Learn how to illuminate your writing like the scribes of the past, bringing letters to life with plant and animal motifs, swirling vines and leaves, graceful arabesques and flourishes, fantastical imagery, and more. Draw creatures cavorting across the page as Gothic illuminators did, or create the knotwork seen in famous Celtic manuscripts. Step-by-step tutorials, tips for creating striking effects, and blank letterforms you can illuminate yourself make this the perfect modern-day guide to the medieval art of beautiful writing. 160 pages. 6-1/4" wide x 8-1/4" high (15.9 cm wide x 21 cm high). Rights: World (English)

The crafts of writing, illuminating and lettering offer a wide field for the ingenious and careful craftsman and open the way to a variety of rewarding occupations apart from their very great educational value. In this superbly comprehensive volume, these three skills are clearly and fascinatingly explained with hundreds of illustrations and diagrams. The book is planned as a guide to models and methods for letter-craftsmen and students, especially those who cannot see the actual processes carried out and who may not have access to collections of MSS. Edward Johnston traces the development of writing, giving us insight into the construction of letters, and offers valuable advice on the acquisition of a formal or "book" hand. His detailed explanation of the theory and development of illustration shows how the practice of this art is one of the most simple and complete ways of acquiring a knowledge of the elements of design and decoration. The world of lettering is also fully explored together with the Roman alphabet and its derivatives. The innumerable practical applications of lettering -- most important in the making of books -- make the study of lettercraft not only absorbing but imperative. - Back cover.

A beautifully presented, original exploration of the alphabet, which will be featured in a major exhibition at the British Library.

The twenty-eight essays in this collection showcase cutting-edge research in manuscript studies, encompassing material from late antiquity to the Renaissance. The volume celebrates the exceptional contribution of John Lowden to the study of medieval books.