Early Woodcut Initials Containing over Thirteen Hundred Reproductions of Ornamental Letters of the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries

"Early Woodcut Initials" by Oscar Jennings is a deep look into the world of fancy letters in old books, written in the early 1900s. It features over 1300 pictures of these letters from the 1400s and 1500s, carefully picked and explained to show why they are important as art and history. Jennings wants people to notice these initials more, as he thinks they are a key part of how books were designed back then. The book starts with notes and a preface where Jennings talks about how more people are getting interested in old printing and decorations, but he points out that the fancy letters are still not getting enough attention. He thinks about how these letters changed over time and what the artists were trying to do with them, saying they were more than just pictures. Jennings believes it's important to study these letters closely and shows that while we've made some progress in understanding them, there's still a lot to discover about their beauty.