BETH LEE
Calligrapher | Book Artist
I have a library containing hundreds of calligraphy and art books, and I have an opinion on them all. If you've got a comment or question about a calligraphy book, e-mail me and I'll be happy to give you my free opinion on it; it'll be worth every penny! I get a commission if you buy books from these Amazon links. They guess (accurately) that if they give me some money back, I'll promptly turn around and spend on it more books :) Most titles are linked to Amazon, and take you away from this website.
Foundations of Calligraphy, by Sheila Waters. Published by John Neal Bookseller in 2006, this is destined to be a bible of calligraphy. Mrs. Waters covers all of the main calligraphy hands, showing beautiful exemplars and examples as well as ways in which the student can go wrong. The gallery at the back of the book shows is classic and reproduced beautifully.
A Book of Formal Scripts, by John Woodcock. A wonderful survey of hands, with beautiful exemplars and clear instructions, as well as basic working information and historical context.
The Calligrapher's Handbook, ed. Heather Child. A 1986 update of the original edition, and still the "industry standard." Excellent exemplars.
Historical Scripts, A Handbook for Calligraphers, by Stan Knight. A must for anyone wanting to study historical hands.
A History of Illuminated Manuscripts, by Christopher de Hamel. A huge book with many color plates, this is both entertaining and informative.
The Mystic Art of Written Forms: An Illustrated Handbook for Lettering, by Friedrich Neugebauer. An inspirational and instructional book, the alphabets are not for beginners.
Painting for Calligraphers, by Marie Angel. The most beautiful miniature paintings, integrated with calligraphy. With practical instruction materials and techniques.
The Anatomy of Letters, by Charles Pearce. Very good exemplars, good basic information about history and materials.
The Calligrapher's Dictionary, by Rose Folsom. A very thorough reference.
Calligraphy School, by Gaynor Goffe & Anna Ravenscroft. An attractive book full of information from lettering styles to tools and materials to layout.
Creative Lettering Today: Calligraphy in the Graphic Arts, by Michael Harvey. This book covers so much that is not covered elsewhere. The most important thing in this book is information about drawing letters. Re-touching, digital letterforms and logo design are also covered.
The Illuminated Alphabet, by Patricia Seligman & Timothy Noad. A very beautiful and practical instruction manual which give complete instructions for copying 12 different illuminated initials from 5 different historical periods in graduated lessons. In addition, there are many thumbnail sketches of other initials and period information on styles and materials.
Layout and Design for Calligraphers, by Alan Furber. This book provides very practical and visually accessible layout instruction for those with little or no graphic design background.
Pen Lettering, by Ann Camp. A very solid beginning calligraphy book, with a very good foundational exemplar.
Speedball Textbook, ed. Joanne Fink. An unbelievable amount of lettering by a great many calligraphers packed into one book. This book is updated every few years.
Understanding Illuminated Manuscripts: A Guide to Technical Terms, by Michelle Brown. A good reference; organized like a dictionary.
Writing & Illuminating & Lettering, by Edward Johnston. The classic. Because of its age, though, other references are more helpful; the inks and pens and papers available to Johnston are generally not available to us now.
Written Letters, by Jacqueline Svaren. Completely hand-lettered, this book is an inspiring collection of 33 alphabets which Ms. Svaren has developed. While it is no substitute for the study of historical hands, this book is an excellent source of study for the intermediate-to-advanced calligrapher, with admirably clear and copious instructions for each alphabet. And her enthusiasm, evident in the text, is infectious.
Letter Arts Review. The major international journal for lettering arts. This link takes you to their web page.
Books, Boxes & Wraps; Binding & Building Step-By-Step, by Marilyn Webberly. My very favorite reference book on bookbinding. There are no photos in this book, but many, many excellent illustrations. The section in the back entitled "Binder's Tool Chest" is alone worth the price of this book; it includes subsections on knots & closures, working tips, adhesives, materials, and a paper chart packed with technical specifications.
Non-Adhesive Binding: Books Without Paste or Glue, by Keith Smith. A wealth of information. There are complete instructions to so many structures and covers and variations in this book that it would take you a very long time to make a prototype for each one. I know :)
Japanese Bookbinding: Instructions from a Master Craftsman, by Kojiro Kegami. The book to get for stab bindings, butterfly books, scrolls and traditional Japanese working methods.
The Art and Craft of Handmade Books, by Shereen LaPlantz. Published in October 2001, this quickly became a standard for those interested in making artists books.
Bookbinding for Book Artists, by Keith Smith. Published September 1998, this book provides instructions for three hardcover bindings that can be done without specialized bookbinding equipment.
Cover to Cover, by Shereen LaPlantz. Lots of creative ideas and good photographs. This is a hands-down favorite with many artist bookbinders.
Creating Handmade Books, by Alisa Golden. Her first book, it has great photos and instructions for a wide variety of structures, including palm-leaf, slot-and-tab, tea-bag, tunnel, scroll, Jacob's ladder, portfolios and several boxes. In bother her books, she focuses more than most on the connection between content and structure.
Creative Bookbinding, by Pauline Johnson. The book is not snazzy, but the information is solid and covers many structures and paper decorating techniques.
Hand-Made Books: An Introduction to Bookbinding, by Rob Shepherd. A valuable book, written from the standpoint of a craft bookbinder rather than an artist bookbinder.
Making Books that Fly, Fold, Wrap, Hide, Pop Up, Twist, and Turn, by Gwen Diehn. A delightful book full of great ideas that adults and children can implement. With lots of photos of really impressive children-made books, the book suggests content and approaches to match specific book structures.
Making Journals by Hand, by Jason Thompson. A wide range of inspirational book designs, with a strong approach toward content.
Unique Handmade Books, by Alisa Golden. Her second book also has great photos and many structures, including several accordion variations, pocket books, altered books, and more, as well as the use of non-traditional materials. Even more emphasis on ideas for what to put in the books.
Bonefolder. an e-journal in PDF format. Many excellent articles on book structure, art criticism, tools, materials, and more.
Bound and Lettered. A magazine which focuses on book structures, paper arts, and lettering. This link takes you to their web page.
Somerset Studio. This photo-rich magazine is dedicated to decorative paper techniques, paper structures of all kinds including books and boxes, rubber stamping, and calligraphy. This link takes you to their web page.
Free Play: The Power of Improvisation in the Life and the Arts, by Stephen Nachmanovitch. All about creativity and practice and making mistakes and getting inspiration. I return to it time and time again. I even bought an extra copy so I could loan it out.
Color Choices, by Stephen Quiller. A practical book on color theory, complete with a pull-out color wheel which shows the actual tube colors in their place on the wheel.
Wilcox Guide to the Best Watercolors, by Michael Wilcox. A thorough reference for watercolorists, this book list most tube colors which have been manufactured with analyses of their makeup and much valuable information about the pigments which go into paints.
Miniature Painting: A Complete Guide to Techniques, Mediums, and Surfaces, by Joan Cornish Willies. A valuable resource for book artists wishing to illuminate or illustrate books.
Formulas for Painters: 200 Formulas for Making Paints, Glazes, Mediums, Varnishes, Grounds, Fixatives, Sizes, and Adhesives for Tempera, Oil, Acrylic, Gouaches, Pastel, Encaustic, Fresco and Other Painting Techniques, by Robert Massey. I believe the title is self-explanatory!
Oriental Painting Course: A Structured, Practical Guide to the Painting Skills and Techniques of China and the Far East, by Wang Jia Nan, Cai Xiaoli with Dawn Young. I don't know much about oriental painting, but this is the only book I've seen that seems to offer a both beautiful photos and well-organized, in-depth information about the subject. If anyone has an opinion about this book, I would like to hear from you.
American Craft. A source of inspiration, although not about calligraphy or bookbinding.