linoleum block printing or linocut, 20th-century development in the art of relief cuts. The linoleum block consists of a thin layer of linoleum mounted on wood; in this the design to be printed is cut in the same manner as for a woodcut. The advantage of linoleum cuts lies in the softness of the material and the consequent ease with which it can be cut, but linoleum is not so suitable for fine lines as wood, nor can as many prints be produced. The process has been used widely in textile printing and in grade-school art classes. It is especially suitable for bold, decorative designs. Matisse's linocut illustrations for Montherlant's Pasiphaë (1944) show great sensitivity of handling.

block printing: see textile printing under textiles.

block book. Before and after the invention of printing from movable types in the mid-15th cent., some books were printed in Europe from engraved wooden blocks, with one block for each page. This method was developed by the 9th cent. A.D. in China. The practice has a richer history in the East than in the West since the number of characters used in Chinese writing made printing from movable type exceedingly difficult. Chinese and Japanese illustrated block books are often beautifully printed in colors. European block books, on the contrary, were crude and inexpensive. They were, however, the first examples of printed book illustration in the West. The best-known block book is the Biblia pauperum [poor man's Bible].

block and tackle: see pulley.

Block, Herbert Lawrence, 1909-2001, American editorial cartoonist known as Herblock, b. Chicago. A superb stylist and generally a political liberal, Herblock began drawing cartoons (1929-33) for the Chicago Daily News, later moving to the Newspaper Enterprise Association (1933-43) and to the Washington Post (1946-2001). His work, which forms a wittily indignant commentary on six decades of American history, was syndicated in more than 300 newspapers, and he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1942, 1954, and 1979, sharing a fourth for the Post's coverage of the Watergate affair. Among the 10 published collections of his cartoons are The Herblock Book (1952), The Herblock Gallery (1968), Herblock's State of the Union (1972), Herblock on All Fronts (1980), and Herblock's History (2000). Herblock never retired, and his last cartoon appeared about a month before his death.

Block, Adriaen, fl. 1610-24, Dutch navigator. Eager to establish a fur trade with the Native Americans, Amsterdam merchants sent (1613) Block and another Dutch navigator to explore the region discovered by Henry Hudson. After wintering near Albany, Block sailed from the Hudson into Long Island Sound (1614), which he may have been the first European to enter, coming in through the East River passage that he named Hellegat (Hell Gate). He discovered the Connecticut River, sailed past and named Block Island, and explored Narragansett Bay. Block made the Figurative Map of 1614, showing details of the southern coast of New England and showing (the first to do so) Long Island and Manhattan as separate.

Block Island, 7 mi (11.2 km) long and 3.5 mi (5.6 km) wide, off S R.I. at the eastern entrance to Long Island Sound. Visited by the Dutch navigator Adriaen Block in 1614, it was settled in 1661. The murder (1637) there of John Oldham, an English trader, was the direct cause of the Pequot War (see Pequot). Characterized by numerous small ponds, low hills, and a mild climate, the island has long been a favorite fishing and resort area. Possessing ferry services and two harbors, it accommodates local fishing boats and summer leisure craft. There are two lighthouses. The small town of New Shoreham (inc. 1672) is coextensive with the island.

Design printed from a plank of wood incised parallel to the vertical axis of the wood's grain. One of the oldest methods of making prints, it was used in China to decorate textiles from the 5th century. Printing from wood blocks on textiles was known in Europe from the early 14th century but developed little until paper began to be manufactured in France and Germany at the end of the 14th century. In the early 15th century, religious images and playing cards were first made from wood blocks. Black-line woodcut reached its greatest perfection in the 16th century with Albrecht Dürer and his followers. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, artists such as Edvard Munch, Paul Gauguin, and the German Expressionists rediscovered the expressive potential of woodcuts. Woodcuts have played an important role in the history of Japanese art (see ukiyo-e).

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Combination of pulleys with a rope or cable, commonly used to augment pulling force. Two or more of the pulleys are attached to a fixed block, and the remaining pulleys are free to move as well as rotate. A block and tackle can be used to lift heavy weights or to exert large forces in any direction. Higher force ratios may be obtained by the use of more pulleys, but this advantage may be offset by increased friction.

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orig. Herbert Lawrence Block

(born Oct. 13, 1909, Chicago, Ill., U.S.—died Oct. 7, 2001, Washington, D.C.) U.S. editorial cartoonist. He first published his cartoons in the Chicago Daily News (1929). Later he worked for the Newspaper Enterprise Association (1933–43) and the Washington Post (from 1946). A leading spokesman for liberalism, he attacked injustices in politics, big business, industry, labour, and economics throughout his 70-year career. He is best known for his 1950s cartoons attacking Senator Joseph McCarthy. The winner of three Pulitzer Prizes (1942, 1954, 1979), Herblock received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994.

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Island, Rhode Island, U.S. It lies at the eastern entrance to Long Island Sound, 9 mi (15 km) southwest of Point Judith, R.I. It has an area of about 11 sq mi (29 sq km) and is coextensive with the town of New Shoreham (pop., 2000: 1,010). Called Manisses by its original Indian inhabitants, Block Island (named for the Dutch explorer Adriaen Block) received its first European settlers in 1661 and was admitted to the colony of Rhode Island in 1664. Once dependent on fishing and farming, it is now primarily a resort.

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