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The Universal Penman
George Bickham
George Bickham's *The Universal Penman* is one of the monuments of Western calligraphy, and this Dover edition puts it cheaply into modern hands. Issued in parts in London in the 1730s and early 1740s, the original gathered the finest work of England's writing masters, all engraved by Bickham into dazzling specimens of English round hand—looping capitals, flourished birds and figures, mottoes and business forms. Dover's faithful reproduction preserves both the beauty and the practicality of a book meant to teach clerks and gentlemen to write with elegance. It remains a working reference for calligraphers and lettering artists and a pure pleasure for anyone who loves the made mark. For readers interested in the history of handwriting, design, or the craft of the pen, it's an essential and endlessly inspiring source.
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The author
George Bickham the Elder (c. 1684–1758) was an English engraver rather than a writing master himself. His genius was to collect and engrave the scripts of the leading penmen of his day, translating their hand-drawn models into printable plates of extraordinary refinement.
The book
The Universal Penman was published in London in parts between roughly 1733 and 1741, showcasing English round hand along with ornamental flourishes, alphabets, mottoes, and practical commercial forms. This is Dover Publications' complete, affordable reproduction, long a staple for students of lettering.
How to read it
It works two ways at once: as a historical document of Georgian commercial and polite culture, where fine handwriting signaled competence and status, and as a live copybook—calligraphers still trace and study its models. The plates reward close looking.
For more context
English round hand (or copperplate) shaped handwriting across the English-speaking world for two centuries, and Bickham's plates remain its most celebrated showcase.
Sources
- Type
- Book
- Author / Maker
- George Bickham
- Publisher
- Dover Publications
- Place of publication
- New York
- ISBN
- None
- Shelf
- Art
- Location
- Maine