Spencerian Key to Practical Penmanship: Prepared for the "Spencerian Authors" by H.C. Spencer ; Platt R. Spencer, Originator and Author of the Spencerian Style and System of Penmanship

by H.C. Spencer

Originally published in 1866. This volume from the Cornell University Library's print collections was scanned on an APT BookScan and converted to JPG 2000 format by Kirtas Technologies. All titles scanned cover to cover and pages may include marks notations and other marginalia present in the original volume.

208 pages, Paperback

First published July 8, 2009

About the author

Pen artist and author of penmanship manuals. Henry Caleb Spencer developed his “Spencerian” method while teaching handwriting in the early nineteenth century. Instead of teaching penmanship as a series of stylized, memorized letters, Spencer broke down letters into common elements based on natural forms, which could then be combined to form individual letters. His first published work was in 1848, and after his death, his family continued in the business, which essentially dominated penmanship instruction in America after the Civil War. Books such as the 1866 edition were successfully marketed by members of the Spencer family to schools across the country.