Learn Calligraphy: The Complete Book of Lettering and Design

To Margaret Shepherd, handwriting is much more than a tool for communication and record keeping; it's an expression of your personality, and in the case of calligraphy, a way to create art. So while computer fonts streamline our signage and correspondence, calligraphy is re-emerging as a cherished technique that gives the ultimate personal touch. Shepherd's classic, but now out-of-print 1978 primer, Learning Calligraphy, sold more than 250,000 copies and introduced thousands of people to this elegant art form. Now, with Learn Calligraphy, she brings a fresh and modern sensibility to the world of calligraphy, inviting a whole new generation to master the techniques. She has also refined her Roman, Gothic, Celtic, Italic, and Bookhand. Through gorgeous hand-lettering, Learn Calligraphy guides readers step-by-step in the subtle movements required to perfect each letter. Offering comprehensive lessons and advice for choosing alphabets appropriate for different moods, messages, and media, Shepherd encourages variant strokes to personalise lettering and create true art. She describes everything from choosing the correct pen nib to finding an angle that is both comfortable and graceful. Along the way, she discusses intriguing details about calligraphers throughout the ages, from ancient Rome to the Renaissance. Accessible and inspiring, Learn Calligraphy opens a creative new world of beauty through typography to novices and experts alike. With an impressive roster of high-profile clients, calligrapher Margaret Shepherd is the author of thirteen books for calligraphers of all levels. She is also a researcher and teacher, and her work has been exhibited in numerous museums and galleries. Shepherd lives in Boston.