<b>William H. Brandt.</b> <i>Interpretive Wood-Engraving: The Story of the Society of American Wood-Engravers</i>. New Castle, Del.: Oak Knoll Press, 2009. 204p. alk. paper, $85 hardback (ISBN 9781584562672). LC2009-031744.

new codes of ethics and more interested in encouraging archivists to continually reflect, examine, and question. In his concluding pages, Jimerson considers further the ethical implications of being socially responsible archivists and examines the weaknesses of current codes of ethics, which he believes do not provide much guidance to practitioners. Jimerson thinks most codes fail because they attempt to articulate universal principles of action that are difficult to apply to specific situations. Instead, he recommends archivists should describe and highlight the desirable outcomes they wish to achieve on behalf of societal interests. While such an approach may be just as complicated to apply when resolving moral dilemmas, it has the virtue of helping make the resulting decisions more understandable to the layman. There are extensive notes, but a separate bibliography of the works cited would have been a useful and efficient adjunct for the reader. Jimerson writes well, especially in light of his heavy reliance on quoting other authors. But he eschews jargon and writes clearly and enthusiastically. He has produced a clear and articulate position regarding important ethical challenges to the archival profession and has solidly defended his admirable theses.—W. been a collector of wood engravings for thirty years. Enthusiasts who write about a subject often lack the critical engagement of professional scholars, and their views on its relative importance tend to be myopic. Brandt largely escapes this pitfall, fortunately; and, although his enthusiasm is clear, his assertions and claims do not suffer for it. Interpretive Wood Engraving focuses on the known members of the Society of American Wood-Engravers (SAWE), even though the records of the Society have not survived, and places them within the larger context of the golden age of wood engraving in publishing (1850–1900). Brandt has identified the names of twenty-nine members who belonged to the Society at its height (ca. 1890–95), and in section nine gives biographical sketches of each member along with an example of his or her work (plates 21–49). The total number of wood engravers in America peaked at over 500 in 1890; by 1905, wood engraving had lost its place as the premier form of illustration in publishing to the halftone process, which allowed photographs to be satisfactorily printed on paper along with type. The first four sections detail the history of wood-engraving, the split between the Old and New Schools of engravers, the formation of the Society, and the competition …