RECOMMENDED BOOKS

Prices are liable to change without notice.

Recommended 'core' books

  • Calligraphy Step by Step by Gaynor Goffe
    HarperCollins (£15.99)
  • Calligraphy Made Easy by Gaynor Goffe
    Parragon (£4.99)
  • Pen Lettering by Ann Camp
    A & C Black (£4.99)
  • Teach Yourself Calligraphy by Patricia Lovett
    Hodder & Stoughton (£7.99)
  • The Calligraphers' Handbook Ed. Heather Child
    A & C Black (£17.99)
  • A History of Lettering by Nicolete Gray
    Phaidon Press

Recommended Additions including historical reference reading

  • Historical Scripts by Stan Knight
    A & C Black
  • ABC ZIG Calligraphy by Karen Charatan
    EK Success, NJ, USA
  • A Book of Formal Scripts by John Woodcock
    A & C Black
  • A History of Calligraphy by Albertine Gaur
    British Library
  • A History Of Writing by Albertine Gaur
    British Library
  • A History of Illuminated MSS by Christopher de Hamel
    Phaidon Press
  • Calligraphy by Michael Gullick
    Studio Editions
  • Calligraphy for Starters by Patricia Lovett
    Images Publishing
  • Calligraphy Today by Heather Child
    A & C Black
  • Calligraphy - the Rhythm of Writing by Satwinder Sehmi
    Merehurst
  • Calligraphy Masterclass by Peter Halliday
    HarperCollins
  • Calligraphy - Art & Colour by Peter Halliday
    Batsford
  • Creative Lettering Today by Michael Harvey
    A & C Black
  • Experimenting with Calligraphy by Margaret Daubney
    Batsford
  • Mastering Calligraphy by Timothy Noad
    Simon & Schuster (good for left-handers)
  • More than Fine Writing - Heather Child
    British Library
  • Scribes & Illuminators by Christopher de Hamel
    British Museum
  • Step by Step Calligraphy by Susan Hufton
    Weidenfeld & Nicholson
  • The Little Manual of Calligraphy by Charles Pearce
    HarperCollins
  • The Art of Calligraphy by David Harris
    Dorling Kindersley
  • The Art of Illuminated Letters by Timothy Noad
    Headline
  • The Calligrapher's Project Book by Susanne Haines
    HarperCollins
  • The Story of Writing by Donald Jackson
    Studio Vista
  • Writing, Alphabets & Scripts - New Horizons
    Thames & Hudson
  • Writing & Illuminating & Lettering by Edward Johnston
    A & C Black
  • Writing - Eyewitness Guide by Karen Brookfield
    BL/Dorling Kindersley

For young people

Good books written for young people - practical and inexpensive. Useful for adults too.
  • Complete Book of Calligraphy by Young, Watt, Rowley, Usborne
    (£5.99)
  • Creating Letterforms by Sassoon & Lovett
    Thames & Hudson (£8.95)
  • Creative Calligraphy by Rachel Yallop
    Hodder & Stoughton (£4.99)
  • Creative Calligraphy by Peter Halliday
    Kingfisher (£3.50)

Out of print

Recommended books which are now out of print in UK. These books may be available second hand or from overseas publishers.
  • Calligraphy by David Harris
    Anaya
  • A Book of Scripts by Alfred Fairbank
    Pelikan or Faber
  • A Handwriting Manual by Alfred Fairbank
    Faber
  • Formal Penmanship & Other papers by Heather Child
    Lund Humphries
  • Lettering Arts by Joanne Fink & Judy Kastin
    PBC International, NY, USA

Publishers

There are publishers who specialise in good quality publications with excellent illustrations of medieval manuscripts. It is worth writing to them for their catalogues, mentioning your interest in calligraphy and manuscripts.
  • British Library, Marketing & Publishing, 96 Euston Road, St Pancras, London NW1 2DB, UK. Tel: (0)20 7412 7704
  • Thames & Hudson Ltd, 30-34 Bloomsbury Street, London WC1B 3QP, UK.
  • Harvey Miller Publishers, 197 Knightsbridge, 8th Floor, London SW7 1RB, UK.
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