Instructional texts on illumination and calligraphy

A very thorough study of lettering from its earliest beginnings through the twentieth century. Contains an excellent bibliography. Highly Recommended.

Ms. Angel presents a lot of good information on materials and techniques, but her theory, technique, and work is very modern. There are a number of plates of period works. There are a lot of calligraphers who think that this is the best book on illumination technique ever written, but I'm not wild about it. There are other books that I like better. A lot better. I purchased this at $35.00, read it through, and put it on my bookshelf, where it busily collects dust. It just doesn't suit my purpose. If you are into pre-1601 work, then this is not for you. Get it from the library, read it for the tips, and take notes. Spend your money elsewhere. Not recommended.

Not one of my favorite books. But then, this book isn't directed towards me, it's directed toward the average elementary school child, maybe about 9-12 years old. Ms. Baron is an average calligrapher, and many of the examples presented are works done by her students. The alphabets are modern versions of period hands. An okay book for a kid, but for an adult, there are better books. Not Recommended.

The first author to attempt to explain the methods of making Celtic knotwork. {!} Recommended.

One of several authors trying to provide easy-to-follow instructions on making that bastion of insular illumination, knotwork. {!} Recommended.

This is an interesting little book. It contains almost no history and only a smidgeon of instruction. It contains 26 pages for you to paint; obviously, one letter to one page. It's almost like a coloring book. The letters are based on Owen Jones' 19th century work, so the letters don't really work as period illumination, but as works of art in their own right, they are lovely. And, after painting 26 illuminated letters, you're bound to be ready to move on to some of the more complicated projects offered in some of these other books. Somewhat Recommended.

An anonymous fifteenth century German manual on painting. The manuscript covers: making paint for use in illumination, making inks, making paint for oil-based painting, and a small section of various household receipts--soap and so forth. A delightful and informative read. Recommended.

This extremely useful book is rather like an illustrated glossary of the terms used in describing illuminated manuscripts. Highly Recommended.

The title is misleading. This very short book (96pp) is just an overview of the history of all writing, from the earliest days to the computer, with only the most minimal discussion of any historical practice. Forget any in-depth description of the practice of writing in the middle ages. With only 85 of the pages actually devoted to the history of writing the world over, it's no surprise that the book doesn't contain any information that can't be found in any other book on the subject. The plates are a disappointment, too; I've seen almost all of them a hundred times before in other publications. I'm really sorry to be writing this, because I have great respect for Michelle Brown. If you are just starting out your study of the history of writing, you'll like the overview, but if you have been in the game for a while, this book is a BIG disappointment. Get it from the library, look it over before you buy. Somewhat Recommended.

A calligraphy instructional manual, halfway between Drogin's Medieval Calligraphy and Harris' The Art of Callligraphy. The book presents 14 different pre-1600 hands, with several historcal and modern examples of each hand in use. It isn't quite as scholarly as Drogin, but certainly presents more historical information than does Harris. The nicest feature of the book is the breakdown of each hand; a closeup photo of historical handwriting is overlaid with an analysis of the pen and writing angles. This is very instructive, particularly in the way it shows even the most apparently perfect writing to be full of variation. Do note that most of the hands that have been penned as exemplars have been modified a bit for modern use. Recommended.

Carter’s work features in this book, and her style is very personal, not fitting into any particular movement. If you want to do watercolor work in Carter’s personal style, great. Otherwise, this book, containing 151 color reproductions of Carter’s work and text that doesn’t tell you how to do the project so much as it describes her thought process in making the work, is hardly worth the money. Not Recommended.

This book presents a more in-depth look at various scribal topics; cutting your own quills; making gesso; preparing vellum, and so forth. If all you ever want to do is work on bristol board with metal nibs and premade paints, then perhaps you'd better check this out of the library and look it over before buying it. However, if you want to go to the next steps, this book is indispensable! Highly Recommended.

A quite decent overview of the history of writing and a nice discussion of materials. Hands are, for the most part, modern versions of historical scripts, and so not quite accurate. Instructional aspects are otherwise fine. Recommended.

An anthology culled from the huge notebooks Leonardo left behind upon his death. As the title implies, the subject matter deals strictly with painting. Lots of information and tips on drawing, perspective, coloring, proportion, and so forth. The book is focused on fifteenth/sixteenth century monumental painting practice. Thus, it is not really an instructional manual on illumination, then, but full of good advice and insight that is applicable to painting Renaissance miniatures. Recommended, especially if you wish to include late period miniatures in your work.

A very detailed look at the history of the creation of the book. This book contains a wealth of information not available in most of the popular surveys of book arts. Somewhat dry read. Recommended.

Beautiful reference book regarding materials currently in use, history of past materials, and some excellent direction of using and interpreting the writings of the old masters. Recommended.

This is probably the best basic manual for someone interested in historical scripts to about 1500 AD. It is broken down into two sections--History and technique--and will give you some knowledge of calligraphy's roots, some rudimentary instruction on using your pen, laying out your page, et cetera, and a fine selection of script exemplars. Highly Recommended.

This is a slightly abridged reprint (the materials list has been omitted), originally titled Yours Truly, King Arthur. Drogin apparently wrote this book for a younger audience, and, as such, has omitted quite a lot of the history presented in Medieval Calligraphy, and presents only four hands. However, the instruction presented in this book is fuller and, dare I say it, more user-friendly, as befitting a book intended to teach a younger audience. If you have a child, say, 11-17, interested in calligraphy, this would be an excellent choice. Indeed, I know several adults who love this book, too! Highly Recommended.

This one was a smidge hard to classify; it would also fit into Facsimiles and Studies. This contains 170 plates of drawing done by Durer as teaching tools; his intent was to show his method. Thus, they were intended as teaching tools and, as that is how I have used them in my own work, it seemed appropriate to put it here as a model book. There is little by way of modern instruction, however; you will have to decipher the use of the proportions, et cetera, yourself. Recommended.

A moderately sized survey of the history of writing, covering Western, Eastern, and, unusually, PreColumbian writing history. Has a nice appendix showing a sample of nearly every type of writing currently known. Recommended.

Another brief encyclopedia of materials and methods used by artists in all mediums from ancient eras to the mid-20th century. This one is especially useful for its section on historical tools, and, as a Dover edition (i.e., inexpensive), it's easily affordable by most people. It's worth adding to your collection even if you have a couple of books like it. Highly Recommended.

A facsimile reprint of a small, sixteenth-century, English illuminator's manual. A quick and helpful read; a modern English transcription may be found here, but those with a serious interest in the subject might wish to get a hold of the book. It's out-of-print, and it took me six years to find a copy; I hope you have better luck. Highly recommended.

The title pretty much says it all; the book contains a gallery of modern works, some basic instruction, and a variety of projects, some of which are useful exercises for those who would like to do pre-1600 book work. If you have little interest in doing modern work, you may wish to borrow this from the library rather than purchase it. Recommended.

While the emphasis of this book is on historical hands, Harris seems more concerned with application then scholarship. There are more exemplars in this book than in Drogin's; too, the exemplars are created in colored ink, allowing a greater understanding of the ductus (the color is heavier where the strokes cross, et cetera). Harris also uses a variety of instruments to create his exemplars, showing the manner and difference between metal nibs, reeds, quills, and (shudder) felt pens. Highly recommended.

While the emphasis of this book is more on using gouache for commercial applications, there is a very worthy section comparing brands, and a good chapter on proper use and painting surfaces. Somewhat Recommended.

A precise study of the history of writing, with a nice concise explanation of the creation of a decorated letter. Lots of color plates. Recommended.

All of Jarman's examples come from either the Arts & Crafts movement or from the Victorian redrawing of Medieval manuscripts. Thus, the colors have been changed, the art redrawn, the calligraphy is drawn (i.e., created by drawing the shape and filling rather than by using a broad-tip pen), et cetera. Interlibrary loan it, have a good look at it before you decide to buy. Despite this books' longevity in print, I believe that there are better books on the market. Not Recommended, unless you are in love with the style--then I'd give it a Somewhat Recommended.

The skills that are useful in minature painting are also quite useful in late period illumination. This books gives glancing instruction on modern miniature painting. Somewhat Recommended.

Johnston is one of the Victorian masters responsible for the resurgence of interest in calligraphy and illumination, and this book is a classic in the field. While I take issue with some of Johnston's opinions regarding the works of the Middle Ages and how they were created, there is plenty of practical how-to information in this book. Recommended.

Don't be confused by the similar titles; this is definitely not the same as the above-reviewed Arte of Limming. Hilliard's manuscript wasn't written until about 1600, and is concerned not only with the materials of painting, but also with the technique of portraying an accurate likeness of a person. Hilliard was a painter of miniature portraits, while the anonymous author of the other Arte of Limming is pretty clearly a book illuminator. While it is true that portrait miniatures developed from book illumination and that the two professions shared materials and techniques, by the time Hilliard is writing, there is definitely a feeling that these two practices are no longer necessarily conjoined professions. Very useful book. Highly Recommended.

Facsimile and translation of a small German instructional manual. This is a wonderful book that is unfortunately out of print--a real prize for someone interested in making pre-1600 style illuminated manuscripts. Highly Recommended.

This book contains two Arabic manuals on bookmaking; the first, written about 1025 CE, concerning materials for writing, paining, and so forth, and the second, written about 1619 CE, primarily concerned with bookbinding. It is very interesting to compare the two against western manuals written about the same time, and an absolute treasure if you are looking for information on materials used by the Arabic peoples prior to 1600. You'll want to interlibrary loan it, as it has long been out of print. Recommended.

I love my in-laws. They give me great books for Christmas, and this book was the star book of Christmas 2000. This book strikes me as a "Scribe 101" kind of book; that is, if I was going to teach a college semester on introductory scribal history and applications, this would be the textbook for the course. Because I am so focused on reproducing work of the eras before 1601, the heavy use of modern materials in the application instruction was a bit of a disappointment, but not a detriment. And don't worry, there is plenty of use of historical materials, as well. The book also offers a very nice section on heraldry, an essential component of any SCA scribe's practice that is too often neglected. Although this book should never be considered an exclusive source for historic book and document production, it is an excellent single source for even intermediate scribes who can't invest in a plethora of books. Highly Recommended.

Very short book offering beginning instruction in calligraphy and illumination that is, essentially, 20th century Celtia. It offers instruction in a modern uncial hand, some simple painting and design instruction, and a short gallery of modern works. The United States list price is $16.95, and I think that the publisher is asking too much for a 48 page paperbound book with lots of eye candy and a little instruction. However, if this is as far as you want to go, the book might be right for you. Somewhat Recommended.

Nice how-to, covers materials, hands, methods, and so forth. The emphasis is more on modern usage based on historical models, and the examples come strictly from Lynskey's own work. It's nice, but there are better books out there. On the other hand, there are also books out there that are stunningly worse. Somewhat Recommended.

Very similar to the above-reviewed book. Of the two, I like Illumination for Calligraphers better, but this one is okay, too. It's strictly black and white and is a bit more focused on working with your pen. Somewhat Recommended.

Modest introductory book featuring the Italic hand. Nice selection of charts comparing the pro’s and cons of various materials. Nice chart featuring nib size and quality comparisons. No illumination instruction, strictly calligraphy. Features 15 projects and extensive ductus breakdown. Historical and modern examples, all of the italic hand. Somewhat Recommended.

Another excellent cyclopedia of modern materials and practices. A reference tool that is indispensable to anyone interested in the chemistry of their paints and the history of their techniques. Highly Recommended.

A somewhat overwhelming compendium of period (and slightly post period) works on the practices of art; at least 10 different works are translated. The emphasis is on Italian and Latin writings, and the book contains a side-by-side translation of everything. An excellent resource. Highly Recommended. Note: Dover recently reissued this as a single vloume. Very worth getting if you are into the history and chemistry of your paints.

A very short, inexpensive (about US$7) book on painting with egg tempera. Modern instructions for a very medieval method. Recommended.

Intended as a beginner's guide to modern works painted in gouache. This is a great book if you want to be an Impressionist--which is not a bad thing. As a guide for painting in gouache for someone wanting to do pre-1600 illumination, though, it's not very helpful. Get it from the library before you decide to buy. Not Recommended.

A surprisingly good book for it's price (1997=US$12.95). Like most decent books on the subject, it covers the basics of illumination methods, with a focus on application of pre-1600 styles through modern styles. As a first book for someone just starting, it's lovely, with several easy, attractive projects that will be enjoyable to anyone of any level. The book itself is nice, but the combination of decent, non-threatening instruction plus an extremely reasonable price lead me to give it a Highly Recommended.

A general survey of lettering and typography; perhaps one third is devoted to developements before the Baroque. Few plates. The text is similar to most other general surveys of the subject. Somewhat Recommended.

While the book’s information deals primarily with the physical materials and practices of writing during the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, there are a few tidbits to be found here and there. Mr. Nickell relies quite heavily on secondary sources for information regarding items of interest to the pre-1601 crowd, and this is a bit of a drawback. However, he does a good job of citing his sources, that one may try to trace the information back. Recommended.

Nice enough instruction in three hands: Uncial, Foundational, and Italic. The majority of the book is devoted to ductus pages. There are other books with a more hands and a greater medieval focus (see Drogin or Harris), but if you need a book with a LOT of tips for left-handers or that breaks down the ductus into almost infinite detail, this might be for you. Somewhat Recommeded.

Running Press has put out a whole series of books that are intended to be highly visual guides to making your own art, whatever type of art it is that floats your boat, providing books on various fine and applied arts. While I like the whole series, as a rule, I must point out that this book, and the books The Art of Calligraphy and The Art of Watercolor, are extremely modern, offering suggestions and instructions that are great for creating art that tends toward the abstract. This is a great book for modern-style calligraphers, but it's damn near useless for pre-1600 work. Not recommended.

You know, I'm quite fond of this book, and it isn't because the instructions in this book are greatly better than any of the others in this bibliography, although I would certainly recommend this book before, say, The Creative Calligraphy Sourcebook, The Calligrapher's Project Book., or Illumination for Calligraphers: The Complete Guide for the Ambitious Calligrapher. Like Seligman and Noad's The Illuminated Alphabet, this book is concerned with teaching you how to draw and paint illuminated letters based primarily on pre-1600 examples, and it offers 25 projects towards that end--more than any of the other books on this list. Its materials and methods are modern rather than period, unfortunately. However, what I really love about this book is Mr. Oliver's skill level. I do not mean that he is exceptionally wonderful. Mr. Oliver is indeed good at what he does (otherwise, why would anyone publish him, right?), but what is exceptional here is that Mr. Oliver allows himself to be imperfect. Man, that takes confidence. It also allows the illuminated letters to be beautiful as handcrafted works of art. I'm going to give this book a Highly Recommended because it certainly equals and/or surpasses many of the other books on this list, but I must warn you that you are not going to see the kind of machine-precision that you see in Noad's, Morgan's, or Angel's books.

Very short, little book that explains the process of making a book circa 800 AD via a short story relating the experiences of a young scribe. The second half of the book is dedicated to an introduction to an early uncial alphabet, cutting quills and reeds, simple illumination, and simple book binding. If I was going to give a kid a book about making books in 800 AD, this would be the one. Marvelous little book, but probably not enough detailed instruction to be used as a self-tutorial. Highly Recommend.

Translated selections of the instructional sections regarding the method of writing according to writing masters and scholars of the sixteenth century. Very instructive, not only for the assistance in writing in a period fashion, but also for the numerous tidbits regarding writing materials, secretarial practice, et cetera. This book is for the serious buff. Highly Recommended.

This is a lovely little book, and as a practical guide to doing actual illumination from historical models, it is one of the best on the market. Main drawback: the authors assume you are already fairly familiar with calligraphy, and provide templates for a number of hands, but precious little by way of instruction. Secondary drawback: methods are primarily modern. And of course, no book can ever substitute for a teacher. Highly Recommended.

Hmmm... Margaret Shepard is a decent calligrapher with about six books in print, but I have some qualms about some of the hands she presents. If you are only interested in doing modern work, then Ms. Shepard will serve you well, as there is nothing wrong with her instructions. However, she has a real tendency to present hands that aren't: her "celtic" hand isn't really celtic, her "bookhand" is an amalgamation of humanist minuscule, carolingian, and E. Johnson's foundational hand, and her "gothic" is extremely simplified. Now, there is nothing wrong with these hands on the whole (although I do think her "celtic" to be very unattractive), but you should never make the mistake of considering them historic hands. She does present some very valuable advice on being a professional calligrapher. Somewhat Recommended.

A method of construction based on mix-and-match icons; rather than the usual whole-area method espoused by most others teaching knotwork, this books comes from a cut-and-paste point of view. This makes sense, as the author wrote the book based on the method he used to write a knotwork-generating computer program. It is an easily learnt method, but the knots it creates have a sort of mathematical precision to them, which I do not personally care for. Others, however, might find this construction method to be just the ticket. Somewhat Recommended.

Translation of a 12th century copy of a ninth-century (possibly earlier) book of receipts regarding the practices of painters and other practical crafts. It's a weird and wonderful adventure to read though it; there are all kinds of things tossed in at random. Be assured, however, that it is of primary interest to scribes. Get it on interlibrary loan, as it is out of print. Recommended.

Teaches a construction method that appears to be an adaptation of Geo. Bain's. The author uses her method to construct modern pieces. Somewhat Recommended

Provides instruction in, among other things, spiral patterns, fret, maze, key, zoomorphic patterns, plus a gallery of the designs applied to various types of art--calligraphy, quilting, embroidery. Instruction is very easy to follow, but most of the designs look fairly modern. Used in conjunction with a period example. the instruction would indeed be helpful. Somewhat recommended.

Written about 1122, this is the first instructional manual written by a practicing artist. Interesting read, although only a small portion of it applies to illumination. Recommended.

An excellent translation of one of the surviving books of instruction for artists from the fifteenth century. Cennini's career may be taken as proof of the adage "Those who can, do; those who can't, teach." If, like me, you are very interested in how it was done prior to 1600, this book is a goldmine of instruction. Text only. Recommended.

This is an anonymous fourteenth century instructional manual on the creation of materials for and techniques of manuscript illumination. It is an excellent resource. It has been out of print for quite some time (it was published in 1933), but is still easily available through interlibrary loan. Highly recommended.

Not really an instructional manual, but an excellent, accessible discussion of grounds, pigments, mediums, et cetera used by the medieval artists. Reading this should improve your ability to work with your materials, and certainly increase your understanding thereof. Text only. Highly Recommended.

Thompson's modern interpretation and instructions based on Renaissance and Medieval instructional manuals. Text Only. Highly Recommended.

A nice little three part book. Part 1 covers Mr. Thompson's experiments and studies regarding the making of inks; Part 2 is Mr. Thompson's transcription of a sixteenth-century treatise on the making of artist materials known as the Booke of Secrets; part 3 is a study of modern ink sticks by C. Lindblad. An excellent reference for anyone interested in period inks and paints. Highly Recommended.

The instructional writings of a sixteenth-century artist. He touches on a wide variety of arts; there isn't much here for those who are strictly interested in illumination, but it is an interesting read. If you are looking for illumination information only, you might prefer to get this from your library. Somewhat Recommended.

Primarily a modern project book, with instruction necessary to complete the projects. The projects are all inspired by historical models, but the application is in modern context. I would never recommend this as an instructional manual for someone interested in pre-1600 methods and applications, but as a gallery of ideas and so forth for someone wanting to apply the past styles to the present fashions, it is very nice. Lots of projects. Recommended.

Minature painting as a recognized art separate from book paintings came into being during the 16th century. While the materials used in this book are as often modern as not, there is still some nice instruction that will carry back to period ilumination.You must use a discerning eye, of course, because the examples presented are generally modern. Recommended.