The period of post-World War II American printmaking is unique in the history of printmaking, as the volume and variety of prints proliferated and printmakers experimented with modern motifs and abstract forms. The printmaking explosion in America that began in the late 40s and early 50s carried the medium to prominence and acceptance. As a result of this rapid and fantastic growth, printmaking has come into its own as a respected art medium. Alongside printmaking's growing prestige, the print market flourished. Interest in printmaking grew quickly, and with new techniques emerging and evolving, the atmosphere in the nation encouraged creativity and experimentation. This period of American art was an innovative and productive era in the history of printmaking.

Until now, there has been no comprehensive index of prints to bring biographical and critical material together with the published reproductions of works. The earlier indexes have been too general to be of value for scholarly research on prints. This index provides a one stop reference for this important period in printmaking history. In a single work, it provides all the information on published visual images of American prints from 1946 to 1996 as well as biocritical information on printmakers working in this time period.