Handwriting In America

In this engaging history, the author demonstrates handwriting in America from colonial times to the present. Exploring such subjects as penmanship, pedagogy, handwriting analysis, autograph collecting, and calligraphy revivals, Thornton investigates the shifting functions and meanings of handwriting. 57 illustrations.

This book is designed to teach you how to read and understand the handwriting found in documents commonly used in genealogical research. It explains techniques for reading early American documents, provides samples of alphabets and letter forms, and defines terms and abbreviations commonly used in early American documents such as wills, deeds, and church records.

"Persuasively argues that our fixation with writing by hand is driven more by emotion than evidence, as it is perceived to be inextricably linked to our history, core values and individual identities."--Los Angeles Times The future of handwriting is anything but certain. Its history, however, shows how much it has affected culture and civilization for millennia. 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.

The author states that the purpose of his book is to teach anyone to write legibly and fluently from a movement point of view. It is not concerned with grammar or style but with penmanship itself.

This fascinating and wide-ranging book charts developments in the teaching and study of handwriting over the course of the twentieth century. The book shows how changing educational policies, economic forces and inevitable technological advance have combined to alter the priorities and form of handwriting. This 'long and sometimes sorry story' tells also of the sheer pain and hard work of children forced to follow the style of the day, and of the reformers who have sought to simplify the teaching and learning of handwriting over the years. Illustrated throughout with examples from copybooks and personal handwriting from across the world, the book is a compelling historical record of techniques, styles and methods.

This work chronicles a period in American history when the ability to "write a good hand" was a key to prosperity. Henning reveals the lives and careers of some of the most important American penmen in history. With over 400 illustrations, An Elegant Hand offers an exciting and detailed view of the many styles of penmanship and calligraphy: Spencerian Script; Ornamental Penmanship; flourished designs of birds; Copperplate; business writing (many variations); broad-pen calligraphy, especially German Text and Old English; and many other styles. This work also features a glossary of terms.

Even in this age of emails, texts, and tweets, there is an ongoing fascination with the simple act of putting pen to paper. Associations such as the International Association of Master Penmen and the Society for Italic Handwriting keep the traditions of calligraphy and penmanship alive, hand-writing typefaces continue to sell, and hand-drawn display type and packaging of all sorts enjoy a renaissance. Pen to Paper, a collection of letters by artists from the Smithsonian's Archives of American Art, reveals how letter writing can be an artistic act, just as an artist puts pen to paper to craft a line in a drawing. Brief essays explore what can be learned from the handwriting of celebrated artists such as Mary Cassatt, Frederic Church, Howard Finster, Winslow Homer, Ray Johnson, Rockwell Kent, Georgia O'Keeffe, Claes Oldenburg, Maxfield Parrish, Eero Saarinen, Saul Steinberg, and many others. Each letter is accompanied by an archival image of the artist or a related artwork, with a full transcription. Pen to Paper provides a fresh way to think about artists and their creative work and is sure to inspire your next handwritten note or letter.

"The Definitive Book of Handwriting Analysis is a must for all serious students of graphology." —Iris Hatfield, Professional Graphologist, HuVista International The complete guide to graphology from the winner of Flandrin-Michon AHAF President’s Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Handwriting Analysis Foundation The ability to write by hand is a pinnacle of human achievement. As a form of self-expression, handwriting reflects a person's thoughts about the self and reveals aspects of a person's personality. Written in a step-by-step fashion, The Definitive Book of Handwriting Analysis begins with the history of the field and then teaches you how to analyze any handwriting, starting with objective criteria, including variables such as organization, speed, size, shape, slant, and symbolic features. Then you learn how to combine these variables to create a full personality profile. There are more than 100 handwriting samples, including those from Paul Newman, Bill Clinton, Marlon Brando, Donald Trump, Sigmund and Anna Freud, Thomas Edison, Osama bin Laden, Jacqueline Kennedy, Bruce Springsteen, Benito Mussolini, Napoleon, Michael Jackson, Robert Redford, Barak Obama, and Charles Darwin. Part II discusses how handwriting is organized by the brain and includes many examples of the link between handwriting and various illnesses and brain disorders, from dyslexia and epilepsy to stroke and coma. It ends with a discussion of the link between different personality types, their brain organization, and their handwriting. Part III is an in-depth look at the field of questioned documents, including such topics as free-hand forgeries, tracing, disguised handwriting, and anonymous notes. It features an in-depth discussion of how forgeries are created and how they are detected. If you are interested in any aspect of this topic, The Definitive Book of Handwriting Analysis is definitely the book you need!