“In black-line wood engraving the burin removes all the surface of the block except the lines of the artist’s design; in white-line engraving, the surface of the block prints as a black background, while the burin removes the lines of the design which appear white in the impression. Blocks engraved with a combination of both methods achieved engravings of great strength and delicacy. . . .”
—Early Victorian Illustrated Books; Britain, France and Germany, 1820-1860, by John Buchanan-Brown, 2005.