The Story of Printmaking: A Global History of Art

by Holly Black

Genres: Art, History, Nonfiction

272 pages, Hardcover

Published April 28, 2026

About the author

Holly Black is a London-based journalist and the author of 'Artists on Art: How They See, Think & Create'. She is also the Managing Editor of Elephant, a magazine that celebrates creativity and contemporary culture in the visual arts. Amazon.com

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Reviews

[Adele]

After judging this book by the cover, I was swayed by quite a few positive reviews. I just wish this had been more interesting.

[Michael]

Incredibly informative, richly illustrated, and, for the most part, clearly written. There was one chapter that was a bit of a snoozefest and really didn't manage to justify itself, and there were a few explanations of techniques and practices that were largely inscrutable without going onto YouTube and finding a video of the process. But overall, it was a fascinated read that left me much better grounded and informed about a subject that had intrigued me on a more surface level.

[Tabish Khan]

What a great read through the history of printmaking, and I learned a lot about how the different techniques came about and evolved. I particularly liked how it doesn't focus on purely Western art history and highlights the women who were instrumental in the story of printmaking.

[Maisie]

Wonderful, comprehensive and gripping telling of such a wide artform. Definitely worth the read

[AnnSmith]

A wonderful topic and attempt but the thinking/writing could have been stronger not to mention the diminutive images