If it has passed through many hands, the book becomes an artifact stimulating the reader with the faint presence of those who have perused it before. If you wish to study the history of illustrated books in depth, the bibliography provides some references to get you started. Since the scrolls of ancient Egypt , people have used images with text. The styles have evolved with changes in technology. Wood engraving, etching, lithography, and photography have been used to illustrate everything from travel books and encyclopedias to industrial product catalogs and scientific treatises.
Contemporary artists discover new ways to express metaphors which are relevant to our era.
Historiated and illuminated initials decorated medieval manuscripts . The Victorian era saw the development of thousands of ornate typefaces. A major development in the 20th century was the integration of text as image in the creation of concrete and visual poetry. Today the computer is making it possible for everyone to design their own type, and to manipulate words with 3-D modeling programs. Bookmakers include William Blake , Dard Hunter, and many contemporary artists .