Decorative Alphabets and Initials

Alexander Nesbitt, Editor

ISBN 10: 0486205444 / ISBN 13: 9780486205441

About this Item

Decorative Alphabets and Initials, Alexander Nesbitt, Editor. Published by Dover Publications Inc, New York, NY, 1987. 2nd Copyright Date. Paperback. No DJ. Size 4to (up to 12'' tall). Condition: Fine. Spine not broken, content like new. 192 Pgs. ISBN 0486205444. There are 123 full-page plates including 91 complete alphabets in widely differing styles. In all, there are 3,924 initial letters. These alphabets were obtained from rare, out-of-print books, generally available only in libraries or in the rare-book market. They were reproduced directly from the pages of a large and extensive collection that was made specifically for the production of this volume. Since they are direct reproductions, they will all reproduce again excellently. The work is divided into 3 parts. Part 1 deals entirely with manuscript initials as they were used from the 8th to the15th centuries. It includes Celtic initials, rare designs from the Bible of Charles the Bald, and incised letters from the monument of Richard II in Westminster Abbey. Part 2 contains initials from printed books, starting with the 15th century and running through the 18th. Initials illustrated with children, cherubs, birds, beasts, flowers, legends, and grotesque heads. The work of the later engravers, writing masters, and baroque and rococo designers follows in order. Part 3 attempts to arrange Victorian letters and types and concludes with 20th-century alphabets such as the distinctive wood engraving of Edward Wadsworth. Each section has a historical intro, and each plate has a descriptive caption. Description text copyright 2017 BooksForComfort. Item ID 32036.

Seller Inventory # 32036

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Decorative Alphabets and Initials
• ISBN 10: 0486205444
• ISBN 13: 9780486205441
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition: 2nd edition.
• Condition: Fine
• Book Type: book

About this title

Synopsis

91 complete alphabets ― medieval to modern ― 3,927 decorative initials, including Victorian novelty and Art Nouveau.

From the Back Cover

Ninety-one complete alphabets -- medieval to modern -- include 3,924 decorative initials, including Victorian novelty and Art Nouveau. These alphabets were obtained from rare, out-of-print books, generally available only in libraries or in the rare-book market. They were reproduced directly from the pages of a large and expensive collection that was made specifically for the production of this volume. Since they are direct reproductions, they will all reproduce again excellently.
The book has been carefully arranged and annotated so that the students of letters and types may have a complete understanding of decorative alphabets and initials. The work is divided into three parts. Part One deals entirely with manuscript initials as they were used from the 8th to the 15th century. It includes Celtic initials, rare designs from the Bible of Charles the Bald, and incised letters from the monument of Richard II in Westminster Abbey. Part Two contains initials from printed books, starting with the 15th century and running through the 18th. Here are the fanciful creations of the 16th-century woodcutters: initials illustrated with children, cherubs, birds, beasts, flowers, legends, and grotesque heads. The works of the later engravers, writing, masters, and baroque and rococo designers follows in order. Part Three attempts to arrange the "great weeds jungle" of Victorian letters and types and concludes with the 20th-century alphabets such as the distinctive wood engravings of Edward Wadsworth. Each section has an historical introduction and each plate has a descriptive caption.