Bugbear wrote:
>
>So - does anyone know what the prepared pieces of boxwood
>used for wood engraving were called?


In the "American Dictionary of Printing and Bookmaking" (1894), an incredible
resource that is readily available in both original copies and reprints, the
second paragraph of the article "Wood-Engraving" starts "The pieces of wood used
are called blocks. Mahogany, maple and pear-wood are sometimes used, and pine is
a good medium for theatre cuts; but the best engravings are always upon boxwood,
the work being upon the end of the grain. They are exactly the height of type,
and are made very smooth upon the surface....The surface of the block being too
smooth to receive the markings of a pencil, it is roughened and at the same time
delicately whitened all over with moistened powder of fine brick and flake
white..." (p. 585). There is a lot more, but I didn't see anything about
manufacturing the blocks or the tools used for manufacturing.

At the end of the separate article "Wood-cut Printing" it says: "Wood-cuts
rarely go on a press, except for proving. Cuts are electrotyped as soon as made,
and the electrotypes are used instead of the original, thus providing against
accident." Electrotyping was invented in 1838, but my impression is that it
didn't become really widespread until the 1850s or 1860s. I suspect that the
earlier process of stereotyping wouldn't have reproduced the fine lines of a
wood-engraving clearly enough. However, once they were printing from electros
rather than directly from the blocks, the need to bring blocks to exact type-
height would no longer exist. (Stereos and electros were mounted on wood to
bring them type-high, but they were dismounted for storage between editions).

May have wandered from the point a bit....

Tom Conroy