Script and Scribble: The Rise and Fall of Handwriting [Hardcover]

Kitty Burns Florey (Author)

Book Description

Release date: January 20, 2009 | ISBN-10: 1933633670 | ISBN-13: 978-1933633671 | Edition: First Edition

Steeped in the Palmer Method of Handwriting she learned in Catholic school, Kitty Burns Florey is a self-confessed “penmanship nut” who loves the act of taking pen to paper. So when she discovered that schools today forego handwriting drills in favor of teaching something called keyboarding, it gave her pause: “There is a widespread belief that, in a digital world, forming letters on paper with a pen is pointless and obsolete,” she says, “and anyone who thinks otherwise is right up there with folks who still have fallout shelters in their backyards.”

Florey tackles the importance of writing by hand and its place in our increasingly electronic society in this fascinating exploration of the history of handwriting. Weaving together the evolution of writing implements and scripts, pen-collecting societies, the golden age of American penmanship, the growth in popularity of handwriting analysis, and the many aficionados who still prefer scribbling on paper to tapping on keys, she asks the question: Is writing by hand really no longer necessary in today’s busy world?

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is a book every writer would love, a curio cabinet on the art and act of writing."
- Amy Tan, author of Saving Fish from Drowning

"What in God's name has happened to penmanship? It's easy to blame the computer, but, as Kitty Burns Florey demonstrates in her thoughtful, witty, and sensible book, the story goes far deeper than that. It touches on the way we think, the way we write, and the way we lead our lives. Read Script and Scribble and be enlightened."
- Ben Yagoda, author of If You Catch an Adjective, Kill It!

"[A] pithy account of the history of handwriting...Florey makes a solid case for handwriting as a social indicator, and her affection for its art is thoughtful and aesthetically informed."
- Albert Mobilio, Bookforum

"...a witty and readable (and fetchingly illustrated and glossed) excursion through the history of handwriting..."
- Cullen Murphy, The Wall Street Journal

"[H]ighly enjoyable...witty and often endearingly autobiographical."
- Michael Dirda, Washington Post

"[A] charming, illustrated eulogy to a craft that's fast losing its place in the modern world."
- Financial Times

"Florey's argument is nostalgic yet pragmatic. 'It seems wrong,' she says, 'when something beautiful, useful, and historically important vanishes.' Charmingly composed and handsomely presented, Script and Scribble just might provoke a handwriting revival."
- Boston Globe

"Florey lovingly traces the history of handwriting, from its ancient birth to its imminent demise."
- Sam Anderson, New York Magazine

"[A] winsome mix of memoir and call to arms...an entertaining history."
- Editor's Choice, Chicago Tribune

About the Author

Kitty Burns Florey is the author of Sister Bernadette’s Barking Dog: The Quirky History and Lost Art of Diagramming
Sentences. A veteran copy editor, she has also written nine novels and many short stories and essays. She lives in central Connecticut.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Melville House; First Edition edition (January 20, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933633670
• ISBN-13: 978-1933633671
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 0.7 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #512,867 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #61 in Books > Education & Reference > Words, Language & Grammar > Handwriting

More About the Author

Kitty Burns Florey (www.kittyburnsflorey.com) is the author of Script and Scribble: The Rise and Fall of Handwriting and Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog: The Quirky History and Lost Art of Diagramming Sentences. She is also the author of ten works of fiction, most recently The Writing Master, a historical novel set in Connecticut in 1856. A veteran copy editor, she has written many short stories and essays. Her New York Times blog on the writing process can be found here:
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/26/a-picture-of-language/?ref=opinion

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fine Insight Into Why I Can No Longer Write February 2, 2009

By W. Stewart

Format:Hardcover

Kitty Burns Florey's "Script & Scribble" is as hilarious as it is timely. With handwriting currently caught in the push-pull between nostalgic yearning and the Internet Age, "write or type?" is a debate that many of us are constantly engaged in internally. Take something as mundane as a thank you letter. You want to convey gratitude and sincerity, two things which do not necessarily summon to mind Times New Roman and a laserjet printer. And yet, as a result of years of banging away on your QWERTY, your penmanship is borderline illegible. And should you sacrifice the speed of email for the formality of snail mail? Burns Florey not only tackles these everyday dilemmas, but adds her own mix of history and humor, making "Script & Scribble" a delight to read. I highly recommend.

41 of 44 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Lukewarm praise May 23, 2009

By Chambolle VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

As an avid fountain pen collector, this book immediately drew me in. The art of writing by hand is fast becoming a thing of the past -- forget about the virtues of fine penmanship, much less the craft of making fine pens instead of mass produced plastic things with colored goop in them. People yammer endlessly on cell phones, text in code, pound away at keyboards -- or eliminate the handwork entirely and dictate in dull monotone at their 'voice recognition software.' Writing, both the physical act of creating script and the art of stringing words together in complete sentences, is fast becoming a thing of the past. I expected this book would be a thoughtful essay on this topic.

This book does include a brief history of the development of writing and an interesting discussion of the various teaching methods and penmanship styles of the 18th through 20th centuries. There are some witty observations about the effect of the personal computer on our lives, especially on our (un)willingness and (in)ability to put pen to paper on a day to day basis. There is a discussion of the quirky "graphology" movement. All entertaining, if not extremely enlightening.

But the book also suffers from some serious flaws.

First, sad and sorry production values. As others have noted, there are some glaring glitches like text printed on top of graphics, footnotes misnumbered, typos, the absence of an index. One also would think that a book extolling the virtues of fine handwriting would also be a finely made book. This one is printed on cheap paper and has that "fresh out of a software package" look.

Second, some very thin content. The discussion of the history and current status of the fountain pen is superficial at best and inaccurate at worst. Sure, the fountain pen is not exactly mainstream. But there has been a modern resurgence of interest in fine writing instruments, both vintage and current production. This book devotes two pages to the development of the fountain pen, including an extended anecdote about an ad for the Sheaffer Snorkel on the "I Love Lucy" show. The author devotes just over one page to ink, which concludes with the observation that ink is "an artifact of another world," available only at art supply stores for use by artists and calligraphers. The author seems blissfully ignorant of the resurgence of interest in fountain pens and the revival of many of the classic pen manufacturers.

The title of the review sums up my impression of the book. Much to admire, much that disappoints.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Is the Pen Mightier Than the Keyboard? February 21, 2009

By takingadayoff TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

How much is there to say about handwriting? More than you might think.

Kitty Burns Florey has taken what seems like a topic for a short magazine article and come up with quite a browsable book in Script and Scribble: The Rise and Fall of Handwriting. She conducts a quick tour of writing, from cuneiform pictograms made with a stylus in wet clay up to handwriting methods taught in schools today. There's a survey of pens and pencils, as well as of typewriters.

Handwriting in popular culture, handwriting analysis, calligraphy, and doodling all come under Florey's scrutiny. She has done a considerable amount of research for the book, but also relies on her own experiences for many examples. Apparently she is quite a pack rat, because she shares many handwriting samples from her own experiences, starting in first grade.

Although this is not an academic book, there are many side notes to elaborate on points made in the text. You don't often see side notes, which are located in the margins unlike the more traditionally placed footnotes or endnotes. The wide margins also leave room for lots of graphics.

Florey, who has also written about diagramming sentences in her previous book Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog: The Quirky History and Lost Art of Diagramming Sentences, is not a dinosaur who is clinging to the past. She accepts and embraces computers and blackberries, but wonders if keyboarding can completely replace handwriting. Students who take notes on laptops tend to transcribe class lectures verbatim. Students who take handwritten notes learn to evaluate while listening so they can pick out the noteworthy bits to write down. But most of us can type faster than we can write, and for a longer time. Both writing and typing have their merits.

In the end, Florey advocates a best of both worlds approach, in which children would learn to write legibly, in addition to learning keyboarding skills. She suggests an italic script that is a sort of cross between printing and handwriting. She sees no reason that children should learn to print and then to write. Why not just learn one method?