mark or piece of stamp paper    
stuck to the tool  indicating exactly   

the amount to be taken off4 ,one side of
 the handle is  flat1 and the tool1 as  
it enters the handle1 is slightly curved
 upwards4  ,this is to allow for free   
passage of the hand and tool over the   
surface of  the wood1 and though tools  
may be without this upward curve they   
lose  freedom of action by being so4    
,fig4 #a                                
,fig4 #a                                
,fig4 #b                                
,fig4 #b      ,of the ten tools1 six    
will be known as tint-tools1 three as   
spit-sticks1  one as scauper4 ,the      
tint-tools cut lines of uniform width   
from extreme  fineness 7,no4 #a7 to much
 greater width 7,no4 #f74 ,they are used
 for tinting1  that is1 cutting a series
 of lines to produce a tint or shade2   
for  outlining1 especially lettering2   
and for scauping4 ,the numbers used here
  are for descriptive convenience only4 
,when ordering1 the actual width of  cut
 required should be given1 otherwise the
 purchaser may receive  something very  

different from what was expected4       
,fig4 #c                                
,fig4 #c      ,the spit-sticks 7,nos4 #a
 to #c7 are tools by which the cut can  
be easily  broadened by gradually       
pressing the point deeper into the wood4
 ,by keeping  to one depth they can also
 be used in the same manner as          
tint-rounded  sides and cut through the 
wood with smooth ease4 ,instead of      
spit-sticks1  tools known as gravers are
 often used4 ,they are flat-sided1 as   
tint-tools  are1 but the spread is much 
greater4 ,the cut made is the same as   
that made  with spit-sticks but a much  
greater spread is possible4 ,the finest 
is  known as the lozenge graver1 the    
broadest as the square graver4 ,they are
  used in the same manner as spit-sticks
 and often preferred to them1 but  they 
lack the smooth ease of cutting which is
 the special feature of  spit-sticks4   
,fig4 #d                                
,fig4 #d      ,the scauper1 the tool of 
greatest width1 is used for clearing    

away the  wood round the engraving4 ,it 
is desirable that the belly part of this
 tool  should be sufficiently rounded3 a
 point too square will not cut through  
the wood easily4 ,an extra tool with a  
square point1 about the size of the     
largest tint-tool1 may be found useful  
for taking out corners4                 
,fig4 #e                                
,fig4 #e      ,a good selection for the 
beginner starting with five tools only  
would be  two spit-sticks 7#a  #c1 ,fig4
 #c71 two tint tools 7#d  #f1 ,fig4 #b71
 and one  scauper4    ,it must be       
clearly borne in mind that the style or 
character of the work  is greatly       
influenced by the shape of the point    
used4 ,the craftsman will  be able1     
after a little time1 to select the shape
 of tool which best suits  his work4    
,once a tool is made up1 and found to be
 good1 to alter it is not  desirable4   
,to convert it to its old form is not   
easy4 ,rather keep an old  one to       
experiment with1 if needful1 and never  

chance the spoiling of a  proved tool4  
,for those who find a difficulty in     
buying tools and who wish perhaps to    
have them made locally1 a good plan is  
to buy one good tool1 and have  others  
made to this model by the blacksmith1   
carpenter or other handy man4  ,old     
files can be successfully turned into   
quite good engraving tools4 ,the  point 
to remember is that the belly or point  
part of the tool be evenly  shaped on   
both sides4 ,if this is not attended to1
 the tool will always  have a tendency  
to cut too much in one direction1 or    
spring out of the  wood4                
,fig4 #f                                
,fig4 #f      ,a gouge1 to be used as a 
chisel1 that is1 with a mallet1 is used 
to carve  away all wood round the       
engraving1 so as to leave only the      
engraving in  relief4 ,this is always   
necessary when the printing is done     
direct from the  wood block4 ,it is not 
necessary when taking hand-proofs4 ,a   
flat tool or  small chisel is useful for

 lowering edges which fade into white1  
for  preparing small plugs and for      
trimming straight edges4                
,fig4 #g                                
,fig4 #g                                
,fig4 #h                                
,fig4 #h      ,the sandbag 7,fig4 #g7 is
 made of two circular pieces of leather 
sewn  together and filled with fine     
sand4 ,the sand is poured in just before
  completing the last stitches4 ,any    
other durable substance can be used     
instead of leather4 ,on this solid yet  
easy base the block held by the left    
hand can be turned about at will4 ,it   
should be not less than five inches     
across4 ,to have it smaller may mean    
difficulty when engraving large  blocks4
 ,a magnifying glass is not recommended 
unless the eyesight is  defective4 ,when
 there is defective vision it is safer  
and better to use a  glass and avoid    
strain1 so it must be included as a     
probably necessary  thing4 ,a double    
lens should be used1 and should be large

 enough to cover a  block of #b or #c   
inches4 ,the stand 7,fig4 #h7 allows the
 lens to be turned  away1 raised or     
lowered at will4 ,a watchmaker's glass  
can be used 7for one  eye only7 held in 
position over the eye by a piece of     
string round the  head4 ,it provides    
only a small field of view4             
,fig4 #i                                
,fig4 #i      ,fig4 #i shows a globe    
filled with water1 to be used at night  
to concentrate  the light on to the     
work4 ,the light of the lamp is directly
 behind the  globe4 ,a bull's-eye lens  
can be used as a substitute and is      
equally good4  ,it is well to shield    
away by brown paper fixed to the top of 
the globe1 or  other means1 all light   
that does not fall on the block4 ,it is 
most  unrestful to look up from work    
into the direct glare of a lamp2 to work
  without a globe or bull's-eye with    
artificial light produces great         
eye-strain and bad work4 ,good light is 
essential at all times4                 

,fig4 #aj                               
,fig4 #aj      ,fig4 #aj shows the      
roller and slab used for inking the     
engraving when  taking a proof4 ,a      
leather roller is best but difficult to 
make2  composition is generally used4   
,an old method1 the method of ,caxton   
and  quite good1 is to use a dabber4    
,the ink is dabbed on instead of rolled 
on4  ,it can be easily made1 a covering 
of thin leather filled with rags for    
padding1 which must be quite firm1 being
 all that is required 7,fig4 #aa74      
,fig4 #aa                               
,fig4 #aa                               
,fig4 #ab                               
,fig4 #ab      ,the burnisher 7,fig4    
#ab7 is used for rubbing the proof off  
after inking the  block4 ,steel is best1
 but bone will do1 or the back of a     
teaspoon1 using  the bowl as a handle4  
,a supply of boxwood1 proofing ink1 an  
oilstone for sharpening tools and  some 
paper for taking proofs will be         
necessary4 ,the paper must be thin      

7,india paper being the best7 as it is  
very difficult to take a proof on  thick
 paper4    ,the table or the bench where
 the work is to be done must always be  
firm4  ,the craftsman should not be     
unduly bending over the work1 but should
 be as  upright as possible1 the height 
of bench and chair being adjusted to    
enable the worker to see the engraving  
without either eye-strain or  rounding  
of the back and shoulders4 ,be          
comfortable when at work4    ,see that  
the tools are sharp before commencing   
work4 ,if sharp the point  will always  
grip or 8bite0 when loosely 8run0 across
 the wood2 if blunt it  will slide over4
 ,always use a spare piece of boxwood   
when testing tools4  ,the face of the   
tool only must be sharpened 7see ,fig4  
#a74 ,on no account  must the sharpening
 be done from the underneath or belly   
part of the tool4  ,avoid bearing too   
much on the point2 it is a quick method 
of sharpening1  but the angle of the    
face will gradually become more upright 

and the tool  will not cut through the  
wood easily4 ,an angle of #de is about  
right4  ,sharpen by rubbing the face of 
the tool up and down the length of the  
oilstone4 ,any lubricating oil will     
serve for the stone4            ,,the   
,,wood      ,the wood used is boxwood   
and where fineness of work is desired no
 other  wood is suitable4 ,dark marks   
sometimes indicate inferior quality2    
white  marks are always bad and should  
be avoided4 ,many other kinds of wood   
have  been tried for engraving without  
success1 especially for work of a       
moderately fine character4 ,for large   
work1 such as are termed posters1       
sycamore and pine are principally used4 
,the method of producing these large    
blocks is called cutting4 ,knives1 8,v0 
tools and gouges1 instead of gravers are
 used1 and the long grain of the  wood  
is the printing surface of these2       
whereas that which is accepted as       
engraving proper is always on the end   
grain of the boxwood4 ,this being the   

only really reliable wood for wood      
engraving1 and the engraver's staple    
material1 it deserves more than a       
passing notice4    ,turkey produces the 
finest boxwood though many good samples 
come from the  ,crimea and the          
,caucasus4    ,the best and most        
valuable wood is of very slow growth1   
hard and heavy1  and of a very fine and 
close texture4 ,the wood is sent over in
 logs4  ,careful judgment is required in
 its selection when sent into the       
market4  ,it must be thoroughly seasoned
 before being used by the engraver as   
new  wood retains its moisture for a    
long time1 is most liable to split and  
warp1 and is very susceptible to changes
 of temperature4    ,the measurement of 
the logs is from #g to #ab inches in    
diameter and the  first process of      
blockmaking is to cut these logs into   
slices crosswise  about #a inch in      
thickness4 ,they are then placed singly 
in racks for many  months to season1 and
 during this time sharp cracks are heard

 which denote  that the slices of wood  
are drying and splitting from the core4 
,owing to  this splitting1 only blocks  
of small size can be obtained from one  
piece2  where larger blocks are required
 and also for the sake of economising   
wood1 it is necessary to join pieces    
together4 ,the best and strongest way   
is to groove and tongue them together4  
,the sides of the pieces must be  planed
 true1 the grooves cut and the tongues  
7of some hard wood7 glued  into the     
grooves with very thin glue4 ,they are  
then pressed very tightly  together with
 clamps and left to dry4 ,another way is
 simply to glue the  pieces together    
without the groove and tongue4 ,in an   
even temperature they  hold together    
quite well1 and if the block is for     
temporary use1 little  danger need be   
apprehended of the joint's opening4     
,always use very thin  glue thinly      
applied4 ,the block has now to be planed
 down to about #g_/h of  an inch        
thickness1 which is the height of type1 

scraped with a steel  scraper until     
perfectly level and smooth and finished 
off with the finest  sand or emery      
paper4            ,,drawing      ,the   
highly-polished surface of the wood will
 not take the pencil or brush  unless   
prepared1 and the best medium for this  
is flake-white and finely  ground       
brickdust in equal proportions4 ,an     
amount sufficient to cover a  threepenny
 piece is enough for a block of #f      
inches by #d inches2 add one or  more   
drops of water1 and rub thinly and      
evenly with the fingers until it  starts
 to dry4    ,chinese white may be used  
in the place of flakewhite4 ,it can be  
used  without the brick-dust and applied
 to the wood by the fingers as before or
  spread evenly by means of a soft flat 
brush passing by direct strokes over    
the surface4 ,this method will be quite 
effective1 but will not give such  an   
even appearance as the brick-dust and   
white4    ,indian and ,chinese ink      
rubbed up in water and a fine camel hair

 brush are  used for drawing1 or a      
pencil may be used4 ,the best is one of 
medium  hardness4 ,too soft a pencil    
rubs out easily and soon gives a dirty  
appearance to the drawing2 one too hard 
is liable to bruise the wood4    ,all   
drawing on the wood must be reversed4   
,even in cases where this is not        
necessary it is well to remember that   
the print from the engraving will be  a 
reverse of the drawing4 ,make reversing 
a habit4 ,much annoyance may thus  be   
avoided1 for it is easy to produce an   
awkward absurdity1 which1 though  not   
apparent to other people1 spoils one's  
own enjoyment of the work4 ,all         
lettering must be reversed4 ,a view of  
the drawing in a mirror before          
commencing to engrave will reveal any   
incorrectness in reversing4    ,the     
engraver is to remember that the        
production is to be an engraving and    
not a drawing2 that it is to have the   
character of an engraving--an  engraving
 manifest and not an imitation of       

another drawing1 half-tone1 or  any     
other process4 ,let the dependence be on
 the engraving tools rather  than the   
pencil4 ,as far as possible draw direct 
on to the wood4 ,if this1  by the nature
 of the subject1 is impossible1 it may  
be necessary to trace  on to the wood4  
,trace the subject firmly with a soft   
pencil and by waxing the sides of the   
block fix the tracing tightly over it1  
face down4 ,affix one side first in     
correct position1 rubbing the paper on  
to the waxed side by means of a  tool   
handle or other suitable instrument1 and
 stretch the tracing tightly  over until
 fixed in similar manner to the opposite
 side4 ,in the absence of  beeswax1 soap
 will do1 but it is not nearly so       
effective1 or1 failing  both1 the paper 
can be folded to the back of the block  
in such manner that  movement of the    
tracing is impossible4 ,being assured   
that there will be no  movement of the  
paper1 trace again on to the wood by    
means of a hard  pencil1 or preferably1 

a steel point4 ,if either of these is   
too sharp or  pressed on too heavily1 it
 will scratch or bruise the wood4 ,by   
detaching  the paper from one side the  
work can be examined without fear of    
movement1  care being taken to fix again
 before continuing to trace4 ,only a    
very  faint line must be expected and   
this is all that is required4           
,another method is to scrape some red   
chalk finely on to a separate piece  of 
paper 7not too large1 as it can be used 
over and over again7 and rub it  well on
 until the paper is evenly reddened4    
,place the reddened surface  next the   
wood underneath the tracing--it need not
 be fixed--and proceed to  trace as     
before4 ,this method will produce a     
faint red line and will be  useful when1
 as sometimes happens1 the subject is to
 be reversed in the  final print4       
,these faint outlines must be made      
stronger1 the drawing completed1 by     
means of camel hair brush and ,indian   
ink or by pencil4 ,any shading can be   

put into the drawing by means of these1 
always remembering that it is to  be    
finally expressed in terms of the       
engraving tool4 ,to draw on the wood  is
 awkward without some support2 a piece  
of wood as high as the block will  be   
necessary on which to rest the hand4    
,,engraving                             
,fig4 #ac                               
,fig4 #ac      ,the tool has to be held 
in such a way that none of the fingers  
nor the  thumb is underneath it4 ,the   
handle rests in the lower part of the   
hand1  the fourth finger in the groove  
of the inner part of the handle and the 
third finger by its side2 these two     
fingers touch the handle and keep it  in
 position within the hand4 ,following   
the third and fourth1 the two           
forefingers rest on the outer side of   
the blade while the thumb1 extending    
beyond the fingers almost to the point1 
is on the inside4 ,the thumb is the     
only part of the right hand that touches
 the block4 ,the fingers touch each     

other in natural order3 there need be no
 space between any4 ,the tool  should be
 laid flat upon the table1 and may be   
taken up in one movement  7,fig4 #ad74  
,seen from below it should then show as 
,fig4 #ae4 ,held in this  way the tool  
will pass flat over the wood without any
 obstruction from any  part of the      
fingers or hand4                        
,fig4 #ad                               
,fig4 #ad                               
,fig4 #ae                               
,fig4 #ae      ,the block is held on the
 sandbag by the left hand1 generally    
towards the  corners1 which allows the  
greatest freedom for turning4 ,when     
cutting  straight lines the block is    
held stationary1 the tool-hand cutting  
forward2 when cutting curves the block  
is turned round1 the tool-hand          
remaining in one position4 ,there is no 
hard rule in this1 the hands acting     
flexibly for each other1 but it can be  
seen at once when engraving that a      
circle cannot be cut unless the block is

 turned round in precise ratio to  the  
cuts of the tool1 while to cut a        
straight line the wood cannot advance   
to the tool's point4    ,engrave the    
lines one under the other1 not one above
 the other2 for  circles it is much more
 easy to start the cut at the top than  
to start  underneath1 though to be able 
to start underneath is sometimes useful4
 ,the  flat part of the handle should be
 just above the surface of the wood in  
cutting lines or tints1 but this does   
not apply to all work2 the angle at     
which tools are held must be determined 
by the shapes to be taken out4 ,do  not 
attempt to cut a long line with one cut1
 but with a succession of  short ones1  
and do not cut too deeply1 or the line  
or wood on which the  belly of the tool 
presses will be bruised and will print  
broken instead of  clean and definite4  
,if the tool be sharp the wood will chip
 out crisply at  each cut2 the lines    
should be cut out1 not pushed or pressed
 out4 ,blunt  tools are more responsible

 for slips than anything else except    
perhaps a  disturbed mind4    ,should   
there be any danger of rubbing the      
drawing during engraving1 cover  the    
block with a piece of thin paper after  
the manner of a tracing1 first  making a
 small hole where work is to commence4  
,the craftsman is advised to practise by
 engraving something definite1          
something that can be used4 ,aimless    
cutting and digging about on bits of    
wood leads nowhere1 for it is a very    
simple matter to cut a line that need   
not be cut in any particular place1     
whereas to cut the lines exactly to  the
 subject1 to produce something that is  
required is not only getting            
experience1 but the result is known at  
once in success or failure4             
,fig4 #af                               
,fig4 #af                               
,fig4 #ag                               
,fig4 #ag      ,roughly speaking there  
are four different kinds of engraving1  
of which any  variations and            

combinations can be made4 ,the first and
 most natural is to  cut white lines on 
black1 and in many cases the subject    
will be  sufficiently expressed without 
further work2 ,fig4 #af is cut in this  
way4  ,fig4 #ag shows the background    
tinted or shaded1 that is1 lines cut one
  under the other4 ,fig4 #ah is the     
black letter cleared 7scauped7 away     
leaving it white1 while ,fig4 #ai shows 
all wood cleared away except  outlines4 
,bold simple lettering is an excellent  
subject to begin with4 ,see  that the   
corners are joined cleanly3 little      
jagged bits left in look  slovenly and  
print in a dirty manner4                
,fig4 #ah                               
,fig4 #ah                               
,fig4 #ai                               
,fig4 #ai                               
,fig4 #bj                               
,fig4 #bj      ,the larger tint-tools   
and scaupers are used for scauping or   
clearing1 that  is1 for clearing a wide 
line round the work and cutting away all

 wood not  wanted4 ,while doing this it 
is essential to protect the surrounding 
work  from the belly of the tool by a   
thin piece of card 7,fig4 #bj74 ,it must
 be  thin yet of sufficient substance to
 withstand the pressure of the tool1    
for the work is done by levering out the
 wood as well as cutting it4 ,card  soon
 wears out4 ,a thin piece of hard wood  
or bone will do well if smoothed  and   
bevelled off a little on the edge to be 
used under the tool4 ,the  thickness    
should be about that of a penny4 ,when  
scauping start the cut a  little away   
from the work gradually approaching     
until the tool has cleared  away all    
unnecessary wood4 ,smaller pieces must  
of course be taken away by  the smaller 
tools4 ,it is a good plan to extend the 
first finger of the  left hand over the 
block until it presses against the end  
of the thumb of  the tool hand4 ,this   
position gives great control and        
prevents much  slipping4                
,fig4 #ba                               

,fig4 #ba                               
,fig4 #bb                               
,fig4 #bb                               
,fig4 #bc                               
,fig4 #bc      ,with the scauper clear a
 line round the work a little more than 
its own  width4 ,this is sufficiently   
wide to enable a proof to be taken4 ,if 
all the  wood is taken away it is almost
 impossible to proof some subjects 7thin
  lettering1 for instance7 without a    
hand-press1 for this wood supports the  
roller and burnisher and gives          
protection to the work while proofing4  
,where a light tint shades into white as
 in a sky or light parts of a dress  it 
is necessary to lower the edges in some 
way before cutting1 otherwise  the hard 
edge is apt to catch the ink and cause a
 smudgy objectionable  line instead of  
running cleanly into the white4 ,to     
avoid this1 lower or  scrape the hard   
edge into the scauping taking care not  
to damage the  surrounding wood4 ,it can
 be done by the sharp edge of spitstick 

or  tint-tool1 or the edge can first be 
lowered by a flat scauper and then      
scraped smoothly into the scauping by   
the sharp edge of the engraving  tool4  
,the ,section ,fig4 #bd shows the sharp 
edge lowered into the scauping4         
,fig4 #bd                               
,fig4 #bd      ,the depth of the        
clearing indicated in the ,section is   
exaggerated for  purposes of clarity4   
,if the scauping is too deep bruising of
 the sides is  likely2 if too shallow   
the print will pick up the ink from the 
ridges at  the bottom of the scauping   
which have touched the ink roller4      
,,proof ,,taking      ,place a little   
printer's ink on a slab 7which can be of
 stone1 slate1 or  even glass7 and      
spread it out thinly with a knife1 then 
roll until  distributed evenly and      
thinly4 ,avoid rolling out too much ink 
at once2  more can be added easily1 but 
to take away means cleaning the whole   
with  turpentine and rag1 or scraping   
with a knife4 ,if a dabber be used1 beat

  the ink1 which is placed more in the  
centre of the slab1 until quite even4   
,the amount to roll or dab on to the    
block will be discovered quite easily   
after a trial or two--too much ink will 
blur the work2 too little will  print   
grey4 ,place the paper on the inked     
block without slurring it1 and on  the  
paper drop a thin piece of card--a      
postcard will do--hold down by the  left
 hand and rub on the top of the card    
with the burnisher until an  impression 
is taken4 ,the print can be examined    
from time to time by  lifting a corner1 
holding the remaining paper down firmly 
with the left  hand on the card4 ,more  
burnishing must be applied to those     
parts which  have not taken the ink4 ,if
 the engraved lines be fine1 light      
pressure must  be given to the burnisher
 lest the lines be bruised1 whereas if  
the parts  are black heavier pressure   
must be given4 ,a little oil rubbed on  
one side  of the card--the side on which
 the burnisher is to be applied--then   

rubbed  off again1 will allow the       
burnisher to slide over with ease and   
prevent  sticking2 while if the         
burnisher is applied without the card1  
bruising is  liable to occur to fine    
lines4 ,india paper is excellent on     
which to take  proofs by hand4 ,other   
kinds can be used if free from ridges   
and not too  thick4 ,the thicker the    
paper the greater will be the difficulty
 in getting  a print1 for the ink does  
not stick it to the block1 as is the    
case with  thin paper1 and any          
examination of the print nearly always  
moves the paper  out of position and    
8doubling0 is the result4    ,this first
 print is often called the 8overlay40   
,it shows not only the  engraving but   
all the surrounding wood and pieces     
between that have been  too large to be 
cut away by a scauper4 ,to take a proof 
of the engraving  only1 these black     
pieces on the overlay must be cut out   
cleanly with a  sharp knife or the point
 of a tint-tool1 and1 after inking the  

block  again1 these pieces are placed on
 their corresponding parts on the wood4 
,they are thus blocked                  
out--overlayed--by the pieces of paper  
cut from the  first print4 ,place fresh 
paper on the block and proof as before1 
greater  care however is necessary to   
prevent 8doubling40 ,where plenty of    
black is  in the engraving the process  
is simple1 but if the subject is of thin
  lines1 such as fine lettering1 it is a
 somewhat delicate operation4 ,in  this 
case the less it is examined whilst the 
proof is being taken the  better4       
,during the process of engraving1 in    
order to see exactly what has been  done
 so far1 one may wish to take a proof4  
,but the inking of the block  would     
obliterate that part of the drawing     
which has not yet been engraved4        
,instead1 therefore1 of taking a proof  
with ink the following method will  be  
found convenient3--,press some          
precipitated chalk7obtainable at any    
chemist's7 into the engraved part and   

wipe the surface clean with the palm  of
 the hand thus leaving the chalk in the 
hollows and incisions only4 ,the  block 
will then appear exactly as in a print  
7only not reversed71 i4e4 the  surface  
of the wood will show dark against the  
white chalk4            ,,preparing     
,,block ,,for ,,printer                 
,fig4 #be                               
,fig4 #be      ,if the block is to be   
sent to the printer all unnecessary wood
 has to be  taken away1 and if there are
 large surfaces this is best done by    
gouge and  mallet4 ,first saw the block 
square to within  of an inch of work1   
then  fix it in a vice or clamp to a    
bench4 ,use the gouge as a chisel1 never
  forgetting to have the cutting edge   
pointing towards centre of block4 ,if   
used towards the edges pieces of wood   
will suddenly chip away and the last    
stroke of the mallet will1 perhaps1 ruin
 the work1 though an experience of  this
 kind is seldom repeated4 ,the block    
will have to be turned about in  the    

vice to enable the gouging to be made   
towards the centre and care must  be    
taken to hold the gouge high enough just
 to clear the work and so  prevent      
bruising4 ,the wood must be taken away  
deeply4 ,if cut too shallow1  the ridges
 formed by the gouge will pick up the   
ink from the roller which  ink again    
will be picked up by the paper whilst   
proofing4 ,any edges or  small pieces   
that the gouge cannot clear away must be
 trimmed off with the  scauper1 the card
 being used to protect the work4        
,wood-cut from ,the ,decameron1 ,venice1
 #adib4 ,re-engraved by ,r4 ,j4         
,beedham4                 ,by permission
 of ,the ,shakespeare ,head ,press      
,wood-cut from ,the ,decameron1 ,venice1
 #adib4 ,re-engraved by ,r4 ,j4         
,beedham4                 ,by permission
 of ,the ,shakespeare ,head ,press      
,,plugging      ,if some small mistake  
has arisen such as a deep bruise1 false 
cut1 slip1  etc41 it can be made good by
 plugging1 that is1 by the insertion of 

a new  piece of wood where the mistake  
has occurred4 ,this requires skill and  
care1 for the new piece of wood must fit
 in exactly1 otherwise a white  line    
will show all round it4 ,for very small 
plugs the simplest method of  making a  
hole is to get a carpenter's nail1 round
 or square type1  according to the shape
 of the plug required1 file the sides to
 the right  size and flatten the bottom1
 finally getting the edges and bottom   
sharp  and smooth on the oil-stone4     
,drive this into the wood1 about #a_/af 
to #a_/h  of an inch according to the   
size of the plug4 ,take the nail out    
again by a  straight pull to avoid      
bruising the sides1 and if the nail has 
been  properly shaped1 a clean hole with
 sharp edges will be the result4 ,into  
this hole insert a piece of boxwood1    
trimmed to exact size by means of a     
flat tool or chisel1 then gently hammer 
with a piece of wood until the  bottom  
of the hole is felt4 ,to dip the end of 
the plug into thin glue or  gum before  

insertion will help to keep it fast1 but
 small plugs accurately  trimmed will   
hold without glue4 ,for larger plugs    
glue must be used4                      
,fig4 #bf                               
,fig4 #bf      ,through a thin piece of 
card cut a hole large enough to allow   
the head of  the plug to protrude1 place
 it in the block to protect the         
engraving1 then  cut off the projecting 
head close to the card with a fine saw4 
,by means of  the scauper and card1     
always cutting towards the centre1 lower
 the  remaining projection until nearly 
level with surrounding surface1 and     
finish off with the chisel laid flat on 
the block4 ,an excellent tool with      
which to get the plug level is a fine   
tint-tool laid on its side and used  as 
a chisel1 chisel or tint-tool being used
 in a slicing movement and not  driven4 
,two or three plugging nails1 made ready
 and kept for the purpose1 will be  all 
that are required for smaller plugs4    
,the holes can also be made by  drills  

such as are used for fretwork4 ,larger  
plugs must be scauped or  chiselled out1
 taking care that the sides go straight 
down and that the  edges are without a  
bruise4 ,the larger the plug1 the deeper
 must be the  hole1 the depth for large 
plugs being half-way through the block4 
,plugs on  the extreme edge of the block
 require more care but the difficulties 
can  nearly always be overcome by a     
little ingenuity4 ,a drop of water      
placed on  a bruise will often bring it 
to the surface again4 ,hot water is     
still more  effective1 while1 if the    
bruising is deep and general1 steaming  
the whole  surface is the best method   
though it makes the wood rotten and     
disagreeable to cut on afterwards4      
,,appendix      ,the beginner should    
commence with patterns and pictures of  
white lines on  black4 ,the normal      
development of this first method is the 
silhouette with  white lines upon it4   
,having attained skill with gravers and 
scaupers he  may proceed to engrave     

patterns and pictures of black lines on 
white1  first in plain outline1 and     
then1 last of all1 he may attempt the   
modelling and elaboration of the general
 surface4                               
,,note ,,on ,,wood-,,cuts      ,the     
method of wood-engraving which is       
described in this book is distinct  from
 that known properly as 8wood-cutting04 
,the 8woodcut0 is done with a  knife on 
the long grain of the wood instead of   
the end grain4 ,it is  necessarily done 
on soft wood and is therefore less      
suitable for use in  conjunction with   
type in a printing press1 except for    
large work4 ,but the  wood-engraver     
should certainly practise the art of    
wood-cutting also and  for the purpose  
he will require1 in addition to some    
planks of pear wood  or a similar       
fine-grained wood1 a knife and several  
wood-carver's chisels  and gouges--the  
first for cutting lines and edges and   
the latter for  cutting away the        
background4 ,the knife 7,fig4 #bg7 is   

the most important of  these tools and  
the best form is like a very fine       
carpenter's chisel with  a small handle1
 such as can be grasped in the fingers1 
a short blade about  one inch long1     
three-eighths of an inch wide and as    
thin as that of a  pen-knife1 with the  
cutting end ground at an angle of about 
#cj with the  upper edge4    ,it is held
 very much as a pen is held for writing 
and1 of course1 the cut  is made always 
in the direction which does not burr the
 grain of the wood  just as a skewer is 
sharpened by cutting towards and not    
away from its  point4    ,although in   
connection with the printing press the  
wood-cut has not the  same usefulness as
 the wood-engraving on account of the   
soft wood  necessarily used and the     
impossibility of doing the finest work  
with the  same degree of precision1     
nevertheless1 as an independent art that
 of  wood-cutting is on an equality with
 any other1 and1 in one respect1 the    
fact that only soft wood can be used is 

an advantage2 for such wood1 pine  or   
pear1 is more easy to get than a hard   
foreign wood like the ,turkish          
box-wood4 ,the wood-cutter may therefore
 go into his own back garden for  his   
material and is independent of the      
foreign merchant4 ,the difficulty of    
the wood-engraver in this matter is1    
however1 not quite insuperable1 for1  if
 properly seasoned and prepared1 holly  
or blackthorn are quite good for  end   
grain work and1 though not as hard as   
boxwood1 make a very fair  substitute4  
,alphabet1 by ,reynolds ,stone4 7,by    
permission of ,burns1 ,gates            
,washbourne1                            
,ltd47    ,alphabet1 by ,reynolds ,stone
 7,by permission of ,burns1 ,gates      
,washbourne1                            
,ltd47      ,from ,forrest ,reid's      
,apostate1 by ,reynolds ,stone 7,by     
permission of ,faber                    
,faber1 ,ltd47     ,from ,forrest       
,reid's ,apostate1 by ,reynolds ,stone  
7,by permission of ,faber               

,faber1 ,ltd47                ,winter1  
from a sketch by ,verrall1 by ,r4 ,j4   
,beedham                 ,winter1 from a
 sketch by ,verrall1 by ,r4 ,j4 ,beedham
      ,strawberry ,picking1 by ,claire  
,leighton 7,by permission of ,victor    
,gollancz7                              
,strawberry ,picking1 by ,claire        
,leighton 7,by permission of ,victor    
,gollancz7                              
,march1 by ,mrs4 ,g4 ,raverat           
,march1 by ,mrs4 ,g4 ,raverat           
8,miss ,jenkyns reading ,rasselas10 by  
,joan ,hassal4 7,by permission of       
,george                           ,g4   
,harrap  ,co41 ,ltd47     8,miss        
,jenkyns reading ,rasselas10 by ,joan   
,hassall 7,by permission of ,george     
,g4 ,harrap  ,co41 ,ltd47               
,the ,cottage1 by ,robert ,gibbings     
,the ,cottage1 by ,robert ,gibbings     
,john ,dickinson and ,company           
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