History and Technique of Lettering

This comprehensive, well-illustrated volume ranges from the earliest pictographs and hieroglyphics to the work of 20th-century designers. Subjects include early writing forms; Roman lettering; runes and medieval hands; the Carolingian minuscule and derivative types; humanistic writing and derivative fonts; and much more. 89 complete alphabets and more than 165 additional specimens.

The only inexpensive and thorough chronicle of the development of letter forms from the point of view of the artist or typographer, The History and Technique of Lettering ranges from the earliest pictographs and hieroglyphics to the work of 20th-century designers. This comprehensive, well-illustrated volume offers readers a fascinatingly detailed historical overview as well as a practical course in lettering techniques.
Subjects include early writing forms; Roman lettering; runes and medieval hands; the Carolingian minuscule and derivative types; humanistic writing and derivative fonts; the effects of the Industrial Revolution on lettering; and much more. Hand-lettered illustrations accompany the text, along with comments on the stylistic and historic position of each style. The second portion of the book offers a 65-page practical course in lettering, including thousands of insights and technical hints for achieving numerous classic styles of letter formation.Perfect for anyone wishing to learn the history of lettering, or to study exquisite specimens of the major lettering styles from the Greeks to the present day, this volume also offers an outstanding resource for students who need a supplementary text that covers not only letter forms and their history but also layout and other techniques.Unabridged and corrected Dover (1998) republication of the work originally published in 1950 by Prentice-Hall, Inc., under the title Lettering: The History and Technique of Lettering as Design.