Books in the Lettering, Calligraphy, Typography series

The noted Victorian-era designer Karl Klimsch excelled in the use of clean lines, shading, and three-dimensional effects in rendering the elements of decorative alphabets. His exceptional skills are notably evident in this comprehensive compilation of more than 2,000 elegant two-letter monograms, originally published in a German edition in 1869. Imagination, ingenuity, and a disciplined freedom distinguish these inventive initials, ideal for use on scrolls, certificates, awards, and other printed announcements in need of calligraphic excitement. The handsome Victorian-styled monograms are easily reproduced and copyright free, ready for immediate use in art, needlework, crafts, and other decorative projects.

Developed by English handwriting masters in the 18th century, copperplate calligraphy is admired for its fluidity and beauty. It is the most popular style for social correspondence, invitations, and other communications requiring an elegant hand. In this practical manual, a noted calligraphy teacher offers a comprehensive, step-by-step guide for the student. Beginning with a brief but fascinating history of copperplate, she moves quickly to an in-depth examination of the alphabet, numbers, and punctuation. Each letter is demonstrated stroke by stroke with a clear explanation. Readers will also find detailed discussions of writing in color, using the proper paper, and learning how to retouch, correct, and crop. Ms. Winters then shows how copperplate can be used to write a simple paragraph, a short quotation, or poetry, and explains how to use the script commercially for addressing envelopes and writing name cards and invitations. With this easy-to-follow manual and some practice, calligraphers will be able to create copperplate scripts with the rhythm, grace, and ease of the great writing masters. Unabridged Dover (2000) republication of the edition published by Watson-Guptill, New York, 1989.

The art of beautiful handwriting is no more difficult to master for the left-handed than for the right-handed student. But the left-handed writer requires a special orientation which most guidebooks on the subject do not provide. This excellent study remedies that situation handsomely. Generously illustrated, it offers full, intensive coverage of the art of calligraphy from the left-handed writer's point of view. Vance Studley, an award-winning calligrapher and well-known arts educator and author, shows left-handers how to select appropirate tools and materials, learn correct hand, pen and nib positions, master compositon and page layout, and much more. Four model alphabets are introduced--Italic Hand, Chancery Cursive, Uncial Hand, and the Foundation Hand--each providing valuable lessons in the mastery of left-handed calligraphy. With each lesson, students will move forward confidently to new levels of skill in this time-honored art. Unabridged Dover (1991) republication of the edition originally published by Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, New York, 1979.

For this impressive collection, typographer and print historian Dan X. Solo has selected 100 fonts, many of which are reminiscent of the old-fashioned print styles found on turn-of-the-century posters and broadsides. Alphabets such as the attention-getting Carnival, Frolic, and Houdini fondly recall that era. Others are attractions themselves, including the foreign-looking Armenian and Tokyo; the eerie Monster Outline and Raindrops; and the glamorous Diamond Inlay, Startime, and Golden Era. Additional alphabets include: Balderdash; Big Cat; Eureka; Cheapjack; Dodge City; Earthquake; National Gothic; Ringmaster; Toscana; Wood Relief; and 80 other high-impact typefaces.Each font contains a complete upper-case alphabet; many include numerals, lower-case alphabets, punctuation marks, and symbols or vignettes. Available in a variety of sizes, the faces come in assorted shapes--mostly tall, fat, and bold--but always eye-catching and affordable.

Ninety-one complete alphabets -- medieval to modern -- include 3,924 decorative initials, including Victorian novelty and Art Nouveau. These alphabets were obtained from rare, out-of-print books, generally available only in libraries or in the rare-book market. They were reproduced directly from the pages of a large and expensive collection that was made specifically for the production of this volume. Since they are direct reproductions, they will all reproduce again excellently.The book has been carefully arranged and annotated so that the students of letters and types may have a complete understanding of decorative alphabets and initials. The work is divided into three parts. Part One deals entirely with manuscript initials as they were used from the 8th to the 15th century. It includes Celtic initials, rare designs from the Bible of Charles the Bald, and incised letters from the monument of Richard II in Westminster Abbey. Part Two contains initials from printed books, starting with the 15th century and running through the 18th. Here are the fanciful creations of the 16th-century woodcutters: initials illustrated with children, cherubs, birds, beasts, flowers, legends, and grotesque heads. The works of the later engravers, writing, masters, and baroque and rococo designers follows in order. Part Three attempts to arrange the great weeds jungle of Victorian letters and types and concludes with the 20th-century alphabets such as the distinctive wood engravings of Edward Wadsworth. Each section has an historical introduction and each plate has a descriptive caption.

Complete instructions and examples help you create your own magnificent swirls, delicately shaded curves, harmoniously crisscrossing lines, from which birds, rabbits, deer, ribbons, and other objects gracefully emerge.