Spencerian Penmanship Set of 5 Copybooks Paperback – 1 Feb. 2001

I'm new to calligraphy and Spencerian scrips. I'm practicing with these books and learning and improving my writing

Not bad for a reprint on a 1887 book... these books are made up of the 7 principles or strokes you need to create all the letters and write in this style. You also need the theory book which is what was given to teachers to teach classrooms full of children. After completing the first four pages of book one I can’t yet write in Spencerian that will come, however my general handwriting has improved so much and dare I say looks nice. For the price I’d recommend. They are old books so there is some wording and teaching methods that are out of date for instance I’m left handed however if you get past that they are pretty good at teaching a lost art of penmanship.

There is some debate whether you should buy these copy books, or print things online.I wholeheartedly attest, getting these 5 copy books full of exercises, is a 100% investment into progress.The one advice I would offer is, do the exercises in pencil.Ok yes, we seek to be good penmen, but following copybook examples with pencil is more gentle & controlled, plus there is no bleed through on adjacent page.I have spent loads of time on book 1, but that was getting the basic principles. I feel accomplished to go on to book 2, and quickly progress! 👍

Five attractive 24 page copybooks, supplied in a large envelope at a very good price. Anyone who worked diligently through these would emerge at the end with beautiful handwriting, without doubt ... though I wonder how many people would have the heart to write in them.These books are not quite perfect, and there is scope for some confusion. It seems that the copybooks themselves originate from 1864, whilst the information given on the inside covers is taken largely from the 1874 "Theory of the Spencerian System of Practical Penmanship", with a few additions from the "Compendium of Spencerian or Semi-Angular Penmanship" of 1866. It would be tiresome to go into the inconsistencies in detail, but worth noting. The other problem is that on some pages the printing is slightly out of register between the exemplars and the guidelines: fine detail is everything with Spencerian and this fault is rather disconcerting. None of this should put off potential purchasers, however, though I would strongly recommend buying these along with the theory book and regarding the latter as authoritative.Once again, Mott Media have done a fine job in keeping these books in print at a sensible price, thus making an important contribution to keeping Platt Rogers Spencer's beautiful handwriting system alive.

All the best books on penmanship, of course, hail from a past generation when the skill was inculcated at an early age and in a way which one couldn't see being acceptable now i.e. rigorous copying, repetition and strict attention to detail. Nevertheless, this seems to me to be the best way to learn - just like practicing piano scales and arpeggios. An excellent series of books for developing that elusive "muscle memory." I drew up a copy page with some design software and print a few copies, as required, so that I don't spoil the books!

Harken back to the days when penmanship meant something. A beautiful set that should be mandatory study in all schools

Hard work but I’m getting the hang of it, exercises make perfect sense now and books easy to use.

Fantastic books really helping with my penmanship at the moment already noticing a difference in my writing, would recommend to everyone who wants to improve handwriting.