Sir William Martin Conway (1856–1937), well known as an alpinist (his The Alps from End to End is also reissued in this series), was by profession an art historian. Supported by Henry Bradshaw of the University of Cambridge, he pursued his interest in the woodcuts and early printed books of the Low Countries, publishing this work in 1884. The study considers both prints and books, noting instances of the reuse of the same blocks in different works by different printers. The first part surveys the craftsmen (many of whom are anonymous) by town, and the second is a comprehensive catalogue of the cuts, with short descriptions, ordered according to their makers. The final part is a catalogue of the books in which the cuts appeared. Particular attention is paid to the work of Gheraert Leeu, the most prolific Dutch printer of his time, who worked in Gouda and subsequently in Antwerp.
