Early Woodcut Initials

Before digital typefaces, printers wielded knives and woodblocks to create letters that burned themselves into the page. This 1908 volume preserves over thirteen hundred of these woodcut initials from the 15th and 16th centuries, when printing was young and every letter was an act of invention. Jennings traces the evolution of ornamental letters across two centuries of European printing, documenting the empirical places and specific workshops that marked important moments in the craft's history. He argues with scholarly conviction that these decorative elements were not mere embellishment but integral elements of early books, each initial a small masterpiece of woodcut art. The reproductions capture everything from austere Germanic initials to lavish Italian flourishes, revealing how printers expressed their identity through these miniature woodblock paintings. For book designers, typographers, art historians, and anyone who has ever lingered over the opening letter of an old book, this remains an indispensable record of an overlooked art form.