Masters of the Italic Letter

Atkins, Kathryn A. Masters of the Italic Letter: Twenty-Two Exemplars from the Sixteenth Century. Allen Lane, 1988.

Masters of the Italic Letter is an in-depth exploration of the italic script as practiced by renowned Renaissance writing masters. The book features twenty-two exemplars, or copybooks, from the 16th century, with detailed commentary on each master, their techniques, and their influence on the development of calligraphy. These exemplars provide both practical examples of the italic hand and insights into the broader cultural significance of script in Renaissance Europe. The book includes biographical information on the scribes, as well as descriptions of the intended audiences and the printers who produced these influential works.

Richly illustrated with facsimiles of these historical scripts, the book serves as both an artistic and educational resource for calligraphers and historians. Atkins’ annotations shed light on how these masters perfected the italic style, offering a comprehensive analysis of their techniques, writing materials, and the role of calligraphy in the dissemination of knowledge. The volume includes a foreword by James M. Wells, and concludes with a bibliography for further study, making it an indispensable reference for anyone interested in the history of writing and typography.

As you can see in the photos, my dust jacket is a little beat up around the edges. The red cloth binding with gilt title on front and spine still look clear and bright. There is an ownership label on the front page, but otherwise it is in very good condition with no marks or highlighting inside. Book dimensions are roughly 12½"wide x 9¼"tall x 1"thick. ISBN: 9780713990218 / 071399021X. 

I'm asking $125.

Text from the dust jacket: 

Masters of the Italic Letter presents a comprehensive survey of the copybooks of 16th century writing masters with accompanying pictoral displays of the their Italic letters. In this elegant and scholarly book, Kay Atkins has provided a unique and invaluable source document annotating and illustrating 22 copybooks in elaborate detail, supplying extensive biographical and historical information about both the books and the scribes, and providing a complete description of the upper and lower case italic letters found in their pages.

From Fanti in 1514 to Beauchesnes in 1610, each letter of the alphabet and its variant forms has been reproduced and enlarged, presenting the lay reader with the opportunity of comparing 2,500 minuscules and majuscules, letter by letter and in chronological order.

But this is by no means all. Ms. Atkins has also provided a wealth of scholarly information. For every writing master she has recorded place and date of birth, occupation, and age at the time the book was published. For each of the copybooks discussed, the name of the publisher and engraver, the dimensions of the edition, and the audience for which it was written is given. Finally, the majority of the editions are displayed in actual size with the scribe's name, the title page, sample exemplar pages, and page enlargements. Pages have been translated into English from the original language by twelve scholars. Wherever possible, a signed example of the scribe's actual handwriting is also shown so that the reader can compare woodcut and manuscript letters.

In all, this magnificent survey has more information crammed into its pages than any previous book of its kind. It is unique and comprehensive, and indispensable vade mecum for anyone interested in the art of writing, and a singular contribution to the scholarship of the field.