The First Writing Book

by John H. Benson

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• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0300000200
• ISBN13: 9780300000207
• Release Date: January 1966
• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Length: 94 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.

Customer Reviews

The First Writing Book, Arrighi's Operina

The title will throw you off. Mr. Benson took an instructional manual on the chancery cursive hand done in 1522 in Italian italics (chancery cursive) and in 1954 not only translated it into English, but crafted the entire book in italics. Consider that this was not only pre electronic typeface but probably also pre electric typewriter. The Italian version is reprinted in the book as well so that comparisons can be made between the English and the Italian versions. I began teaching calligraphy in 1978 and kept going back to this little book as the master reference. Mr. Benson published another book in 1940, The Elements of Lettering and I dare say that many a student of graphics undergoing their first course in lettering encountered it as well.