WRITING&ILLUMINATING,&LETTERING.

Firstprinted,1906;SecondEdition,1908;ThirdEdition,
ign
FourthEdition{aReprintojtheThirdEdition),1911;
FifthEdition{aRef>rintoftheFourthEdition),1913;
SixthEditin(aReprintoftheFifthEdition),1913;
SeventhEdition\aReprintoftheSixthEdition),1915;
EighthEdition(ReprintoftheSeventhEdition)^I9i7
BythesameAuthor.
MANUSCRIPTANDINSCRIPTIONLETTERS.
Aportfolioofj(>Plates,withnotes.
Firstprinted1909;SecondEuition,1911:Third
Edition,1916.

THEARTISTICCRAFTSSERIES
OFTECHNICALHANDBOOKS
EDITEDBYW.R.LETHABY
WRITING&ILLUMINATING,
ANDLETTERING

frontispiece.

ASCRIPTORIUM

Thisdrawing{abouttivoJifthsofthelinearsize
oftheoriginal)ismadefromaphotographofa
miniaturepaintedinanoldMS.(writteninI456

attheHaguebyJeanMielot,SecretarytoPhilip
theGood,DukeofBurgundy)^nowintheParis
NationalLibrary(MS,Fondsfran^ais9,198).
//depictsJeanMielothimselfwritingupona
scroll{saidtobehis"MiraclesofOurLady").
Hisparchmentappearstobeheldsteadybya
weightandalsoby(?theknifeorfillerin)hisleft
handcompareJig.41inthisbook.Aboiiethere
isasortofreadingdesk,holdingMSS.for
copyingorreference.

WRITINGSILLUMIN
ATING,&LETTERING
BYEDWARDJOHNSTON.WITH
DIAGRAMS&ILLUSTRATIONS
BYTHEAUTHOR&NOELROOKE
8pp.EXAMPLESINRED&BLACK
AND24pp.OFCOLLOTYPES

EIGHTHEDITION

PUBLISHEDBYJOHNHOGG
13PATERNOSTERROW
LONDON1917

TRINTEDBY
S)OTTISWOODK.BAMANTYNEANDCO.LTD.
LONDON,COLCHESTERANDETON

EDITOR'SPREFACE
InissuingthesevolumesofaseriesotHandbooks
Editor*
ontheArtisticCrafts,itwillbewelltostatewhat
Preface
areourgeneralaims.
Inthefirstplace,wewishtoprovidetrustworthy
textbooksofworkshoppractice,fromthepointsof
viewofexpertswhohavecriticallyexaminedthe
methodscurrentintheshops,andputtingaside
vainsurvivals,arepreparedtosaywhatisgood
workmanship,andtosetupastandardofquality
inthecraftswhicharemoreespeciallyassociated
withdesign.Secondly,indoingthis,wehopeto
treatdesignitselfasanessentialpartofgoodwork
manship.Duringthelastcenturymostofthearts,
savepaintingandsculptureofanacademickind,
werelittleconsidered,andtherewasatendencyto
lookon"design"asamerematterofappearance.
Such"ornamentation"astherewaswasusually
obtainedbyfollowinginamechanicalwayadraw
ingprovidedbyanartistwhooftenknewlittle
ofthetechnicalprocessesinvolvedinproduction.
Withthecriticalattentiongiventothecraftsby
vii

Editor'sRuskinandMorris,itcametobeseenthatit
was
rrefaceimpossibletodetachdesignfromcraftinthis
way,
andthat,inthewidestsense,truedesignisan
inseparableelementofgoodquality,involvingasit
doestheselectionofgoodandsuitablematerial,
contrivanceforspecialpurpose,expertworkman
ship,properfinish,andsoon,farmorethanmere
ornament,andindeed,thatornamentationitselfwas
ratheranexuberanceoffineworkmanshipthana
matterofmerelyabstractlines.Workmanship

whenseparatedbytoowideagulffromfresh
thoughtthatis,fromdesigninevitablydecays,
and,ontheotherhand,ornamentation,divorced
fromworkmanship,isnecessarilyunreal,andquickly
fallsintoaffectation.Properornamentionmaybe
definedasalanguageaddressedtotheeye;itis
pleasantthoughtexpressedinthespeechofthetool.
Inthethirdplace,wewouldhavethisseriesput
artisticcraftsmanshipbeforepeopleasfurnishing
reasonableoccupationsforthosewhowouldgaina
livelihood.Althoughwithintheboundsofacademic
art,thecompetition,ofitskind,issoacutethat
onlyaveryfewpercent,canfairlyhopetosuc
ceedaspaintersandsculptors;yet,asartistic
craftsmen,thereiseveryprobabilitythatnearly
everyonewhowouldpassthroughasufficient
periodofapprenticeshiptoworkmanshipanddesign
wouldreachameasureofsuccess.
Intheblendingofhandworkandthoughtin
viii

suchartsasweproposetodealwith,happycareers
Editor's
maybefoundasfarremovedfromthedrearyPreface
routineofhacklabourasfromtheterribleuncer
taintyofacademicart.Itisdesirableineveryway
thatmenofgoodeducationshouldbebroughtback
intotheproductivecrafts:therearemorethan
enoughofus"inthecity,"anditisprobablethat
moreconsiderationwillbegiveninthiscentury
thaninthelasttoDesignandWorkmanship.

OfalltheArts,writing,perhaps,showsmost*
clearlytheformativeforceoftheinstruments
used.IntheanalysiswhichMr.Johnstongivesus
inthisvolume,nearlyallseemstobeexplainedby
thetwofactors,utilityandmasterlyuseoftools.
Noonehaseverinventedaformofscript,and
hereinliesthewonderfulinterestofthesubject;

theformsusedhavealwaysformedthemselvesby
acontinuousprocessofdevelopment.
Thecuriousassemblagesofwedgeshapedin
dentationswhichmakeupAssyrianwritingarea
directoutcomeoftheclaycake,andthestylus
usedtoimprintlittlemarksonit.Theformsof
Chinesecharacters,itisevident,weremadeby
quicklyrepresentingwithabrushearlierpictorial
signs.TheRomancharacters,whichareour
letterstoday,althoughtheirearlierformshave
onlycomedowntouscutinstone,musthave
beenformedbyincessantpracticewithaflat,stiff
tx

Gditor*8brush,orsomesuchtool.Thedispositionofthe
Prefacethicksandthins,andtheexactshapeofthe
curves,
musthavebeensettledbyaninstrumentused
rapidly;Isuppose,indeed,thatmostofthegreat
monumentalinscriptionsweredesignedinsituby
amasterwriter,andonlycutinbythemason,
thecuttingbeingmerelyafixing,asitwere,
ofthewriting,andthecutinscriptionsmust
alwayshavebeenintendedtobecompletedby
painting.
The"Rusticletters"foundinstoneinscriptions
ofthefourthcenturyarestillmoreobviously
cursive,andintheCatacombssomepainted
inscriptionsofthiskindremainwhichperfectly
showthattheywererapidlywritten.Theordi
nary"lowercase"typewithwhichthispageis
printedis,initsturn,asimplifiedcursiveform
oftheCapitalletters.TheItalicisastillmore
swiftlywrittenhand,andcomesneartothe
standardforordinaryhandwriting.
Allfinemonumentalinscriptionsandtypes
arebutformsofwritingmodifiedaccordingto
thematerialstowhichtheyareapplied.The
Italiantypefoundersofthefifteenthcentury

soughtoutfineexamplesofoldwritingasmodels,
andfortheircapitalsstudiedthemonumental
Romaninscriptions.Romanletterswerefirst
introducedintoEnglishinscriptionsbyItalian
artists.Torriglano,onthetombshemadefor
X

HenryVII.inWestminsterAbbeyandforDr.clitor*8
YoungattheRollsChapel,designedprobablyPreface
themostbeautifulinscriptionsofthiskindtobe
foundinEngland.
Thisvolumeisremarkableforthewayinwhich
itssubjectseemstobedevelopedinevitably.
Thereisherenocollectionofallsortsoflettering,
somesensibleandmanyeccentric,forusto
choosefrom,butweareshowntheessentialsof
formandspacing,andthewayisopenedoutto
allwhowilldevotepracticetoittoforman
individualstylebyimperceptiblevariationsfrom
afinestandard.
WritingisforusthemostuniversaloftheArts,
andmostcraftsmenhavetodealwithletteringof
amoreformalkind.Itisacommonplaceofhis
toricalcriticismtopointouthowmuchtheItalian
artistsowedtothegeneralpracticeamongstthem
ofgoldsmith'swork,acraftwhichrequiredaccuracy
anddelicacyofhand.Wecannotgobacktothat,
butwedoneedabasisoftraininginademon
strablyusefulart,andIdoubtifanyissogenerally
fittedforthepurposeofeducatingthehand,the
eye,andthemindasthisoneofwriting.
W.R.LETHABY.
OctoberI906.

"li^emustsetupthestrongpresenttenseagainstall

the
rumoursofturath.,pastortocome.Somanythingsare
unsettlednvhichitisoftheJirstimportancetosettle^
and^
pendingtheirsettlement^nveivilldoasivedo...,
Expe
diencyofliterature,reasonofliterature^laaifniness
of'writing
doivnathought,isquestioned;muchistosayonboth
sides,and,
'whiletheJightfwaxeshot,thou,dearestscholar,
sticktothy
foolishtask,addalineeveryhour,andhetnveen<whdes
adda
line.Righttoholdland,rightofpropertyisdisputed,
and
theconventionsconvene,andbeforethevoteistaken,
diganvay
inyourgarden,andspendyourearningsasanvaifor
god
sendtoallsereneandbeautifulpurposes.Lifeitselfis
a
bubbleandascepticism,andasleep'withinasleep.
Grant
it,andasmuchmoreasthey'will,butthou,God's
darling!
heedthyprivatedream:thou'wiltnotbemissedinthe
scorningandscepticism:thereareenoughofthem:stay
thereinthycloset,andtoil,untiltherestareagreed
nvhat
todoaboutit.Thysickness,theysay,andthypuny
habit,
requirethatthoudothisoravoidthat^butkno'wthat
thy
lifeisajlittingstate,atentforanight,anddothou,
sickor
zuell,finishthatstint.Thouartsick,butshaltnotbe
'Worse,andtheuniverse,'whichholdstheedear,shall
bethe
better.'*Emerson.
**/begantothinkthatifIshoulddiscoverho'wto
make
enamels,Icouldmakeearthenvesselsandotherthings

very
prettily,becauseGodhadgftedmefwithsomekno'wledge
of
dra'wing.Andthereafter,regardlessofthefactthatI
had
nokno'wledgeofdrugs,Ibegantoseekfortheenamels
asa
mangropesinthedark.*'Palissy.
"...inthatcommuniononly,beholdingbeautytwith
theeyeofthemind,he'willbeenabledtobringforth,
not
imagesofbeauty,butrealities{forhehasholdnotof
an
imagebutofareality),andbringingforthand
nourishing
truevirtuetobecomethefriendofGodandbeimmortal,
tj
mortalmanmay.'*Plato.
xii