The first part of the book introduces prints country by country, identifying the artists, engravers, and publishers whose work was used in England. Although prints from Italy, Germany, and France were imported, Netherlandish prints were overwhelmingly the most influential during the period, and Wells-Cole quantifies the impact of such designers as Cornelis Floris, Jan Vredeman de Vries, Maarten van Heemskerck, and Maarten de Vos. The second part of the book considers how prints influenced masonry, plasterwork, joinery, metalwork, painting, tapestry, and embroidery. The author ends by turning a spotlight on the two great houses at Hardwick in Derbyshire, created by Elizabeth, Countess of Shrewsbury (Bess of Hardwick), and identifies for the first time many of the exact print sourcesemployed in the decoration and furnishings. He also assesses the extent to which prints might reflect the patron's attitudes to the religious issues of the time.
