Ed Buffaloe revisits Mortenson for his printing technique in this article on the Unblinking Eye. Not to be dismissed so quickly, as by the f/64 Group of Ansel Adams et al, there is a method to his madness. The article explains how a good print is arrived at and why you should not print it that way.
Invaluable is the print comparison chart that shows the typical results from the exposure of the negative and the development of such a negative in a 3x3 grid (for the underexposure, normal exposure and overexposure of the negative and the underdevelopment, normal development and overdevelopment of the negative).
The so-called 7-D negative is all about the gradation, according to Mortenson. Well worth the read for any B&W photographer.
