Calligraphy at its finest is an art, but these techniques enable anyone to master a simple yet elegant script for everyday use. The trick: the way every single stroke in every single letter is taught step by step, in sequence. The beginner is never overwhelmed by the process; it’s unintimidating and easy to grasp.  And, as each chapter covers a new alphabet or creative idea, it adds to the apprentice calligrapher’s arsenal: Gothic, Italic, Uncial, and more.  Flourish a pen, pencil, or brush and—using the striking examples as a guide—enhance scrapbook pages, greeting cards, photos, framed items, and gift tags and bags. Worksheets are provided, and there’s advice on tools and materials, brush lettering, and shortcuts to spacing and linework.

In an age of myriad computer fonts and instant communication, your handwriting style is increasingly a very personal creation. In this book, Margaret Shepherd, America's premier calligrapher, shows you that calligraphy is not simply a craft you can learn, but an elegant art form that you can make your own.

Calligraphy remains perennially popular, often adorning wedding invitations, diplomas, and commercial signs. Whether it is Roman, Gothic, Celtic, Bookhand, or Italic style, calligraphy conveys class and elegance. Margaret Shepherd makes this ancient art form accessible in a completely hand-lettered technical guide that will:

• Provide context for calligraphy as an art, exploring the rich tradition of hand-lettering and mapping the evolution of the most popular styles.
• Give detailed technical advice on choosing pens, paper, and inks, setting up your workspace, mastering various pen angles, along with step-by-step illustrations to guide you as you practice.
• Explain which alphabets are appropriate for different forms of writing. For example, the Roman alphabet works well for short, unpunctuated passages, while the Italic alphabet is more suited to informal everyday communication.
• Encourage you to personalize your lettering by using variant strokes and interpreting how you would like the words to look on the page.
• Inspire you with carefully chosen illustrations and examples, which bring letters to life.

In Margaret Shepherd's own words, "Calligraphy trains not only your eye and hand, but your mind as well." Learn Calligraphy is the authoritative primer for this age-old craft, and will help develop a new appreciation for lettering as you discover your creative personality.

- Unique, systematic teaching method builds
from basic to advanced brushstrokes,
enabling you to create new words with each
brushstroke you learn

- Two fold-out cover flaps carry key
information to remind you of the anatomy
of each character as you progress

- Organized into a series of lessons and
projects which, as they are worked
through, build the reader's knowledge

- Includes beginner-level projects for
greeting cards, decorative ceramics, and
calligraphic artwork

Some 100 characters are covered. There are chapters on preparing the brushes, holding and loading the brush, wrist and elbow movements, pressing and lifting the brush, various brushstrokes, making a traditional writing book, a greeting card, the five golden rules of Chinese calligraphy, mounting a xuan paper artwork, and more. An appendix shows where Chinese calligraphy supplies can be obtained in the U.S and U.K., each listing has a website.

Chinese Characters Then and Now is a fascinating insight into the world of Chinese characters. Together for the first time in one volume, Chinese typographic authorities including Qi Gong, Yau Shing-Tung, Zhao Jiping, Chen Guying, and Zhao Ping'an write about one of the most important vehicles of Chinese culture. This carefully edited and well-designed volume offers both the Chinese and Western reader a unique and thourough insight into the world of Chinese characters.

This book would be good for someone who has never tried Calligraphy. I am a beginner that just finished my first class and I found the book to be a little too basic. On the positive side, there are a few good pro/con lists that explain the advantages and disadvantages of some tools, nibs, inks and erasers.

The ancient art of illuminating manuscripts is currently attracting many new enthusiasts among artists, art students, and lovers of calligraphy. The Bible of Illuminated Letters is a volume they’ll all want to add to their collections. It presents step-by-step instructions for recreating twelve illuminated alphabets. Among them are Celtic, Saxon, Gothic, Romanesque, Modern Revival, and seven more, including several modern scripts. Detailed diagrams instruct on creating upper- and lower-case letters, as well as on ways for designing borders and decorations. More ambitious students can also follow clear directions for gilding—decorating with gold leaf—as was originally done in medieval European monasteries. Readers and students of illumination who open this book will find: a history of illumination; required tools, techniques, and materials for illuminating; instruction in layout and design; and steps to follow in order to create 12 alphabet styles. This beautiful book also features a picture gallery of outstanding historical and contemporary illuminated letters, as well as a glossary and index. More than 400 inspiring color illustrations in total.

The book has a variety of different "fonts" and some penstroke instructions for each one. There are formal and whimsical styles, that will be appropriate for numerous different applications. She has created awards and membership certificates for several organizations using the inspiration of this book.

If you are looking for a source of new and different styles for your caligraphic projects, this is the first book you should buy. It has the greatest variety of practical alphabets that we have found.

Most books on calligraphy technique are largely devoted to lettering guides and some minimal instruction on materials. Not this one! The book contains a series of chapters written by acknowledged experts in the field.

This book is about gilding described in more detail, about cutting quills, about binding books, about preparing vellum. In short, about all those lovely calligraphy materials and techniques so often described in aggravating inadequacy in so many calligraphic how-to's.

Written well, that even the most fearful beginner can follow the instructions, this book is a boon for every calligrapher who wants to move beyond copying the ductus.