block book
A book printed from cut blocks of wood. Although
it is presumed that block books preceded the
invention of printing from movable metal type,
most of the extant examples of block books are
from the period 1460 to 1480, i.e., subsequent to
printing from metal types. Each block was cut for
an entire page, and, in the earliest examples,
each leaf was printed only on one side, usually
with a thin, brownish ink. The spread of printing
virtually eliminated the demand for this type of
book but they continued to be printed until at
least the end of the 15th century. These later
examples were printed on both sides of the leaf
with ordinary printing ink. Block books are
essentially picture books, sometimes with a small
amount of text, also cut in wood. (69 , 140 , 156 )
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