Ars vitae contemplativae., 15th century

Incunabula block books are a type of early printed book that was produced using a technique called block printing, in Europe before the year 1501, before the period of time when movable type printing was first developed. Unlike movable type printing, block printing involves carving an entire page of text or images onto a wooden block, which is then inked and pressed onto paper to create a printed copy. Block printing was used to produce a variety of printed materials in the early days of printing, including playing cards, religious texts, and illustrated books. The most common use was for producing small, cheap books known as block books. Block books were typically printed on only one side of the page, with the text and images carved into the same block. Because the blocks were made of wood, they were not as durable as metal type and could only produce a limited number of impressions before they began to wear out. As a result, block books were often produced in small print runs and were not widely distributed.