Discovering Old Handwriting

by John Barrett

Old handwriting is discovered every day in many different in the parish church on memorials and stained glass windows, in the family Bible and old letters, in old wills and perhaps even in the title deeds to your home. Until the invention of printing in the fifteenth century, and for most purposes long after, writing was done with pen, pencil, brush or other tool held in the hand. This 'manuscript' handwriting interest both calligraphers, for the way in which it is done, and historians, who need to decipher the content. In this book the authors provide a guide to the development of handwriting through the ages and introduce the reader to the many styles found in old documents in the British Isles.

184 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1995

About the author

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Reviews

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is writing the greatest invention of mankind? A strong case can be made (it enables history, administration, literature, non-verbal communication - and reading). Not that this book is about making the case (I thought more about that after seeing a video to further explain cuneiform) but it does an absorbing and easily digested job of surveying writing from its earliest appearance to now. The book’s title would more accurately be “Introduction to Paleography” but then I probably wouldn’t have bought it.