A set of alphabets of all the various hands of modern use : with examples in each style, designed as a text bookby Copley, Frederick S
Publication date 1877 Available at the
Internet ArchiveMostly of historical interest, available at the Internet Archive, it consists of 112 pages, with lettering alphabets in the verse of pages and blank reverses, showing how to build the letters over a grid to get the proportions right. It is mainly a book on lettering with many fancy alphabets for commercial labelling and some calligraphic alphabets. IMHO, and as mentioned, it is mostly of historical interest and maybe useful if one wants to find vintage alphabets to give a vintage look to a work. Or may be for crochet projects
The penman's hand-book : for penmen and students, embracing a history of writing ... many complete alphabets ... ; Also, Chapters on teaching penmanship, business letter writing, off-hand flourishing ... etc.by Gaskell, G. A. (George A.), b. 1844
Publication date 1883 Available at the
Internet ArchiveAn interesting resource, although in many cases for historical purposes. It is also mainly a book on lettering, with an orientation towards preparing works for printing (in a classic press). It contains chapters on
History, a large collection of fancy
alphabets (with some nice ideas for flourishing), a chapter on
teaching and -interesting for many- a chapter on
flourishing, advice on how to prepare specimens for photo-engraving (where some still useful tips may be found), and advice on writing business letters, invitation cards, and many pen drawings.
You can think of this books as a "Universal Penman's" lookalike, in the sense it provides a huge amount of examples that can help you get ideas and plan projects.
Writing & illuminating, & letteringby Johnston, Edward, 1872-1944
I don't think this one needs any introduction.
If you must get one book, get this one. If you want to learn and get started, get this one. If you can afford spending a few (really, a few) bucks, order it on Amazon. I have the fac-simile edition published by Dover, which I must confess I find a bit small for my taste (about A5), but there are many other re-editions, some re-touched to modernize the looks also available.
I am not providing links to commercial sites since I am not sure if it is accepted policy in the forum, but they are trivial to find.
However, if you do not want to spare those bucks, or if you want to be able to see the contents at any size or be able to carry it with you on your cell phone or tablet anywhere, or if you simply want to be able to see the original editions (yes, with an s), then you can download it freely online, Note that the book was published in B&W, so the color versions only add the aging-sepia of the page backgrounds.
Internet Archive, 1906 edition, colorInternet Archive, 1906 edition, color (another one)
Internet Archive, 1917 edition, colorNinety-five Lessons in Ornamental PenmanshipPublish date: 1914
Authors: C.W. Jones
OK, time to move on. So you have learnt your cursive script and now want to go on learning about flourishing. Then, this is a very nice resource that will provide the basics, exercises and a plethora of ideas. You can buy it from AbeBooks.com or read it online at
IAMPETHor download it for your offline peruse (and pleasure) at
The Internet ArchiveLessons in Ornamental PenmanshipYou can also get them from IAMPETH, both
Zaner Lessonsand
Bloser Lessonsto help you build up your Zaner-Bloser script drinking from the very sources.
IAMPETHActually, IAMPETH has a huge resource on penmanship books, as has already been pointed out in other posts. Providing a full list would be probably absurd since it is better for you to browse their archive by yourself directly:
IAMPETH rare booksYou will find there almost anything you need to learn mostly pointed pen scripts (Spencerian, Zanerian, Madarasz, Palmer, engravers, engrossers, -yes they are different-, etc...) but also examples of the Italian hand, books on flourishing, black letter, old english, and many copybooks and example books that might inspire you for your own projects.
From my own point of view, the main problem is that there are so many books to look at that one does not know where to start if one wants to see it all. It is probably more practical to decide first on something specific (e.g. Spencerian script, or flourishing) and then going straight to books on that topic.
Manual of Free-hand Penmanshipby Alvin R. Dunton, B . Harrison, J. W. C . Gilman, John D . Williams, Silas Sadler Packard
Publication date 1877
Another classic that you can buy in commercial reprints if you want. And one you can find online as well both at
The Internet Archiveand
Google booksfor download. It is a brief treatise to learn calligraphy. Of special interest is its "modern" approach, showing that you have much, much more freedom in choosing how to write (e.g. sitting position) than what most "academic" books proclaim. A practical, easy and short book on learning cursive writing. If you are the likes of those who ask "is it correct if I sit in a different position?" or "can I put the paper oriented in an non-canonical way?", then may be this book will help you feel reassured of your unconventional practice. Personally, I am of the opinion that rules may help get started, but none is a one-size-fits-all and that it is better if each one finds what works best for him/herself (as long as you do not ignore the advice of more experienced practitioners). But that is just me. YMMV!
And I do really think that it is quite a lot for now. More later.