Customer Reviews

Spencerian Penmanship (Theory Book)

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

 

 

From where I sit, this packet of booklets (theory and practice) is ideal for what I am seeking. I inherited several fountain pens from both my father and my grandfather, and became interested in using them with a degree of skill. My penmanship is improving, and my respect for the equipment is deepening.

The current publisher has added a Preface that helps put the information in context. I am neither a historian, nor a calligrapher - but this piece of work has given my a bit of insight to events of the past.

This is a reissue of the 1870's text with the 'long s' removed and the upper case S modified - changes that make it less useful than otherwise for those interested in historic scripts and teaching methods.

As a historical document, it's a good value. I was unaware, for example, that one of the recommended writing positions had the student turned 90 degrees to the desk, or that classrooms would open copybooks, open inkwells, and dip pens in synchronization to a signal or countdown from the teacher. These are details that made me glad to have the book.

If you are interested in teaching handwriting to a child, then this is a very poor choice. Spencerian became obsolete in the 1890's, and the teaching method in this book is very poor - it's of the "will you analyse the letter p?" "how do you make the letter r?" type. There are really no exercises for the student and few examples of letters even written as words. Particularly the lower case 'c' and 'p' are legibility problems for anyone born after 1902, as they are quite idiosyncratic.