Rare Book School illustration toolkit.

Rare Book School illustration toolkit.

Assembled by Terry Belanger.

A variety of tools were used to create relief and intaglio printing surfaces in Western books during the handpress period. This illustration “toolkit” is one of a seven identical sets used in RBS courses. It includes an assortment of woodblocks, metal plates, and hand-held instruments integral to various illustrations processes, including a piece of cherry plank used for making woodcuts, a copper plate for intaglio printmaking, and handheld tools, such as a burin, mezzotint rocker, and etching needle.

From the collection of Rare Book School