The Story of Printmaking

Published by Yale University Press, 28 April 2026

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A vivid history of the evolution of printmaking as a means of creative expression, from prehistory to the present day.

The significance of printmaking within the history of art is often underplayed, obscured or misunderstood. This book tells the story of artist prints from across the globe in a manner that is accessible and engaging. It demystifies how prints are made – from woodblock to etching – and explores how, throughout history, printmaking has defied easy categorisation, straddling ‘fine’ art practices and commercially minded production. In fact, it has been employed as much for creative experimentation as it has for disseminating information.

Beginning in ancient East Asia and travelling through Renaissance Europe, revolutionary Mexico, and post-Apartheid South Africa, these ten chapters celebrate the interconnected nature of the printed image and its multiple histories, while illuminating the lesser-known players who have been deliberately or erroneously overlooked. Whether formed by slicing linoleum or plunging plates into acid, then distributed via bound books or pasted posters, the print has not just replicated the world, it has shaped it.

In current times, when we have inkjet printers in our homes, there is less understanding of ’traditional’ printmaking processes, those which involve, woodblock, etching plate, lithographic stone or silkscreen. The Story of Printmaking explains the development and spread of the printed image over time and across the world with such engaging and often surprising examples. Particularly fascinating is the historical role of women in all aspects of the process whether artist, printmaker or publisher.

~Angie Lewin, linocut printmaker

Printmaking is art’s most accessible medium and this book is destined to be the go-to guide for anyone interested in its global history. Exciting, informative and beautifully illustrated, it’s a classic in the making.

~Charlotte Mullins, author of The Art Isles