Calligraphy School

by Reader's Digest Association

Provides a step-by-step course in the fundamentals of calligraphy, from basic script and individual letters to complex calligraphic designs, accompanied by special practice projects to help students master the writing techniques. 25,000 first printing.

Genres: Nonfiction, Crafts, Art, Reference

176 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1994

About the author

The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. is a global media and direct marketing company based in Chappaqua, New York, best known for its flagship publication founded in 1922, Reader's Digest. The company's headquarters are in New York City, where it moved from Pleasantville, New York.

The company was founded by DeWitt and Lila Wallace in 1922 with the first publication of Reader's Digest magazine, but has grown to include a diverse range of magazines, books, music, DVDs and online content.

Reviews

[mehg-hen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would be a good reference book to own. One day my dream will be realized and there will be an 8 foot pile of books related to calligraphy and medieval manuscripts and I will lay on top of them and sleep better than I have ever slept before. If that sounds boring and ridiculous, please disregard this review. I believe calligraphy is the stuff of bone marrow and violence and the triumph of all that is good in human beings. This book did not fully reflect this sentiment, and I would kindly suggest to the publishers the addition of a long historical background and more jokes. Again, this is not the demographic for this book. The book offers a very good overview of calligraphy tools and how-tos. It is also proof that we are meat blobs of mystical complexity with roots in the ancients, but I do not think Reader's Digest Association intended this. In reality, it is nice, clear directions to a good hobby. But I know the truth.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps not thrilling but the best book of basic instruction I've seen. Gaynor Goffe is one of the two authors and she brings years of experience in both doing and teaching calligraphy. The photographs are right up close and there are plenty of them. How to measure and recreate angles, what happens if you use an inappropriate paper and how to analyse an assignment.
This was a library copy but I will most definitely order a copy to use with students.

[Rebekah Giese Witherspoon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This calligraphy book is limited in scope, teaching only Foundational Hand and Italic styles of calligraphy...but what it does, it does really well. With a simple step-by-step approach, it teaches how to form the letters with a broad-nib pen, scale (how wide each letter should be in comparison to the letter “o”), and spacing between letters of a single word as well as between words. It also teaches composition on a page (margins, white space, left justified versus centered, etc). And it shows how to create lovely watercolor backgrounds for calligraphy as well as how to use watercolor paint as calligraphy ink.

This book is out of print and I was able to find a used copy through AbeBooks.com. If you’re interested in improving your Foundational Hand or Italic calligraphy, it’s definitely worth the effort to hunt down a copy.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great information on layout and colour in calligraphy, and some good projects.

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear and helpful guide for calligraphy beginners; the ample amount of illustrative photos was very helpful. This is a useful resource, particularly for those interested in traditional, italic-style calligraphy (with a broad pen).

[Clatters · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well designed and easy to follow. Went Way beyond the how to book that came with my kit. Would be a great buy to keep.