Illuminating Letters

What do we read when we read a text? The author's words, of course, but is that all? The prevailing publishing ethic has insisted that typography?the selection and arrangement of type and other visual elements on a page?should be an invisible, silent, and deferential servant to the text it conveys. This book contests that conventional point of view. Looking at texts ranging from the King James Bible to contemporary comic strips, the contributors to Illuminating Letters examine the seldom considered but richly revealing relationships between a text's typography and its literary interpretation. The essays assume no previous typographic knowledge or expertise; instead they invite readers primarily concerned with literary and cultural meanings to turn a more curious eye to the visual and physical forms of a specific text or genre. As the contributors show, closer inspection of those forms can yield fresh insights into the significance of a text's material presentation, leading readers to appreciate better how presentation shapes understandings of the text's meanings and values. The case studies included in the volume amplify its two overarching themes: one set explores the roles of printers and publishers in manipulating, willingly or not, the meaning and reception of texts through typographic choices; the other group examines the efforts of authors to circumvent or subvert such mediation by directly controlling the typographic presentation of their texts. Together these essays demonstrate that choices about type selection and arrangement do indeed help to orchestrate textual meaning. In addition to the editors, contributors include Sarah A. Kelen, Beth McCoy, Steven R. Price, Leon Jackson, and Gene Kannenberg Jr.

Learn how to illuminate your writing like the scribes of the past, bringing letters to life with plant and animal motifs, swirling vines and leaves, graceful arabesques and flourishes, fantastical imagery, and more. Draw creatures cavorting across the page as Gothic illuminators did, or create the knotwork seen in famous Celtic manuscripts. Step-by-step tutorials, tips for creating striking effects, and blank letterforms you can illuminate yourself make this the perfect modern-day guide to the medieval art of beautiful writing. 160 pages. 6-1/4" wide x 8-1/4" high (15.9 cm wide x 21 cm high). Rights: World (English)

The twenty-eight essays in this collection showcase cutting-edge research in manuscript studies, encompassing material from late antiquity to the Renaissance. The volume celebrates the exceptional contribution of John Lowden to the study of medieval books.

An inspirational introduction to creating decorative calligraphy.

Patricia Carter has again created a stunning collection of decorative design ideas, this time to illuminate lettering. There are nine complete alphabets offered, including Parchment, Classical Collection and Entwined Roses.

50 great initials of the Middle Ages, all with remarkable, ready-to-color illuminations built into them: Biblical scenes, knights, martyrdoms, grotesque animals, geometrical ornament, scenes of war and play, musicians and much else from the treasury of medieval manuscript.

PASSPORT TO CREATIVITY - Exploring the World with a Watercolor Journal - a collection of the author's watercolor sketches from all over the world extracted from the her travel journal along with the author's observations of the places she visited. It is also a travelogue with tips on travel as well as watercolor painting and travel journaling.

A sourcebook of initials and ornamental letters reproduces designs from the eighth century to the present.

This book is a great source of inspiration for calligraphers, artists, embroiderers and china painters. Techniques and guidelines are given for gilding, together with over sixty design ideas for borders with flowers, ribbons and ropework.