Celtic Design: Illuminated Letters [Paperback]

Aidan Meehan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 17, 1992 | Series: Celtic Design

From the Celtic Design series: a reference manual on Celtic illuminated letters, blending history and anecdote with practical instruction.

The step-by-step instructions provide an invaluable resource for artists, designers, and craftspeople—a unique blend of history, anecdote, and practical instruction that recreates the schooling of the Celtic illuminator. Fully illustrated with examples throughout

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Aidan Meehan has been researching and practicing Celtic knot design since discovering the triple-grid method of Celtic knot design in 1974. He is the author of the eight-volume Celtic Design series and many other books on the subject.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Thames & Hudson; First edition. edition (September 17, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0500276854
• ISBN-13: 978-0500276853
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #461,164 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #17 in Books > Arts & Photography > Other Media > Illuminations

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

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent book for those interested in Celtic Designs., March 30, 2001

By 

Aquaria.Info "Aquaria.Info - Aquarium Fish On... (Aquaria.Info) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Celtic Design: Illuminated Letters (Paperback)

This is an excellent book for those looking to create celtic designs.

This book teaches about the development of illumination. It then goes into the major initials, decorated alphabet, decorated ampersands, the animal alphabet and animal ampersands.

The book is best used when accompianied by Aidan's other Celtic Design books. I have 7 of the books in this series and love them all!

All in all this is a great book for someone looking to create celtic designs.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Celtic Design Illuminated Letters, April 13, 2009

By 

Janice Woodland (Burnaby, BC Can) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Celtic Design: Illuminated Letters (Paperback)

I first bought Aiden Meehan's book "Celtic Knots Mastering the Traditional Patterns", which is a seminal work for anyone interested in this subject, and was very excited to find his book on illuminated letters. Initially, I was disappointed to find that all of the illustrations were in black and white. However, the author anticipated me. In his introduction, he states "Books about celtic illumination usually present us with colour reproductions that focus on the most elaborate examples as tightly packed with details as a Persian carpet. This book is a collection of simpler ornamental letters picked out and rendered as line drawings, ready to be coloured." The book does not disappoint. Meehan provides many examples of exquisitely rendered drawings. He explains the symbolism of the patterns and provides direction on how to illuminate the letters while explaining why the letters are illuminated in a particular way. This little book is a veritable treasure of sources and symbolism of celtic letters.

12 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars NOT WHAT I HOPED FOR, November 25, 2001

By 

M. Worden "Proud American" (SAN FRANCISCO, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Celtic Design: Illuminated Letters (Paperback)

THE COVER OF MEEHAN'S "ILLUMINATED LETTERS" IS MISLEADING. THE COVER EXHIBITS THE VIBRANT AND RICH COLORS THAT CELTIC ILLUMINATION IS REKNOWN FOR, BUT UP0N OPENING THE BOOK, I WAS DISAPPOINTED TO FIND NOT A HINT OF COLOR. COMPLETELY BLACK AND WHITE. THERE IS AN INTRODUCTION, BRIEF BUT INFORMATIVE, AN EARLY DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER, MAJOR INITIALS CHAPTER, DECORATED ALPHABET CHAPTER, ANIMAL ALPHABET, AND TWO DECORATED AMPERSAND CHAPTERS; WHO USES AMPERSANDS THAT MUCH?! I THOUGHT THERE COULD HAVE BEEN MANY MORE EXAMPLES OF ILLUMINATED LETTERS (NOT AMPERSANDS) FOR THE 160 PAGE VOLUME THAT IT IS.