Handwriting Books

Did you know that today is National Handwriting Day? Today is a day to reintroduce yourself to the art of pen and paper and work on your handwriting skills.  Here I've gathered for you ten books on handwriting, lettering, calligraphy, and graphology.

The Art of the Handwritten Note: A Guide to Reclaiming Civilized Communications by Margaret Shepherd - When you receive a handwritten envelope in your daily mail, do you open it first because you can't wait to see who has written to you and why? Or do you hold it aside to savor and enjoy after you are done sorting your bills and tossing out the junk mail? Whatever your approach, you no doubt recognize the importance of the note that comes in a lovely envelope with personal handwriting and possibly a decoration or two. Indeed, in an age when birthday greetings are sent by e-mail, the personal letter is appreciated even more than before. For those who enjoy writing notes, as much as those who find themselves intimidated by the task, acclaimed calligrapher Margaret Shepherd has created both an epistolary tribute and a recuse manual. Just as you cherish receiving personal mail, you can also take pleasure in crafting your own correspondence. Love, gratitude, condolences, congratulations-for every emotion and occasion, a snippet of heartfelt prose is offered here, sure to loosen the most stymied letter writer. Not only providing you with inspiration for the content of the notes, The Art of the Handwritten Note gives thorough instruction in the specific details that give so many men and women the jitters when it comes to correspondence that can't (or shouldn't) be tapped out on a keyboard. From upgrading your rusty penmanship to mastering the challenge of keeping straight margins, avoiding smeared ink, and choosing stationery that suits the occasion as well as you own style, this is a powerful little guide to conveying thoughts in an enduring-and noteworthy-way.

By Hand: The Art of Modern Lettering by Nicole Miyuki Santo - Blending the aspirational and the instructional, By Hand brings the beauty of lettering beyond the page, through 30 distinct projects, from watercolor place cards to cozy pillows. Relatable lessons introduce readers to the essentials of lettering, including tools (brush pens, brushes, and paint pens), essential lessons, and developing a personal style, with the warm and welcoming approach of popular Instagram letterer Nicole Miyuki Santo. Encouraging lessons sprinkled throughout the book add a touch of mindfulness, while bright, airy photography and step-by-step lettered samples make this lovely volume a stunning approach to an on-trend pastime.

Calligraphy Bible: A Complete Guide to More Than 100 Essential Projects and Techniques by Maryanne Grebenstein - From ancient to modern times, the art of calligraphy has brought the written word to life, beautifying folklore, letters, poetry, and more. Embark on a journey through time, as the book examines the history of writing and its transformations. Between these pages, you ll find- A detailed guide to materials, tools, and setting up your own workspace, as well as a troubleshooting section. An Alphabet Workbook for practicing all the book s letterforms, from Foundationals to Copperplate, alongside beautiful examples. Clear demonstrations map out every type of line, stroke, and flourish you may encounter. Easy to follow instructions for gilding, illuminating letters, mixing colors, flourishing, and creating ornate borders to frame your work. A wealth of projects to put this ancient art to practical, modern day use, including wedding invitations, posters, letterhead, and more. A comprehensive list of suppliers and calligraphers societies all over the country With something for everyone, Calligraphy Bible offers the tools you need.

Creative Lettering and Beyond by Gabri Joy Kirkendall - Creative Lettering and Beyond combines the artistic talents, inspirational tips, and tutorials of four professional hand letterers and calligraphers for a dynamic and interactive learning experience.
After a brief introduction to the various tools and materials, artists and lettering enthusiasts will learn how to master the art of hand lettering and typography through easy-to-follow step-by-step projects, prompts, and exercises. From the basic shape and form of letters to cursive script, spacing, and alignment, artists will discover how to transform simple words, phrases, and quotes into beautiful works of hand-lettered art.
The interactive format and step-by-step process offers inspirational instruction for a wide variety of fun projects and gift ideas, including hand-rendered phrases on paper and digitally enhanced note cards. Artists will also discover how to apply lettering to linen, coffee mugs, calendars, and more.
Numerous practice pages and interactive prompts throughout the book invite readers to put their newfound lettering skills to use, as well as work out their artistic ideas. Covering a variety of styles and types of lettered art, including calligraphy, illustration, chalk lettering, and more, artists will find a plethora of exercises and tips to help them develop their own unique lettering style.

The Handwriting Analyst's Toolkit: Character and Personality Revealed Through Graphology by Peter West - Learn to read your emotions and desires, and those of people you deal with every day. A graphology expert instructs readers in the basics of handwriting analysis. He shows how to employ a step-by-step method that gives a reliable description of a subject, based on a sample of his or her handwriting. Just as our voices reveal much about our emotions, our motives, and our needs, so too does our handwriting present a psychological profile to the analyst who knows how to decipher it. A simple but clever set of tools, devised by the author, is enclosed with this book. Its components are:

• A protractor to measure angles of handwriting slant and gauge emotions at the time of writing, as well as to interpret enduring personality traits
• A gauge for estimating the zones into which each part of a handwritten letter falls
• A rule for measuring any letter's size and spacing

All components in the tool kit are printed on sturdy, transparent acetate, to be used as an overlay on handwriting samples. An opening chapter presents an overview of handwriting analysis, discussing handwriting pressure, size, spacing, slant, and the qualities these features indicate. Subsequent chapters discuss what handwriting reveals about a subject's public life and inner life. A final chapter offers an at-a-glance guide to decoding psychological meanings underlying the various ways in which a subject shapes each letter of the alphabet. This fascinating book provides a key to self-understanding and the understanding of others. More than 250 instructive color illustrations.

The History and Uncertain Future of Handwriting by Anne Trubek - In the digital age of instant communication, handwriting is less necessary than ever before, and indeed fewer and fewer schoolchildren are being taught how to write in cursive. Signatures--far from John Hancock's elegant model--have become scrawls. In her recent and widely discussed and debated essays, Anne Trubek argues that the decline and even elimination of handwriting from daily life does not signal a decline in civilization, but rather the next stage in the evolution of communication.
Now, in The History and Uncertain Future of Handwriting, Trubek uncovers the long and significant impact handwriting has had on culture and humanity--from the first recorded handwriting on the clay tablets of the Sumerians some four thousand years ago and the invention of the alphabet as we know it, to the rising value of handwritten manuscripts today. Each innovation over the millennia has threatened existing standards and entrenched interests: Indeed, in ancient Athens, Socrates and his followers decried the very use of handwriting, claiming memory would be destroyed; while Gutenberg's printing press ultimately overturned the livelihood of the monks who created books in the pre-printing era. And yet new methods of writing and communication have always appeared. Establishing a novel link between our deep past and emerging future, Anne Trubek offers a colorful lens through which to view our shared social experience.

Lettering with Purpose: Creative Techniques and Prompts for Making Meaningful, Inspirational Hand-Lettered Art by Brittany Luiz - Lettering with Purpose is a thoughtful book that will show you how to  develop your own artistic alphabet. Whether you're hoping to personalize greeting cards or just enjoy the art, hand-lettering is an uplifting and compelling craft that anyone can learn. Deepen your understanding of this art form by delving into 100 reflective lettering prompts that spur the imagination. You'll never again ask, "What should I write?"
Your journey begins with lettering basics. Lettering with Purpose explains the anatomy of letters and how to pair different lettering styles, and it also includes thorough tutorials on working with a variety of mediums. You'll be creating striking layouts and compositions in no time. The pages demonstrate lettering styles and techniques step by step and include styles like brush calligraphy, bounce lettering, and more. Also featured are complete alphabet ideas that include reproducible practice pages that can be used to perfect your skills.
Once your artistic bones are there, move on to adding embellishments and flourishes! Add pizzazz to your work with frames, laurels and garlands, flowers, swirls, and more. The back of the book contains fully illustrated frames on perforated paper for when you're ready to bring it all together and create your own original masterpieces.

Modern Calligraphy Workshop: The Creative Art of Pen, Brush, and Chalk Lettering by Imogen Owen - Learn how to create beautiful, hand-lettered stationery, art, and other decorations with Modern Calligraphy, a sophisticated, interactive book full of exquisite sample alphabets, fun exercises, and simple step-by-step projects. From modern calligraphy in ink to hand lettering in chalk on blackboard and brush lettering in paint, you will discover a variety of ingenious and unique ways to turn words and letters into projects that can be given as gifts, sent as snail mail, or used within your home decor. Among other things, you will learn to create eyecatching letterforms, embellish with swirls and flourishes, free-brush letters on canvas, and digitize your work for printing. Along the way, you will find plenty of inspiration and helpful artist tips to encourage you, as well as numerous open practice pages to help you develop your own lettering style. You can customize letters and words, developing your own rules and methods as you go. With practical projects for all sorts of celebrations, from engagements and weddings to baby showers and even Halloween, Modern Calligraphy will give you the inspiration as well as the skills to turn your everyday handwriting into artwork.

Modern Calligraphy: Everything You Need to Get Started in Script Calligraphy by Molly Suber Thorpe - Calligraphy is about creating something uniquely beautiful, whether to celebrate a special occasion like marriage or to use every day in the form of stationery. Author Molly Suber Thorpe, an award-winning designer and calligrapher based in Los Angeles, works closely with her international clients to give them the distinctive products they're looking for. Now you can learn from this experienced expert how to master this fresh modern lettering style. The first book to teach this bold new style breaks the calligraphy process down into simple steps so anyone can learn to create their own stunning wedding invitations, thank you cards, gift tags, and more. Starting with an overview of the supplies--from paper to ink to pens--you will learn how to form letters, words, and then phrases by following Molly's clear step-by-step instructions, and by practicing with the provided templates. After mastering letter forms using a pointed pen and ink you can take it to the next level by learning how to use watercolor and gouache, or how to digitize your calligraphy. The twenty projects in the book provide lots of inspiration for making your own and are grouped into three sections: weddings, entertainment, and personal stationery. With loads of ideas, practice exercises, and helpful tips, soon you will be turning out gorgeous script calligraphy pieces like the ones featured in wedding magazines and popular websites like Pinterest!

Sex, Lies, and Handwriting: A Top Expert Reveals the Secrets Hidden in Your Handwriting by Michelle Dresbold - Have you ever looked at someone and thought: He looks honest. She seems friendly. He doesn't look like a serial killer. Are you always right? Looks can be deceiving, but handwriting never lies. Handwriting profiling is an amazingly accurate tool for assessing how people think, feel, and act. In fact, handwriting profiling is so accurate that the FBI, the CIA, and the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad use it to build detailed psychological profiles of some of the world's most dangerous individuals. And thousands of major corporations use handwriting profiling to help them make the right hiring decisions. Handwriting expert Michelle Dresbold -- the only civilian to be invited to the United States Secret Service's Advanced Document Examination training program -- draws on her extensive experience helping law enforcement agencies around the country on cases involving kidnapping, arson, forgery, murder, embezzlement, and stalking to take us inside the mysterious world of crossed t's and dotted i's. In Sex, Lies, and Handwriting, Dresbold explains how a single sentence can provide insight into a person's background, psychology, and behavior. Throughout the book, Dresbold explores the handwriting of sly politicians, convicted criminals, notorious killers, suspected cheats, and ordinary people who've written to Dresbold's The Handwriting Doctor column for help. She shows you how to identify the signs of a dirty rotten scoundrel and a lying, cheating, backstabbing lover. And she introduces you to some of the most dangerous traits in handwriting, including weapon-shaped letters, shark's teeth, club strokes, and felon's claws. (When you see these traits in someone's script, she says, it's time to stop reading and start running) Dresbold also explains how criminals are tracked through handwritten clues and what spouses, friends, or employees might be hiding in their script. Finally, Dresbold re-examines the handwriting evidence in several notorious unsolved cases. She uncovers fascinating clues that reveal the secret side of Lizzie Borden, acquitted of the ax murder of her parents in 1893's trial of the century. Dresbold also reveals astonishing details about the author of the JonBenet Ramsey ransom note, and she presents startling new evidence that exposes the real Jack the Ripper (contrary to popular theories, he wasn't a prince or a painter after all). Sex, Lies, and Handwriting will have you paying a bit more attention to your -- and everyone else's -- penmanship.