Reviews for Thomas Bewick Engraver & Understanding Paper

Thomas Bewick Engraver & the performance of woodblocks was reviewed by Simon Brett in the Society of Wood Engravers journal Multiples, May 2021.

‘If artists of today want to learn anything from Bewick’s foundational handling of the medium, this is where they will find it’.

‘The reader bounds along, hardly realizing how much information is being absorbed’.

‘Bewick’s black and white images, processed in colour, have never looked better.’

‘For many engravers, and for non-engravers who want to understand history from a participant’s point of view, it will be essential and well worth its weight’.

‘The beautiful layout of the book by Susan Wightman at Libanus Press deserves all praise.’

Thomas Bewick Engraver & the performance of woodblocks was reviewed by Peter Quinn in The Journal of The Bewick Society, Cherryburn Times Summer 2021

‘Thomas Bewick Engraver & the performance of woodblocks, comes in two forms: standard and special. The beautifully printed, cloth bound standard edition looks fairly ‘special’ to this reviewer.’

‘This book presents a highly individual approach to the subject matter and as such it is a refreshing new resource in our understanding of Bewick’.

‘It is much to the author’s credit that he manages to avoid the pitfalls of an overly technical manual on the printing of historic wood blocks’.

Thomas Bewick Engraver & the performance of woodblocks was reviewed by Kirsty Anderson in the Children’s Books History Society Newsletter, September 2021

“The best executed Wood cut, will appear as an ugly blot in the hands of a bungling Pressman – & in general they are of that character and know nothing about the meaning of giving a print its proper Effect.” So wrote Thomas Bewick to his friend Philip Harrison on 11 May 1792. Graham Williams has devoted much of his life to striving after this proper effect.

‘Overall the book is handsomely designed and printed and makes a fitting tribute to the skill of a master engraver whose genius so far outstripped the printing expertise of his own day’.

Thomas Bewick Engraver & the performance of woodblocks was reviewed by Jan Conway in Journal of he Printing Historical Society, 3rd series, Number 2 2021

‘This book does not seek to replicate previous research. It is the first of three connected publications by the author concerned with the hand-printing of wood engravings’.

‘his subject is the development of Bewick’s skills as an artist and an artisan and his own decades-long research into how Bewick’s woodblocks can still be brought to life’

‘This is an important, indeed definitive, work on the performance of Bewick’s woodblocks. It is a perceptive narrative of Bewick’s life and skills, resulting from many years of dedicated and meticulous research.’

Understanding Paper: Assessment and Permanence for Artists and Fine Printers was reviewed by Peter Bower in The Quarterly 120, October 2021 the journal of the British Association of Paper Historians

‘This is an intriguing book, quite unlike any published before on paper and its usage’.

‘It is about how any user of paper can make their own assessments of three distinct attributes of paper based on questions of aesthetics, practicability in use and the permanence of paper’.

‘This book makes a very readable and accessible addition to any library. It’s beautifully designed and written: every sentence and idea are infused with the author’s years of experience in handling and using paper. The Glossary will prove very useful for anyone just starting out on their journey with paper’.