Apocalypsis Sancti Johannis (Apocalypse of St. John)

This example of a block book, or xylographica, combines striking images with an abbreviated text from the Book of Revelation, or Apocalypse. Volumes like this were most likely intended for use by illiterate individuals, under the guidance of an educated person who could read the condensed text to explain the pictures.



Woodcut printing persisted alongside the use of a mechanical printing press in the mid-15th century. The printer would lay a leaf of paper over an inked, relief-cut block, and rub the back of the sheet to transfer the ink. The page’s reverse was often blank, because the now-indented paper did not permit a satisfactory double-sided impression. Though undoubtedly produced in some numbers, block books are today of the utmost rarity, with some surviving only in fragmentary copies.