A history of alphabets from around the world

The Alphabet and Elements of Lettering by Frederic W. Goudy Introduction, page 2 Some of the examples presented in collections of alphabets give the form of the letters but wholly lose the feeling that is an essential quality. In this work, therefore, special pains have been taken to convey that feeling & to preserve the delicate irregularities - practically lost in most reproductions - which contribute so appreciably to the character of the page in mass.* * A letter copied from one of jenson's types by an artisan skilled in the use of bow pen, straightedge & compasses might be an exact facsimile of that letter, but the same letter drawn freehand by an artist trained to see the subtleties ofline & form would possess a feeling & character that no mechanical construction can impart. In type faces, it should be understood that the spirit of the letter has been sought, rather than absolute fidelity to precise form, though the drawing, of course, has been done very carefully. Most facsimiles of early manuscripts or of printed books are unsatisfactory because the reproductions are too small to exhibit the subtle variations clearly enough to enable the forms to be studied intelligently. The examples given here have therefore been drawn on a large scale, to insure easy analysis and comparison. Typography and type design can only be touched upon in a manual of this kind, but the author feels that he may stress his aims in these matters for the reader's inference, since a book that is printed more or less under his care represents concretely the principles which guide him as typographer and type designer. Good lettering must be founded on good models; for the use of beginners they ought especially to be simple, dignified forms that are free from the archaisms and mannerisms of the scribes and that exhibit in a high degree the essentials of legibility, beauty, & character. In the examples shown herein the writer has intended to provide typical letter forms only, showing old style, modern, and italic types, black-letter, stone-cut inscriptions, etc. He hopes that his selections will be found to answer every requirement. The author wishes primarily to help the student-craftsman and, by precept and example, return the art of lettering to its original purity of intention - to bring a great craft again to life; it is not his aim merely to exploit his own achievements. Back to page 1 of Introduction Continue to Chapter 1, What Letters Are

Sign up for our weekly newsletter Email: The Alphabet and Elements of Lettering by Frederic W. Goudy Introduction What Letters Are Letters in General The Development of the Roman Capital Letters Before Printing The National Hands The Development of Gothic The Beginnings of Types The Qualities of Lettering Some Practical Considerations Notes on the Plates Greek alphabet Hebrew alphabet Sign language alphabet Cherokee alphabet Russian alphabet Phonetic alphabet Braille alphabet Egyptian alphabet Cyrillic alphabet Aramaic alphabet Morse code alphabet Runic alphabet