Webster, White Devil, 1631 (F3r)

The blank space at the top of the page, interrupting the headline and the middle of the first seven lines of text, was probably caused by a scrap of paper accidentally getting between the inked type and the blank paper.

Whitney, Choice of emblemes, 1586 (3*2v)

This errata list, squeezed in small font at the bottom of the page, warns that while most of the mistakes were corrected during printing, there are still many leaves that have the errors.

Whitney, Choice of emblemes, 1586 (D2v)

Whitney's book of emblems brought the popular European tradition to English readers. The mise-en-page follows the pattern of many of the early editions of Alciati's Emblemata, expanding the original design of emblem, title, and a brief epigraph to include commentary and references.

Whole Booke of Psalmes 1640 (2L4r)

This list of "faults escaped" invites the reader to correct not only these but any other errors that aren't noted here.

Whole Booke of Psalmes, 1640 (*1r)

The Bay Psalm Book, as this work is known, is the first book printed in British North America.

Whole Booke of Psalmes, 1640 (2E2v)

If you look closely at this page, you can see a number of signs that the printers weren't experts: the inked shoulders, an italic L instead of a roman, different styles of apostrophes, and slightly wobbly letters.

woodblock, Agrostemma githago (recto)

This woodblock was used to print illustrations of the corn-cockle in a long list of herbals, starting with its appearance in Rembert Dodoens's 1568 Florum and continuing through the 17th century. The Museum Plantin-Moretus's catalog record for the block lists books in which it appears, a few of which appear on this site and can be found by searching for

woodblock, Agrostemma githago (verso)

At some point in its history as part of the Plantin Moretus press, a paper label was affixed to the back of this woodblock in order to identify it.

Wroth, Urania, 1621 (2o2r)

The start of a new book within this text is marked off with a display typeface providing the title an initial letter.

Wroth, Urania, 1621 (A1r)

This title page for Wroth's prose romance is entirely engraved, from the illustration to the title above and the imprint statement below. At the very bottom of the page, on the left, is the engraver's name, "Sim. Passaeus, sculp:"