The Definitive Book of Handwriting Analysis: The Complete Guide to Interpreting Personalities, Detecting Forgeries, and Revealing Brain Activity Through the Science of Graphology [Paperback]

Marc Seifer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2008

"Marc Seifer new book The Definitive Book of Handwriting Analysis is one of the best written on the subject in the last 10 years!"
--Dr. Robert O'Block, Founder, American College of Forensic Examiners

"The Definitive Book of Handwriting Analysis is a must for all serious students of graphology. Handwriting analysis provides human understanding and this comprehensive, yet easy- to-read, practical guide will surely become a classic."
--Iris Hatfield, Professional Graphologist, HuVista International

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!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Marc Seifer, PhD has been a handwriting expert for more than 35 years and was editor-in-chief of The Journal of the American Society of Professional Graphologists for more than a decade. He has worked for the Rhode Island Attorney General's Office and Crime Laboratory, the Department of Defense, Undersea Warfare, United Parcel Service, and numerous banks, insurance agencies, and lawyers. He was featured on the History Channel discussing Howard Hughes, Mormon Will, and on Associated Press International TV on the handwriting of Osama bin Laden. He has lectured at Oxford University, Cambridge University, Brandeis, Cranbrook Retreat, and numerous conferences around the world. Dr. Seifer teaches psychology and forensic graphology at Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Career Press (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1601630255
• ISBN-13: 978-1601630254
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #467,021 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #25 in Books > Self-Help > Handwriting Analysis

More About the Author

Marc J. Seifer, PhD has been a handwriting expert for more than 35 years and was editor-in-chief of The Journal of the American Society of Professional Graphologists for more than a decade. He has worked for the Rhode Island Attorney General's Office and Crime Laboratory, the Department of Defense, Undersea Warfare, United Parcel Service, and numerous banks, insurance agencies, and lawyers. He was featured on the History Channel discussing the Howard Hughes Mormon Will and on Associated Press International TV on the handwriting of bin Laden. He has lectured at Oxford University, Cambridge University, Brandeis, Cranbrook Retreat, and numerous conferences around the world. Dr. Seifer teaches psychology and forensic graphology at Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best one in fifteen years!, December 7, 2008

By 

Robin Catton (Canberra Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Definitive Book of Handwriting Analysis: The Complete Guide to Interpreting Personalities, Detecting Forgeries, and Revealing Brain Activity Through the Science of Graphology (Paperback)

At last a book that is understandable and useable. The attention to detail by the author is commendable. He doesn't waffle and ramble. All subject matter is necessarily brief, but the content is more like a porterhouse steak than a fries and coke.
My library has some great books on HWA. This one puts them all in the shade. There are many diagrams, illustrations and excellent entertaining stories. (Hey, this guy shoulda been a detective!) Whatever book you have on the subject, this one will put them in the shade. Research and presentation is practically faultless. The language clear and relates to the diagrams and photos exactly.
The price of this book belies its value. It is highly recommended this is a priority for your next purchase on this subject. You won't be disappointed. Well, if your a professional moaner I suppose you'll find fault, but I'm a book aficcionado and I give it nine out of ten. I didn't give it ten because I would have liked to see it in hard-cover and about twice as thick. Excellent value in all departments.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A LIGHTHOUSE IN GRAPHOLOGY PUBLICATIONS, March 27, 2009

By 

Lilly - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Definitive Book of Handwriting Analysis: The Complete Guide to Interpreting Personalities, Detecting Forgeries, and Revealing Brain Activity Through the Science of Graphology (Paperback)

A LIGHTHOUSE IN GRAPHOLOGY PUBLICATIONS

The lofty title of the book suggests a lot, causing the reader to
thoughtfully question whether any science already has a final, definitive
book? However we find that it is a solid ³stock-taking² which builds on the great works of American graphology by Thea Stein Lewinson, Klara Roman, Ulrich Sonnemann, Frank Victor and Werner Wolff.

It is a broadly laid-out work with many facets, divided in three parts.
Part I deals with the history of the field, how to determine form level and how to analyze a handwriting; Part II focuses mainly in on how handwriting is organized by the brain. This part deals with conscious, preconscious and unconscious determinants in handwriting and also how brain damage can affect handwriting. Part III covers forgery detection, questioned documents, and writing expertise in court. The outline shows the author as a long-time expert in this field, but also misses mention of some modern methods of examination such as use of the electron microscope, electrostatic surface examination and optical surveys by UV light. This shows the focus of the book for laymen.

Altogether this book rises like a lighthouse out of the morass of the other graphology publications in the USA. The author presents a great array of American handwritings on astoundingly high level. Although the author only had access to English sources, in spite of this, it is amazingly comprehensive. Maybe this book gets into the hands of one or another university professors and if so, it may help to break up his/her prejudices and this could lead to a raise in standards of academic psychology in America.

Helmut Ploog, Ph.D., Editor-in-Chief of the German handwriting journal
Angewandte Graphologie und Personlichkeits Diagnostik.

27 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars "Definitive"?, April 15, 2009

By 

Dean Gilbert - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Definitive Book of Handwriting Analysis: The Complete Guide to Interpreting Personalities, Detecting Forgeries, and Revealing Brain Activity Through the Science of Graphology (Paperback)

This book discusses handwriting analysis in a scholarly, but very incomplete, way. A research interview may be quoted to answer an argument that isn't mentioned in the book. The author demystifies the subject, separating it from fortune telling, the calls a practitioner an "adept," which is a term from magic. Confusingly uses the word "sexuality" where he means "gender." Skips around within subject areas, making it hard to follow main points, and does not cover the same type of material, say, for each biography covered.

When we come to the "how to" section he glosses over entire techniques, simply referring us to other books we must read.

Clearly the "definitive" in the title is either an ego boost or a requirement of the publisher. It's amazing the glowing praise he has for Barack Obama (this is not the only political statement in the book) based solely on his signature, which is not considered enough material for most analysts.

To reall learn the art, skip this book and get the practical lessons offered to you in "Handwriting Analysis Putting It to Work for You" by Andrea McNichol.