Limited to an edition on 140 copies, the book is printed on Zerkall moldmade paper. It records in words and art Bates' journey from neophyte to master wood engraver. In addition to wood, Bates' work includes the medium of scraperboards, which produces an image that can appear to be a wood engraving. The process is explained and a comparative example is included. Also included is a fold-out 4-color woodcut print which was made for a book Bird & Bull published in 2001.
The wood engravings of Wesley Bates have reached an international audience. His works are held in collections in his native Canada, the US, Great Britan, Ireland, Australia, Spain and Japan. In 1999, nine of his works were presented to China by the province of Ontario. Beyond his numerous solo and group exhibitions, his pieces have illustrated books for several major publishing houses and fine press publishers.