Medieval Calligraphy: Its History and Technique (Lettering, Calligraphy, Typography)

Whether you are interested in medieval calligraphy or medieval documents, this book is a great place to start. The book provides a chronological presentation of different script families used from the early medieval to just before the printing press is invented. The author Marc Drogin is a practicing calligrapher, so there is a lot of technical information about how to replicate the lettering for modern pieces. But the book does a pretty deep dive into actual medieval documents including lots of photos of real manuscripts in different languages from Old English to Latin and Middle French. This isn't a paleography course, but this does give real insight into the documents containing text from the MIddle Ages from beautiful illuminated letters to tiny snippets of Anglo Saxon 'glosses' inserted between lines of Vulgate Latin in a Bible. I have an even deeper appreciation of the value of these documents and the value the writing centers have for European civilization.

I have a whole bookshelf full of books on calligraphy, but this title is extraordinary. The author wrote it in 1980 as a frustrated calligraphy teacher who wanted a comprehensive book for his students. He felt that most other books on the subject were either too simple and glossed over important information, or were written for scholars and therefore inaccessible to the average student. “Medieval Calligraphy” is the result, and an impressive one it is! The book is full of history and technique, but more importantly, it’s eminently readable. Most books on calligraphy are heavy on technique (unfortunately “modernized”); more of a reference than a good read. I sat and read the book as if it were a novel, looking forward each day to my private reading time, and as with reading any good novel I was sad to come to the end. The scripts are explained in chronological order so there is a clear historical line drawn from, say, Roman Rustic to Roman half-uncial and the scripts in between. Drogin explains the pressures of the day, the movement of people, the politics and other factors that went into the development from one script to another. Included are dozens of pictures of original documents so that you can see the scripts in their native habitat. The author also includes technical notes on each script, though full alphabets are not included. Other interesting sections show page layout used by the scribes and also how to order facsimiles. If you are passionate about calligraphy and are hungry for more than mere technical guidance, I highly recommend this book.

I cannot believe my luck finding this book. I was doing a lot of research on Medieval handwriting and paleography for an art project. I want to create original art using different types of scripts along with some knowledge I have about Old and Middle English. Originally I tried to blow the letters up and trace them, but it didn't work well because the letters varied a bit in size over different pages (had to use different pages because for instance a capital Q isn't found very often). I decided to try to learn the writing styles myself. I found this book and thought I might as well try it. It is PERFECT. I was expecting it maybe to show different styles, but it actually teaches you how to write them. I'm amazed that this book wasn't written exactly for my project. It even has a picture of the specific manuscript I had used for my tracing attempt. I also wanted to add that my art will be given to others who may not be well-versed in letters like wynn, a w that looks like a p. I had considered trying to make modern letters for that reason. But lo and behold, this book has modern letters already made for me for scripts with old-fashioned ones. The author also clearly cares a lot about this subject and it shows. It's a wonderful book that I will treasure.

This is my Go-To book for medieval hands. There are others which show more examples and varieties, but none of them go into the detail that this one does of the fundamental underlying ductus (set of strokes) for each letter. The first half of the book gives a great introduction to the history surrounding each hand and their development, while the last half takes a detailed look at thirteen different medieval hands. For each hand, Drogin shows two or three photographs of pages from his own collection. The set of pics cover a range of dates and if possible regions so that you can see the progression of the hand through the centuries. Then he does a ductus breakdown of all of the letters, including variations, ligatures, and some abbreviations. Finally he show Capitals, flourishes, and other details associated with the hand. It's wonderful ! If you already have Drogin, you might enjoy Stan Knight's book "Historical Scripts", and Michelle Brown's "Guide to Western Historical Scripts". But Drogin lays the foundation for those two and is the best choice to acquire first.

If you’re interested in calligraphy- particularly the blocky, angular, medieval variety- this book is fantastic. The first 40% is history. Extremely interesting to certain types of people, but perhaps a bore to others. There’s ample black&white photographs of examples. It’s a shame they aren’t in color, but that would have significantly increased the price of the book. The next 40% covers 12 scripts from the 1st to the 13th centuries (and beyond). Again, numerous B&W photographs of samples. Most scripts are presented as one or more plates of all letters with some indication regarding stroke direction and order for more complex letters. Stroke guidance isn’t explicitly provided for every single letter, but you should be able to make a reasonable educated guess. The last 20% is miscellany: page layout, references, etc. There are other books that cover a broader spectrum of scripts- with perhaps one or two of the medieval persuasion for good measure. But, I like this focused approach as it gives perspective on how writing changed over time.

As title of the review shows, I've changed my assessment three times for this book. Now that I've finished reading the whole thing I am wholly delighted with it. At first I was turned off by some of the lettering in chapter headings, but the information is concise, very readable, gives both detail and explanations when details are avoided (the author gives examples of five or more names for the same style of writing, depending on the perspective of the historian or calligrapher). I am an amateur hobbyist, if that, so I find this a perfect overview of the history with helpful pages of instruction on writing. This is a Dover edition, which means it is made to be affordable (thanks!) and which may explain the chapter heading script -- but the book is the right size, the paper seems good and the narrative and writing instruction are both valuable! I now feel far more comfortable with my other handbooks and their names for scripts.

There are a lot of books offering you the first step on the wonderful world of calligraphy and lettering, but I've found in Marc Drogin's book not only an excellent source of information but also a great teacher in the various styles of medieval calligraphy. The history part summarizes the evolution of western alphabet as well as the different lettering styles according to a certain age, but the author also talk a lot about the context and the significance behind the important job of being a scribe. The technique part it's so friendly that takes your hand from the beginning of each stroke to the final one in each letter of the alphabet in the several styles that are reviewed in the book. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the wonderful world of medieval calligraphy. Just a tip: If you are practicing with the book beside you, be careful with the ink. May Titivillus be with you to take the blame for all your mistakes, and good writing!

This was a rare and wonderful book. The description from other reviewers is totally accurate: hidden inside this book is actually a history of writing itself as well as different languages. Drogin does an awesome job tying in the history and cultures over the centuries in terms of their written works. He offers wonderful examples of the various styles and defines forgotten terms like "majuscule" and "textura." I bought this along with a calligraphy pen to try writing in gothic textura quadrata and his book was a wonderful guide. For anyone who wants to remember the almost forgotten art of writing by hand and the beauty and artistry of written script, this book is for you.

Buena compra!

Ottimo libro per appassionati di calligrafia e del mondo medioevale. La prima parte è dedicata alla storia della calligrafia nel mondo medievale, sia sul suo impatto sulla società che sullo suo sviluppo e modificazione. Segue una parte dedicata ai vari stili calligrafici con breve storia introduttiva, un alfabeto di base e numerosi esempi e variazione con tanto di foto dei manoscritti originali. Non certo adatto per un primo approccio alla calligrafia ma immancabile per un appassionato

The book looks very comprehensive and useful!

Just received this book today and for only $18 it is by far the most comprehensive calligraphy guide I have seen to date. Although it only covers a little over a dozen medieval scripts they are covered so completely as to leave no question about their form or structure for a beginner like myself (ligatures, embellishments and special historical nuances are also covered). This book also contains a vast amount of high quality photographs of historical works and script examples to further illustrate the development and structure of the various script types. I was first debating picking up a copy of David Harris' 'The Art of Calligraphy' because of it's excellent demonstration of techniques that I found very clear and thorough, but for twice the cost (for a used copy) and no current interest in the other scripts that Harris' book also covers (renaissance-modern) I chose this book instead. Massively impressed!!!

Daha iyi olabilirdi.