Writing&ù Шитіпаііпд,
&¿ Lettering

Edward Johnston

For Edward Johnston (1872-1944), well-known British scholar and teacher,
lettering, writing and illuminating were not only desirable ends in themselves, but
practical avenues to mastery of typography, decoration and design. In this classic,
profusely illustrated guide he distilled his great knowledge and expertise in these
areas into a series of clear, easy-to-follow lessons that will benefit any student of
calligraphy, book design or art in general.

Part I is devoted to writing and illuminating. Early chapters cover the fundamentals
of acquiring a formal hand: choosing paper, ink and quills; holding the pen,
arranging and ruling a single sheet, spacing and planning a manuscript and more.
The author then turns to the techniques of producing a manuscript book: tools and
materials, methods and proportions, margins and more, including detailed
discussions of versal letters, colored capitals, rubricating, laying and burnishing
gold, using gold and colors in initial letters and simple illumination, “design” in
illumination and many other topics.

In Part II, the author offers detailed discussions of lettering: the qualities of good
lettering, methods of construction and arrangement, spacing, proportion and other
matters. An entire chapter is devoted to the Roman alphabet and its derivatives,
including uncials, capitals and small letters, slanted-pen small letters, italics, semi-
formal hands and more. Two especially valuable appendixes cover the uses of
lettering in book bindings, wall inscriptions, monograms and title pages, and the
techniques involved in lettering on metal, wood and stone.

Brimming with expert advice and a wealth of useful exercises, this book is an
indispensable resource for any devotee of beautiful writing, manuscript illumina¬
tion, penmanship and the art of book design.

Unabridged Dover (1995) republication of the edition published by Sir Isaac
Pitman & Sons, Ltd., Bath, 1946. 218 black-and-white illustrations. 24 halftones. 8
2-color illustrations. 2 prefaces. 2 appendixes. Index. Addenda. 480pp. 4J> * 7!i.
Paperbound.

ALSO AVAILABLE

Pacioli's Classic Roman Alphabet, Stanley Morison. 128pp. 8's * 11. 27979-0 Pa
$7.95

ISBN D-4flb-SflS34-D

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IN USA 9 780486 285344