The original edition of The Calligrapher’s Handbook, published in 1956, consisted of a series of essays on various aspects of the craft of calligraphy and illumination by students of Edward Johnston. These students not only worked in the tradition he revived, but also developed and refined certain aspects of practical technique long after the initial publication of his Writing and Illuminating and Lettering in 1906.
This new version reflects more than just a simple expansion of the repertory of techniques and craft methods. Heather Child, who edited the new Handbook, says in her preface:
“The motivation for work has moved away from the functional making of manuscripts into the more innovative sphere of
