Celtic Alphabets (Celtic Design) [Paperback]

Aidan Meehan (Author)

Book Description

Series: Celtic Design | Publication Date: March 1998

This is study of Celtic manuscripts with a collection of 16 alphabets of decorated letters. Some of the Celtic styles represented are knotwork, animal, spiral, maze and plant and the alphabet of lions from the Book of Kells is recreated. From 6th-century birds to late medieval dragons, from early Celtic spirals to the later Tree of Life - the text shows the evolution of the letter forms, from Roman to Irish Gothic.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Aidan Meehan studied Celtic art in Ireland and Scotland and has spent the last two decades playing a leading role in the renaissance of this authentic tradition. He has given workshops, demonstrations, and lectures in America and Europe, and is the author of the best-selling Celtic Design series, published by Thames and Hudson.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Thames & Hudson (March 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0500279802
• ISBN-13: 978-0500279809
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,066,825 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am a Celtic artist who has written and illustrated 15 books on Celtic design, and now works as a full time artist exploring the art form in new ways, mainly as a painter. I also like to draw with the goose quill, and still enjoy doing calligraphy, mainly copperplate with the quill, and flourishing, which, it seems to me, is a continuation of the early Irish tradition, down through the centuries, by way of generations of scribes.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring Celtic Alphabets, February 16, 2008

By 

J. Guild (Toronto,Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Celtic Alphabets (Celtic Design) (Paperback)

One of the many fascinating areas of Celtic Art is certainly the alphabets.
This is one of a series of books by Aidan Meehan.Others in his design series include;A Beginner's Manual,Knotwork,Animal Patterns,Illuminated Letters,Spiral Patterns,Maze Patterns,The Dragon and the Griffin , The Tree of Life, and Celtic Patterns Painting Book.
The author has carried out extensive searches of countless sources to find alphabets. In some cases, a complete alphabet could not be found. In those cases ,he developed what he felt would be a good representation of a letter missing in the set. He takes a lot of artistic freedom and this shows that Celtic Art,even though it derives from many sources over a longtime period,it is very active ,alive and still advancing and changing today.
There are 16 complete alphabets in this book. They are all based on Half-Uncials,and the author encourages you to develop your own letters.
There don't seem to be any real hard and fast rules that must apply to all letters,even in a set.It seems that if there is any common element in these alphabets,it can only be inspiration and imagination.
All alphabets are presented in black and red. This is not to suggest that other colors cannot be employed.
It is very interesting how the author handles particular letters between different sets and within sets.
For instance;
In Alphabet 2:Cathach; the letter "i" has virtually no decoration.In fact,this letter carries a miniminum of decoration in all sets.In Alphabet 4:Bird Heads ;while most letters include a bird head;b,d,h,i,o,and u do not.In Alphabet 6: Lace Knot;f,h,i,j,n,p,q,s,u,v,any do not have knots,and look somewhat naked without them.There is a challence for you---add your own knots to them.Also in this same set,a small spiral has been incorporated ,Most have one,n and u have two;but b,d,h,o,and one unindefiable letter between y and z have none. In Alphabet 9: Swash Knots;swashes are on all letters except o.
One of my favorites is Alphabet 10:Trefoil;all contain trefoils,3-leaf shamrocks or clovers;i has only two,some have three,some have four , some five,some six,none have seven, but four have eight.
My comments are not meant to be "pickey" but to point out the possibilities and imagination that can be employed in Celtic Art.
Anyone with an interest in alphabets,and particularly Celtic Alphabets, will enjoy and be inpired by this excellent book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not what I hoped for, November 17, 2009

By 

Trisha McKenzie - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Celtic Alphabets (Celtic Design) (Paperback)

What I had expected, or at least hoped for, was a book with the more elaborate celtic knotwork letters, such as the first alphabet in this book has. However, most of the alphabets are like the one which is displayed on the cover (a-f) -- letters with a little bit of knotwork and and animal head or such, or even no knotwork at all. Another thing, I actually was needing it for a modern B, and of course this book does not have a lot of modern Bs -- only one, in the first alphabet, which didn't quite work for me. The letters are neat, but I suppose I was looking for something more modern. I think it would be a very nice resource for those wanting Celtic letters such as the ones on the middle front cover.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Creative Celtic Characters, September 3, 2009

By 

L.M.Fields "Digital Artist" (Orlando, FL) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Celtic Alphabets (Celtic Design) (Paperback)

I really like this book and the way it is presented. Though I wasn't too impressed by the text, I found the illustrated plates great. If you're looking for more instruction and how-to's then I would not recommend this book but for the rest of us that have the instructions and/or know-how already, this is a great inspirational book.