Beautifully illustrated with images from the British Library’s extensive collection of historic manuscripts, this new edition explores calligraphy in renowned manuscripts including the Lindisfarne Gospels and the Book of Kells, in addition to detailed information on tools and techniques. It's written by professional scribe and illuminator, and leading scholar, Patricia Lovett MBE.

This stunningly illustrated book focuses on 76 intricate, expressive and individual examples of calligraphy from the unparalleled collection of the British Library. The author, a renowned expert on the history of the form as well as a fine calligrapher herself, writes – uniquely – from a practitioner’s point of view. Ranging from the Middle Ages, when beautiful calligraphy was a way of celebrating the divine, to the renaissance of the art form by William Morris, to the modern school of calligraphers following in the wake of master typographer Edward Johnston, Patricia Lovett charts the development of calligraphy through the history of European manuscripts. Large-scale full-colour reproductions enable the reader to see the fine detail of each manuscript, and to understand more clearly than ever before the painstaking craft and great artistic skill that were necessary to create these strikingly beautiful pieces of writing.

Now in paperback, this beautifully illustrated book draws on the unparalleled collections of the British Library, as well as numerous world-leading institutions, to highlight 76 important, expressive and individual examples of calligraphy.

Publication date: 22/10/20

Author: Patricia Lovett

Brand: British Library Publishing

Number of pages: 224 pages, with 200 colour illustrations

Binding: Paperback

Dimensions: 280 x 220 mm