Customer Reviews

Handwriting Analysis : Putting It to Work for You

5 star:		(55)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have an extensive libary of graphology books and can say this is by far the very best on the subject...for beginners or for seasoned handwriting analysts. I've read them all, even the new one of the "for complete idiots" variety and Andrea McNichol is the best hands down. If you want the best, most comprehensive and straightforward book on the subject, this is it. McNichol has many immitators, but they all fall short. She has set the high water mark in graphology books.

Does your handwriting reveal your personality? What about your state of health, honesty, sanity, motivation, sobriety and intelligence?

According to Handwriting Analysis - Putting It to Work For You handwriting reveals these traits and a whole lot more. Author Andrea McNichol is an expert graphologist who has been consulted by law enforcement agencies, the State Department, and Fortune 500 companies. She has also served as an Examiner of Questioned Documents in such cases as the Howard Hughes will, the Ted Bundy murders, and the Hitler Diaries. McNichol brings her extensive expertise and insights to this very readable, interactive book.

At the onset, you are asked to write a lengthy handwriting sample on unlined paper. As she says, the more you write, the happier you'll be later when you find out what it all means! Why? Well, once you find out about the many aspects of handwriting analysis, it is likely to affect your handwriting especially in the initial stages. So to write some samples helps give a more unbiased picture of your traits. It's so much fun (not to mention utterly fascinating!) to compare writing samples to the examples and traits listed in this book. Now, my husband and I analyze everything from restaurant bills to signatures, holiday cards, and more.

McNichol uses actual case studies and handwriting samples as she teaches you graphology. For example, the reader is presented with two handwriting samples: one is an authentic note from the Zodiac killer (suspected of murdering more than sixty peopled in the San Francisco Bay area during the late 1960's and the 1970's) and a fake. The giveaway to the real note? The "Maniac d" that McNichol discusses earlier in the chapter. A Maniac d is when the letter suddenly takes off at an acute angle to the right. It indicates a person who can lose emotional control, who can sudddenly go off the deep end. People who exhibit frequent and severely rightward Maniac d's are known to be extremely dangerous.

Here are just a few of the many tidbits found in this 351 page book:

*The combination of heavy pressure with a rightward slant is made by unforgettable, go-getter types. They express a wealth of emotions readily and with fervor, and cannot be taken lightly.

*A writer who "stabs" his ovals can be thought of as "one who speaks with forked tongue".

*Cursive handwriting with few or no lead-in strokes means intelligence, directness, efficiency, and speed.

*If a person's signature is pretty much the same as the rest of their writing (size, style, slant, pressure and spacing) this means that the person behaves the same way in public as in private.

*The writer with a long lower zone is usually restless and in constant need of variety and change. The longer the lower zone, the more restless the writer. Graphologist have found these people to be the job hoppers and the mate hoppers.

*An overly wide left margin indicates that the person is subconsciously putting up an imaginary barrier between himself and the past.

In addition to giving samples of writing from actual case histories (including employee theft, check forgeries and a babysitter on drugs), McNichol also delves into the world of doodles and signatures. In fact, she shares an extensive collection of signatures from celebrities including Liberace, Jesse Jackson, Vanna White, Bette Midler, Ingrid Bergman, William Shatner, and many others--and what their signatures indicate. She even contrasts former President Ronald Reagan's signature before he was shot in 1981 to his signature just a few weeks later. His handwriting was shaky, and had a descending baseline on the first name. (McNichol details how handwriting has three zones, and different elements in these zones actually indicate health situations and the area they affect.)

Filled with dozens of illustrations and examples in every chapter, as well as quizzes, tidbits, and charts, Handwriting Analysis - Putting It to Work for You puts you on the fast-track to deciphering your handwriting and doodles--and that of others. If you're intrigued by personality and psychology, as well as criminal forensics and mysteries, you'll definitely enjoy this informative and easy-to-read book.

This is probably the very best book on handwriting analysis ever written. It has something for everyone -- from the highly skeptical beginner who knows nothing about graphology, to the most experienced graphologist. Andrea McNichol is one of the top, if not the top, people in the field of graphology, and reading her book will help you understand why. From cases about how Andrea helped police and authorities catch criminals via handwriting, to the use of graphology in job screening...Andrea covers it all like no other.

I have read dozens of graphology books, including all of the other leading experts. None of them comes close to the thoroughness and brilliance of Andrea's book. It's also extremely entertaining, funny, and I found myself sitting down to just read a little of it -- and ending up reading it over the course of two otherwise very busy days. If you're interested in learning about graphology, or have been doing it yourself for 20 years, this book is for you. It's a work of genius.

This is a comprehensive book that covers most, if not all, critical aspects of handwriting analysis. What makes this book unusual and effective is the way its been laid out.

Ms. Nichol adopts quite a unique approach to the teaching of Graphology.

Rather than load the reader with lots of information (which can be a little difficult to assimilate & digest) ... the author adopts more of a Question & Answer type approach ...

Each chapter typically begins with the author providing sample handwritings of 3 persons, and then asking questions like: Which of the 3 stole from the employer, or which of the 3 is more reliable? (That each illustration is factual and taken from author's own experience, and not just some hypothetical situation - adds to the intrigue and compels interest)

Then, by using the 3 samples of handwriting as a base, the author takes the reader through a particular characteristic of handwriting (such as: pressure, slant, spacing or letter formation etc) which might help answer the question posed.

By adopting this solve a `who-dun-it' method ... the author has found a very effective and interesting way of teaching Graphology. It certainly kept me turning the pages ...

The book as a whole is filled with lots of little exercises and plenty of illustrations, all of which encourages reader participation and interaction. Although it takes a little getting used to, the book allows and compels the reader to put into practice almost immediately, what is being taught ... and this in turn, assists with retention and increases understanding ...

Very good book for anyone wishing to learn more about Graphology ...

I have purchased/read just about, if not all, reference books available on the topic of handwriting analysis and/or graphology. Out of all of the materials I have read on this subject, Handwriting Analysis:Putting it to work for you is BY FAR the BEST resource out there. Each graphologist interprets size, strokes, garlands, etc., differently, which is confusing. I found that this author, not only put together a resource manual that is informative, captivating, detailed, and "student friendly", what impressed me most was the authors common sense approach to determining, explaining and teaching what various handwriting traits mean. Furthermore, the rate of retainment, at least for me, was like a 10, (from a scale of 1-10) where as other books on this subject left me dazed, confused and discouraged with a retainment rate of approximately 2.

This book delivers what is promises. It teaches you the basics of handwriting analysis. The manner in which the author presents the information is humorous with a common sense approach that allows the "student" to grasp the basic concepts from the first page. This book left me wanting more from this author. I find myself from time-to-time checking to see if the author has published a volume II.

As far as handwriting analysis goes, THIS BOOK IS THE GRAPHOLOGY BIBLE. It is worth the cover price. And this comes from someone who has purchased and read at least 30 books on this subject.

Whether you have a mild interest in graphology or a deep fascination with it, you will find this to be one of the best books on the market. Written in an easy to read style, each section starts with a handful of questions to point out how much you already know about graphology without realizing it. It then goes on to explain how the samples should be interpreted and supplies the detailed knowledge needed to analyze it further. There is a chapter with some analysis of doodles, but it is far too small to be of much value. As for the rest of the book, all the typical forms of analysis from margins and slants to the details of crossing a "t" or doting an "i" are well covered. Whether a beginner to the field or an experienced graphologist, this book has everything you need to understand graphology or improve your skill level. Very well written, a delight to read, packed with detail, easy to learn and a tremendous reference. A must have book for anyone dealing with graphology.

This book is great for someone who is new to graphology. It uses short common sense quizes to teach the material, and then some who-done-it action to show the application in the real world. I plowed through this book very quickly, and the information seems to have stayed up until now. It focuses on finding lies or drug users/criminals (and none of the suspect cases are innocent).

I decided to deduct a star for several reasons. The first is that all of the information is more than a decade old, and it doesn't get very deep into personality analysis. The other thing that made me a little weary of the book was how introverts and perfectionists/pessimists got a bum rap all the way through (as I'm an introvert). It's obvious that McNichol loves extroverts and conformity. She also uses "drug user" like someone else would use "total garbage". My advice if you read this book is to take out all of the indications for "criminal tendancies" and just replace it with non-conformist... and forget about reading the chapter on doodles, it's less consistent than dream analysis.

This book was the first graphology book I have ever read. And already I feel very skilled at it. It is very clear in explaining what everything means and gives you easy ways to remember it. I strongly recommend the book. It is extremely entertaining, informative, and readable.

Andrea McNichol's fun and humorous approach to the subject of handwriting analysis makes it easy to learn and understand. Divided into easily read sections with "self-quizzes" that show you just how much graphology is based on common sense, the book is an excellent read and educational text that makes remembering the techniques easy.

This book is thankfully free of the emotional, overreaching handwriting analysis that lacks scientific validity and gives the field a bad name. Ms Nichols' background, experience and presentation of the material make a concrete case for the validity of her instruction which focuses on the Gestalt Method of analysis. This is the best book I have read on the subject so far and should be on any serious practictioner's shelf.