How-to books on handwriting?

[Kasper Hviid]

One of the project that I have never come around to finish is getting my handwriting in order. I have found a few links on the subject:

http://briem.net (how-to on italic handwriting)
http://operina.com (pdf downloads connected to the site above - 'Handwriting repair' is good)
http://www.iampeth.com/books.php (public domain victorian books about 'penmanship')
http://www.handwritingrepair.info (mostly sells stuff)
http://www.paperpenalia.com/handwriting.html (Looks good)
http://library.sc.edu/spcoll/hist/ha...ing/index.html (long overview of handwriting history)
http://jp29.org/itbasics.htm
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/fo...helpful-sites/
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/fo...d-calligraphy/
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/fo...nd-discussion/

And I have gotten a little bit of knowledge:
- The first and the last letters of a word are the impotrant ones - the ones which a reader uses to identify the word. So make sure that they are readable. The letters belveen don't matter as much.
- I won't bother with pure cursive, where the entire word has to be completed with one pen stroke. Nobody can read it. Instead, join letters where it make sense, a bit like ligatures.
- Have a good posture. Relax your hand.
- I can see the logic of the Palmer method of having the paper parallel with the lower arm. But I don't like the extreme slant it produce.

But all this knowledge seems a bit fragmented. I would like to have a single ebook that I gave the basics of writing, from a modern perspective. Any recommendations?

[WillAdams]

Unfortunately, I don't know of any suitable ebooks available other than the ones which you list. There are a number of public domain texts on archive.org (search for penmanship, italic, cursive, &c.) but none which really address modern needs.

One of the best books is _An Italic Calligraphy Handbook_ by Carolyn (Knudsen) Joy Adams:

http://books.google.com/books/about/...d=_xzWAAAAMAAJ

Tom Gourdie's _A Guide to Better Handwriting_ is also quite good.

Either of the above is well-worth finding in print.

Rosemary Sassoon's writings are also quite illuminating.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by WillAdams

Unfortunately, I don't know of any suitable ebooks available other than the ones which you list. There are a number of public domain texts on archive.org (search for penmanship, italic, cursive, &c.) but none which really address modern needs.

Is there a modern need for handwriting at all, given that typing is so much faster? The only thing I ever seem to write by hand these days is a very occasional signature on a letter.

[WillAdams]

- Addressing packages
- filling out forms w/ carbons
- filling out job applications
- impromptu signage / labeling / identifying things, e.g., gift tags
- marking up / editing proofs or works-in-progress
- taking notes
- Learning how to express oneself --- at the very least, one should have a legible and expressive signature as opposed to the scribble which Jacob Lew foisted upon our money (but is now working to improve)
- Learning how to read cursive so that we don't have a situation similar to Turkey where scribes are hired to transcribe an ancestor's letters or diary (Turkey switched from using Arabic to Latin letterforms)
- Taking the essay portion of the SAT
- Learning fine motor control and skills which transfer into the ability to craft things w/o having to depend on a CNC machine

[Snowman]

I've audited quite a few handwriting scripts, and found the one I like best is the Getty-Dubay design. It looks good, with well formed characters, and is quite fast to write. Ideally, use a chisel nib, but it also works well with a rounded nib or even a ballpoint.

When writing fast it remains legible, and does not degrade so badly as Palmer (for me at least), which seems to end up resembling a slightly bumpy line.

Images are plentiful on google, and the book series is "Write Now", widely available on Amazon and other booksellers. There is also a set of computer fonts available, but I cannot remember where I bought the CD.

snowman