Medieval Calligraphy: Its History and Technique (Lettering, Calligraphy, Typography)

This is a really great book, the opening chapters give a great history of medieval calligraphy, the author explains how difficult it was to gather information in the past and this book will satisfy most needs in this regard. It is extremely well written and illustrated, first published in 1980, one could argue that it has both aged well and is timeless! There are a few humourous stories within, showing that even very pious monks still retained a modicum of normalcy. Calligraphy normally manifests a mental image of big swirls and slanted lettering whereas the medieval calligraphy is probably a more attainable skill most folk can achieve with practice. If you'd like to improve your handwriting skills and enter the world of calligraphy then this book will definitely aid you in your quest. I highly recommend this book.

AFTER BUYING/READING/GNASHING MY TEETH OVER MANY BOOKS ON CALLIGRAPHY, I FOUND THIS SUPERB BOOK. THE REST ARE USUALLY FULL OF REGURGITATED STUFF YOU CAN, FRANKLY, GET OFF THE 'NET FOR FREE; THE INSTRUCTIONS ARE NORMALLY IDENTICAL TO ARTICLES FROM INTERNET AND I LEARN NOTHING NEW. SICK OF SUCH REPETITIVE SHEEP'S CLOTHING, I FINALLY RECEIVED THIS BOOK AND FOUND IT HAD TEETH... AT LAST; A WOLF OF A BOOK! I WANT TO YELL IT OUT TO CALLIGRAPHERS EVERYWHERE; THIS IS A FAR SUPERIOR BOOK TO ANY I HAVE READ BEFORE. IT HAS CHARM. IT IS WELL WRITTEN. IT IS INTERESTING, INFORMATIVE, THOUGHT-PROVOKING AND ENABLING. BACKGROUND INFORMATION MAKES YOU FEEL RATHER AS IF YOU HAVE SLIPPED UNSEEN INTO SOME MONASTERIAL ROOM OR OTHER AND ARE PEERING OVER THE SHOULDER OF SOME MONK WHO, ALTHOUGH TIRED, COLD AND DISGRUNTLED, IS HONOUR-BOUND TO PRODUCE HIS MOST GLORIOUS WORK , PUN-FILLED OR OTHERWISE. THIS IS A REFRESHING CHANGE TO THE OTHER BOOKS I HAVE SEEN... INSPIRING YET UNASSUMING, IT IS WORTH EVERY PENNY. ... AND NOT A SHEEP IN SIGHT.

The supplier information at the back of the book is a bit out of date. But the rest of the book is excellent. It contains a history of the best-known medieval scripts, sample manuscripts, and a guide to writing the letters for oneself. Very interesting and informative.

Marc Drogin's book is a great resource for those who want to be able to write some of the major scripts employed between the 1st and 15th centuries. Each script is introduced with a brief history and several facsimiles of real examples with accompanying transcriptions before a full page diagram on how the letters are formed followed by relevant technical notes. Before the treatment of the scripts themselves there is a more general introduction on the historical development of scripts, full of anecdote, though some holes can be picked in the historical narrative (though this is not relevant to scripts per se). The scripts covered are: Roman Rustic - 1st-6th century Uncial - 3rd-6th century Artificial Uncial 6th-10th century Roman Half-Uncial 3rd-9th century Insular Majuscule 6th-9th century Insular Minuscule 6th century onwards Luxeuil Minuscule 7th-8th century Carolingian Minuscule 8th-12th century Early Gothic 11th-12th Gothic Textura Quadrata 13th-15th century Gothic Textura Prescisus 13th century onwards Gothic Littera Bastarda 13th century onwards A good further resource is An Introduction to Greek and Latin Palaeography .

A really good book from the point of view that it not only gives the history of the styles but through pictures and references shows how they were formed. Masses of information on the technique of the lettering and also of numerals, plus page layout. All you need to be able to decipher the calligraphy of manuscripts or to 'start writing in the style of.....'

Loved it !!! The history part is magnificent The calligraphy part is also MORE THAN OK but I would have spent some more paper to make everything even more helpful even at the price of discarding some ”specimens” But that is just me. Wonderful piece of knowledge and valuable practical information for our hobby 5 STARS

Wow what I learned about medieval calligraphy in this book opened my eyes to scripts I never considered to try before. You are taken on a journey through the ages of script and pretty good examples on how to write them, a must buy for those of us who do calligraphy and want to learn from history.

Lovely book with some beautiful calligraphy and commentary on the history of the art. Easy to follow guides so you can try the various styles from the different historical periods. Would make a good gift for 13/14 years up to any age.

Buena compra!

Ottimo libro per appassionati di calligrafia e del mondo medioevale. La prima parte è dedicata alla storia della calligrafia nel mondo medievale, sia sul suo impatto sulla società che sullo suo sviluppo e modificazione. Segue una parte dedicata ai vari stili calligrafici con breve storia introduttiva, un alfabeto di base e numerosi esempi e variazione con tanto di foto dei manoscritti originali. Non certo adatto per un primo approccio alla calligrafia ma immancabile per un appassionato

The book looks very comprehensive and useful!

Just received this book today and for only $18 it is by far the most comprehensive calligraphy guide I have seen to date. Although it only covers a little over a dozen medieval scripts they are covered so completely as to leave no question about their form or structure for a beginner like myself (ligatures, embellishments and special historical nuances are also covered). This book also contains a vast amount of high quality photographs of historical works and script examples to further illustrate the development and structure of the various script types. I was first debating picking up a copy of David Harris' 'The Art of Calligraphy' because of it's excellent demonstration of techniques that I found very clear and thorough, but for twice the cost (for a used copy) and no current interest in the other scripts that Harris' book also covers (renaissance-modern) I chose this book instead. Massively impressed!!!

I have a whole bookshelf full of books on calligraphy, but this title is extraordinary. The author wrote it in 1980 as a frustrated calligraphy teacher who wanted a comprehensive book for his students. He felt that most other books on the subject were either too simple and glossed over important information, or were written for scholars and therefore inaccessible to the average student. “Medieval Calligraphy” is the result, and an impressive one it is! The book is full of history and technique, but more importantly, it’s eminently readable. Most books on calligraphy are heavy on technique (unfortunately “modernized”); more of a reference than a good read. I sat and read the book as if it were a novel, looking forward each day to my private reading time, and as with reading any good novel I was sad to come to the end. The scripts are explained in chronological order so there is a clear historical line drawn from, say, Roman Rustic to Roman half-uncial and the scripts in between. Drogin explains the pressures of the day, the movement of people, the politics and other factors that went into the development from one script to another. Included are dozens of pictures of original documents so that you can see the scripts in their native habitat. The author also includes technical notes on each script, though full alphabets are not included. Other interesting sections show page layout used by the scribes and also how to order facsimiles. If you are passionate about calligraphy and are hungry for more than mere technical guidance, I highly recommend this book.