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Calligraphy & Calligraphers
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B3224. American Signs / Lisa Mahar.
American Signs: Form and Meaning on Route 66 by Lisa Mahar. 2002. 272pp. 7"x9". Paper $40.00.
American Signs traces the evolution of motel signs on Route 66 in a distinctive visual approach that combines text, images, and graphics. It presents the rich vernacular traditions of motel sign-making in five eras, spanning from the late 1930s through the 1970s. The motel signs of the early 1940s, for instance, reflect vernacular traditions dating back at least a century, while examples from the later years of the decade reveal a culture newly obsessed with themes. America's fascination with newness and technological progress is manifested in 1950s motel signs. Finally, in the 1960s, a turn toward simplicity and the use of new, modular technologies allowed motel signs to address the needs of a mass society and the beginnings of a national, rather than regional, aesthetic for motel signs.
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B3225. History Of Language / Steven Fischer
A History Of Language by Steven Fischer. 2004. 240pp. 5"x8". Paper $19.95.
This very readable book charts the history of communication from the time before human language was conceived through the media explosion of the present day. Fischer also looks to the future, asking how electronic media are daily reshaping the world's languages and suggesting a radical reinterpretation of what language really is. The book begins with an examination of the modes of communication used by dolphins, birds and primates as the first contexts in which the concept of 'language' might be applied. It charts the history of language from the times of early humans through the nineteenth century, when the science of linguistics was developed. The book analyzes the study of language as a science and language's development as a written form. Includes the rise of pidgin, creole, jargon and slang, and examines the effects TV and radio, propaganda, advertising, the media, and the internet are having on language today as well as the effect of the internet. Steven Roger Fischer is Director of the Institute of Polynesian Languages and Literatures in Auckland, New Zealand.
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B3226. History of Writing / Stephen Fischer PAPER
A History of Writing by Stephen Fischer. 2003. 352pp. 5.5"x9". Paper $19.95.
From the earliest scratches on stone and bone to the languages of computers and the internet, A History of Writing offers an investigation into the origin and development of writing throughout the world. Commencing with the first stages of information storage - knot records, tally sticks, pictographic storytelling - the book then focuses on the emergence of complete writing systems in Mesopotamia in the fourth millennium BC and their diffusion to Egypt, the Indus Valley, and points east. Special attention given to Semitic writing systems and their eventual spread to the Indian subcontinent.
Also documented is the rise of Phoenician and its effect on the Greek alphabet, generating the many alphabetic scripts of the West. Chinese, Korean and Japanese writing systems and scripts are dealt with in depth, as is writing in pre-Colombian America. Also explored are Western Europe's medieval manuscripts and the history of printing, leading to the innovations in technology and spelling rules of the 19th and 20th centuries. Illustrated with numerous examples, this book offers a global overview in a form that everyone can follow. The author also reveals his own discoveries made since the early 1980s, making it a useful reference for both students and specialists as well as the general reader.
Steven Roger Fischer is Director of the Institute of Polynesian Languages and Literatures in Auckland, New Zealand.
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B3301. Line & Spirit: Japan Exhibition
Line & Spirit: Japan - Belgium Letter Arts Exhibition. 2009. 40pp. 8.25"x11.75". Paper $28.50 including ship/handling (USA only).
Available now!
Over eighty pieces from this juried show are presented, all in full-color, and some with additional detail photos: calligraphic works, letter carving, and type design. Includes Western and Eastern calligraphy, the traditional and the contemporary, legible and painterly presentations, and two- and three-dimensional works. The vast majority of the pieces are in English(!) and use Western letterforms. Others are in Flemish and Japanese. The text and captions are in both English and Japanese. Belgian calligraphers include: Yves Leterme; Lieve Cornil; Brody Neuenschwander; Joke, Kristoffel, Liesbet & Pieter Boudens; and Elmo van Slingerland. Most of the Japanese calligraphers will be unfamiliar to many of us - but it’s not because their work is any less wonderful than that of better known scribes.
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B3079. My Dear Runemeister: A Voyage
My Dear Runemeister: A Voyage Through the Alphabet by Lloyd J Reynolds. 2002. 64pp. 7"x9". Paper. $7.95. SALE $5.95
This delightful, small volume is a series of brief one page letters written in italic by Reynolds. For the 26 letters of the alphabet plus the ampersand, you read of the roots of each: Phoenician, Greek, Roman, Hebrew. Gracing each page is one large red italic capital letter.
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B3206. Scripsit: Graceful Envelope III
Graceful Envelope Scripsit III edited by Lorraine Swerdloff. 2009. 24pp. 8.5"x11".
The third issue of this popular series is now available. It presents envelopes from the 2006, 2007 and 2008 contests. The themes are: Fine Line, Mailable Feast, and C's the Day. The envelopes are diverse and beautiful -- a wonderful selection for ideas & inspiration and just to enjoy.
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B3016. Scripsit: Pens & Protocol: The Calligraphy of Official Washington
The Calligraphy of Official Washington. 2008. 44pp. 8.5x11. Paper
This full-color journal is a delight. We get both the visual delight of the many examples and the sharing of how it comes to be. First is the work of the official calligraphers of the White House (Pat Blair, Debra Brown, Rick Muffler) and the State Department (Jennifer Nicholason) - menus, place cards, invitations and the like in script and in italic. David Hobbs, Sammy Little, Mary Lou O'Brian and Marta Legeckis then give us insight into their calligraphic business with government agencies as they share many examples of that social calligraphy and awards work. Finally we are treated to a full seven pages of the exquisite lettering Julian Waters has done for National Geographic, the US Postal Service, the National Wildlife Federation, and others.
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B2333-P. Artist & Alphabet (Paperback)
Artist & Alphabet: 20th Century Calligraphy & Letter Arts in America.
Curated by Jerry Kelly & Alice Koeth. 1999. 136pp.
8" x 11". Paperback. Retail Price $30.00.
Records this landmark exhibition celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Society of Scribes, Ltd. It assembles 100 calligraphers and lettering artists -- from Arnold Bank, John Howard Benson,WA Dwiggins to Al Zanetti and Hermann Zapf -- who have shaped the taste and history of the craft in America in the 20th century. 72 pages in color.
Hardcover B2333.
Limited supply of sale price copies.
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B2333. Artist & Alphabet (HARDCOVER)
Artist & Alphabet: 20th Century Calligraphy & Letter Arts in America.
Curated by Jerry Kelly & Alice Koeth. 1999. 136pp.
8" x 11". Hardcover (cloth). Retail Price $50.00.
Records this landmark exhibition celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Society of Scribes, Ltd. It assembles 100 calligraphers and lettering artists -- from Arnold Bank and John Howard Benson to Al Zanetti and Hermann Zapf -- who shaped the taste and history of the craft in America in the 20th century. 72 pages in color. Limited supply of sale price copies.
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B3196. Letters From New York #2
Letters from New York #2. 2006. 80pp. 8.5" x 5.25". Paper
Art work on cover by Karen Charatan. Issue highlights Lettering Arts on buildings and streets around New York City in an article by Paul Shaw.
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