That's copperplate to me: none of the Spencerian fundamentals
as understood by calligraphers are there.
However, I'm indebted to Cecilia for explaining to me that "Spencerian" means something rather different in terms of typography, by means of sending me
this link. So:
What is Spencerian?
It’s a misnomer as it’s not the same as Spencerian penmanship, a 19th century pointed pen commercial writing style promulgated by Platt Rogers Spencer and his heirs and colleagues. But Spencerian as coined by Tom Carnase and used by Di Spigna et al is a drawn script style based not upon Platt Rogers Spencer’s work, but on a range of pointed pen styles, especially Roundhand, the 18th century English version practiced by Charles Snell, George Shelley, Joseph Champion and John Bland that was immortalized by writing master and engraver George Bickham in The Universal Penman (1741).
Because it’s drawn instead of written, Spencerian is characterized by an extreme contrast of thick and thin strokes. Di Spigna insists that its thins need to be as thin as possible—true hairlines.
I think Messrs Carnase and Di Spigna have a bit of a cheek to appropriate PR Spencer's good name in this way and muddy the waters so comprehensively - but that's the way it is.
The giveaways for Spencerian lowercase
script are intermittent tapered shades, a low angle of connective slant, a semi-angular execution with tight turns and shallow curves, and that characteristic pointed oval forming the bowl of a, d, g and q - none of which are present in the first example above. It's less well defined with capitals, but the capital stem with a low asymmetrical shade is something you'd expect to see in written Spencerian majuscules, as opposed to the "line of universal beauty" which puts in several appearances in the second example.
The book looks nicely presented, Brad - have you found it useful?