Commercial wood engraving in the 20th century

Abstract

"Jim Horton has been practicing the art and craft of wood engraving for more than 40 years. His mentor was David M. Sander (1923-1999) of the Sander Engraving Co., one of most well-known of the commercial engravers whose work was featured in mail-order catalogs, such as those published by Sears, Roebuck & Co. and Montgomery Ward. The commercial side of the Sander business closed in 1971, and after David's death, Horton transferred the company archive--business documents, blocks, proofs, and equipment--to his home in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to preserve it. While this book surveys the history of wood engraving from the work of early 19th-century English wood engraver, Thomas Bewick, to that practiced in the U.S. in the 20th century, the focus is on the Sander Co. The text is augmented by many examples of blocks and proofs in full color, and more than 114 pages of proofs of Sander Co. wood engravings cover a variety of subjects including cameras, food, hardware, and sporting goods. 307 images in color and black and white."--

Contents

Preface and Acknowledgments -- Foreword by Judith Jaidinger, RE (Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers) -- Introduction -- Chapter 1 : Defining a Wood Engraving -- Chapter 2 : History of Wood Engraving as It Pertains to Commercial Engraving -- Chapter 3 : The Commercial Wood Engraver -- Chapter 4 : The Tools and Specialized Processes of the Wood Engraver -- Chapter 5 : The Sander Engraving Company -- Chapter 6 : David Sander -- Plates of Product Proofs -- Notes and Recommended Reading.